Justine Shaw is an Australian

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

researcher, best known for her

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

work on

subantarctic islands The sub-Antarctic zone is a physiographic region in the Southern Hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° and 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region inc ...

, currently working at the

Queensland University of Technology The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has two major campuses, a modern city campus in Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point ...

. She has a wide global research network, having worked in Australia, South Africa, sub-Antarctic/Antarctic and the Arctic.

Early life and education

Shaw completed her BSc at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

in 1996. Her first field season with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition was to

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

in the summer of 1996. She received her PhD in 2005 from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

, focusing on the plant ecology of

. She undertook a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology,

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

, South Africa from 2007 to 2010.

Career and impact

Research

Shaw is currently a Research Fellow at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, at the

. She has spent 20 years focused on Antarctic conservation science and environmental policy; working on a diverse range of plants and animals, ecosystems and management issues. Her main research areas include: multiple species interactions, impacts of

non-native species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, design of

Antarctic Protected Area An Antarctic Protected Area is an area protected under the Antarctic Treaty System.Antarctic Protected A ...

s, and island conservation by

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

eradication. Her research has directly impacted policy, via her advice to the Australian state and federal governments and through her work for the Committee for Environmental Protection of the

Antarctic Treaty System The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms ...

. She regularly leads workshops and conferences on issues relating to invasive species, Antarctic biodiversity and threatened species management for academic research groups and government agencies. Her seminal work on

Antarctic Protected Area An Antarctic Protected Area is an area protected under the Antarctic Treaty System.Antarctic Protected A ...

s was published in the high impact journal ''

PLOS Biology ''PLOS Biology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of biology. Publication began on October 13, 2003. It is the first journal published by the Public Library of Science. The editor-in-chief is Nonia Pariente. In ...

'' in 2014. This work had wide uptake in the media at a global scale appearing in Australian, Indian, French, US and Malaysian newspapers, reporting that Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems require greater protection from human activities. Her research received its most prominent exposure when it was profiled on a segment on

Last Week Tonight A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...

highlighting the risk to Antarctica posed by human visitors, with the YouTube clip alone reaching over 2 million views. Shaw has undertaken field research and led science research teams to the sub-Antarctic Heard, Macquarie,

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

, Prince Edward and

South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

islands. She has been a member of the Australian National Antarctic program, the

South African National Antarctic Programme The South African National Antarctic Programme (or SANAP) is the South African government's programme for research in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Three research stations fall under this programme: the Antarctica research station SANAE IV, an ...

and been hosted by the

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of list of global issues, global issues, and to provide an active prese ...

. Altogether she has spent almost 3 years on various subantarctic islands. She has travelled on numerous research vessels across much of the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

. Shaw is currently examining the risks posed by non-native species to Antarctic protected areas, examining the interactions between indigenous and non-native species, and investigating how invasive species influence ecosystem function. Shaw was appointed to the Australia Government's Threatened Species Scientific Committee in December 2023.

Outreach and community support

Shaw has also worked to improve outreach, collaboration, and networking within the Antarctic research community. In 2014, she co-founded Women in Polar Science, an interdisciplinary professional network, which uses social media to connect people around the issues and achievements of women working in polar science. Shaw was one of the co-founders of Homeward Bound, a training program for leadership for women in STEM which culminates 12 months of training with a voyage to Antarctica. She was member of the onboard voyage faculty in 2016 & 2018. She drives science and leadership within the program. She has discussed her research and Antarctic protection on several radio programs, including

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Instit ...

and ABC Hobart. Dr Shaw is a member of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

's Early Mid Career Forum Executive Committee. In this role she works to bring the voice and needs of Australia's early career scientific researchers to the broader science community and science policy makers.

References

External links

Justine Shaw's webpage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Justine Australian women scientists Australian Antarctic scientists 21st-century Australian scientists University of Queensland alumni Academic staff of the University of Queensland University of Tasmania alumni Stellenbosch University alumni Australian conservationists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Women Antarctic scientists