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Jenkins, Meaghan Dr

Research Fellow

  • Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health
  • School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences
  • Research Fellow - Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires 2014 -

Overview

Dr Meaghan Jenkins is a Research Fellow in Fire and Environmental Modelling within the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires. Her current work focuses on quantifying bushfire fuels and fire behaviour modelling in collaboration with the NSW Rural Fire Service and Office of Environment and Heritage. Dr Jenkins completed her PhD at UNSW in 2009, examining carbon cycling in sub-alpine ecosystems. From 2010 to 2014, Dr Jenkins was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Sydney, on an ARC Linkage Project in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Environment, Water,  Land and Planning examining fires, black carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon balance of southern sclerophyll forests. Dr Jenkins then joined UOW in 2014 and  has worked on environmental values and fire hazard of eucalypt plantings. In 2016, Dr Jenkins worked at National Parks and Wildlife Service, Fire and Incident Management Section as a Planning Officer, developing fire management related policies and reporting wildfire and hazard reduction activities. In 2017 she returned to UOW so continue work on bushfire fuels and fire behaviour modelling. 


Top Publications

Research Overview

  • I am interested in the dynamics of Australian ecosystems and the processes involved above- and below-ground nutrient cycling. This work is of vital importance for increasing our understanding of the carbon stored in our soils and what controls the volume of carbon released as CO2 into the global atmosphere.  I am interested in pursuing research into soil-plant interactions and the influence of climate and natural hazards on ecosystem processes. Bushfire is at least as important as climate, in its effect on both plant growth and release of CO2. The predicted impacts of climate change – including more frequent and intense bushfires – could lead to changes in vegetation type and distribution. These could, in turn, alter plant and soil processes, such as litter accumulation and decomposition, and, importantly, the release of carbon from soil. 

Available as Research Supervisor

Selected Publications

Available as Research Supervisor

Potential Supervision Topics

  • •    Effects of fire on ecosystem processes including carbon dynamics

    •    Plant and soil interactions with environmental gradients and fire regimes

    •    Modelling bushfire fuel dynamics, including effects of severity

    •    Effects of climate change and fire on soil stored carbon

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy Resprouting into the future: implications for Eucalyptus forests in a changing climate
    Doctor of Philosophy Severity and flammability feedbacks in SE Australian forest fire regimes Barker, James
    Doctor of Philosophy Effects of climate change on resilience of fire prone plant communities Simpson-Southward, Harriet

Education And Training

  • B Science (Hon) in Environmental Biology, The Quantification of Growth Characteristics and Seed Bank Dynamics of Three Proteaceae Species 1998 - 2002
  • Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry, University of New South Wales, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Carbon Cycling in Sub-alpine Ecosystems 2005 - 2009

Teaching Overview

  • Postgraduate supervision

    Cheryl Poon (PhD)                                                                                                 2011-2015

    Title: Influence of Black Carbon on Soil Organic Matter.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Tina Bell & Prof. Mark Adams through the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney.

     

    Jacqui Simpson (PhD)                                                                                           2011-

    Title: Understanding plant uptake of organic and inorganic nitrogen for optimal fertilizer application in forestry.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Charles Warren through the Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

     

    Honours

    Michael Kowalczyk-Barker                                                                                            2010

    Title: Investigating the influence of plant-derived substrates on cold temperature soil respiration rates using soil from the Snowy Mountains.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Charles Warren through the Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

     

    Undergraduate teaching

    Lecturer                                                                                                                 2009–2014

    University of Sydney

    ·        PLNT3001 Plant and Soil Interactions – Carbon Cycling.

    ·        ENSYS3002 Fire in Australian Ecosystems - Fire and Soils.

    ·        ENSY 3003 Trees and the Environment - Forest soils, Fire and Forests.

    ·        PLNT2003 Plant Form and Function - Plant reproduction: Flowers, seed structure and sources of nutrition for fruits.

Full Name

  • Meaghan Edith Jenkins

Mailing Address

  • Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires

    Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, Faculty of Science, Health and Medicine, University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

  • Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires

    School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Health and Medicine, University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

Top Publications

Research Overview

  • I am interested in the dynamics of Australian ecosystems and the processes involved above- and below-ground nutrient cycling. This work is of vital importance for increasing our understanding of the carbon stored in our soils and what controls the volume of carbon released as CO2 into the global atmosphere.  I am interested in pursuing research into soil-plant interactions and the influence of climate and natural hazards on ecosystem processes. Bushfire is at least as important as climate, in its effect on both plant growth and release of CO2. The predicted impacts of climate change – including more frequent and intense bushfires – could lead to changes in vegetation type and distribution. These could, in turn, alter plant and soil processes, such as litter accumulation and decomposition, and, importantly, the release of carbon from soil. 

Selected Publications

Potential Supervision Topics

  • •    Effects of fire on ecosystem processes including carbon dynamics

    •    Plant and soil interactions with environmental gradients and fire regimes

    •    Modelling bushfire fuel dynamics, including effects of severity

    •    Effects of climate change and fire on soil stored carbon

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy Resprouting into the future: implications for Eucalyptus forests in a changing climate
    Doctor of Philosophy Severity and flammability feedbacks in SE Australian forest fire regimes Barker, James
    Doctor of Philosophy Effects of climate change on resilience of fire prone plant communities Simpson-Southward, Harriet

Education And Training

  • B Science (Hon) in Environmental Biology, The Quantification of Growth Characteristics and Seed Bank Dynamics of Three Proteaceae Species 1998 - 2002
  • Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry, University of New South Wales, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Carbon Cycling in Sub-alpine Ecosystems 2005 - 2009

Teaching Overview

  • Postgraduate supervision

    Cheryl Poon (PhD)                                                                                                 2011-2015

    Title: Influence of Black Carbon on Soil Organic Matter.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Tina Bell & Prof. Mark Adams through the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney.

     

    Jacqui Simpson (PhD)                                                                                           2011-

    Title: Understanding plant uptake of organic and inorganic nitrogen for optimal fertilizer application in forestry.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Charles Warren through the Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

     

    Honours

    Michael Kowalczyk-Barker                                                                                            2010

    Title: Investigating the influence of plant-derived substrates on cold temperature soil respiration rates using soil from the Snowy Mountains.

    Co-supervised with Associate Prof. Charles Warren through the Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

     

    Undergraduate teaching

    Lecturer                                                                                                                 2009–2014

    University of Sydney

    ·        PLNT3001 Plant and Soil Interactions – Carbon Cycling.

    ·        ENSYS3002 Fire in Australian Ecosystems - Fire and Soils.

    ·        ENSY 3003 Trees and the Environment - Forest soils, Fire and Forests.

    ·        PLNT2003 Plant Form and Function - Plant reproduction: Flowers, seed structure and sources of nutrition for fruits.

Full Name

  • Meaghan Edith Jenkins

Mailing Address

  • Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires

    Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, Faculty of Science, Health and Medicine, University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

  • Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires

    School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Health and Medicine, University of Wollongong

    Wollongong

    NSW

    2522

    Australia

Visualisations

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Research Areas

Geographic Focus