Interns and Volunteers
The Blue Carbon Lab is fortunate to have interns and volunteers who visit the lab to learn about coastal wetlands and gain skills in field and laboratory techniques for blue carbon research.
Read more about our current and past volunteers and interns below.
Are you interested in volunteering or interning with the BCL? Fill out this form to let us know how you’d like to get involved!
2021
Jake Archbold
Jake is currently completing a BSc of Environmental Science: Environmental Management and Sustainability at Deakin University. Jake is interested in wetland ecosystem health and the challenges of climate change, habitat disturbance, and restoration from a management perspective. He has enjoyed assisting the Blue Carbon Lab in the field and lab settings under the supervision of Dr Pawel Waryszak and looks forward to supporting Blue Carbon research further in the future.
Callum Edwards
Callum completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 2020 at the University of Melbourne, completing a research project on estuary water quality. He first helped out at the Blue Carbon Lab in 2019, assisting with processing soil cores as well as helping with fieldwork for the wetland restoration program and the HSBC citizen science program under the supervision of Dr Pawel Waryszak, Dr Melissa Waterman, and Dr Maria del Mar Palacios. This year Callum returned to the Blue Carbon Lab to assist Dr Paul Carnell and Dr Pawel Waryszak with fieldwork monitoring for the wetland restoration program.
Katherine Ross
Katherine has a Masters in Marine Conservation from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She is currently completing a post-graduate diploma in Energy and Environment at Murdoch University, and is working as an environmental auditor in Western Australia. She is volunteering remotely at the BCL, and has a keen interest in the potential of blue carbon to act as environmental and emissions offset mechanisms which deliver ecosystem co-benefits.
Savitri Thurairatnam
Savitri is studying a Bachelor of Commerce/Science with majors in Economics and Geography at Deakin University, and is looking to start a career in geospatial science. She is passionate about finding business solutions to the problems of climate change and am interested in decommissioning projects being undertaken in the renewable energy sector. She worked with Stacey, Pawel, and Melissa on the TeaComposition H2O Initiative, working in Hobsons Bay, Western Port, and Avalon to process litter bags. She also worked on the epifauna project processing and identifying epifauna samples from Western Port.
Natasha Tropeano
Natasha is a student at Deakin University studying Marine Science. Her recent volunteer experience involved working with Dr. Pawel Waryszak studying epifauna living in seagrass and identifying the species. In addition to her work with the Blue Carbon Lab, she has also joined the volunteer team at the Marine Mammal Foundation to learn more about and work with their very own Burrunan Dolphin.
2020
Shashindu Dodampahala
Shash is completing his BSc of Environmental Sciences: Environmental Management and Sustainability degree at Deakin university. Before volunteering at the Blue Carbon Lab, he worked as an intern with Earthwatch’s mangrove conservation program in Mackay, QLD. Now, he supports BCL’s citizen science research with data entry, collection of soil cores, and analysis of samples under the supervision of Dr. Pawel Waryszak, Dr. Melissa Wartman and Dr. Maria Palacios.
Mary Jo Hanly
Mary Jo recently completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science in Marine Biology at Deakin University while undertaking her internship with Blue Carbon Lab. She brings a depth of marine experience to the table with her Coxswain certification, Commercial/Recreational Diving qualifications and repeat updates in marine safety training. MJ is proud to contribute to the sea urchin culling research carried out by Dr Paul Carnell. She is excited to be dedicating her life to a field of science making a meaningful contribution to the improvement of our global environment.
Kylor Kerns
Kylor completed her BSc. (Hons) in Environmental Science at the University of Virginia and is now taking a year away from university to diversify her research experience before returning to UVa to begin her PhD. Her research interests include seagrass and saltmarsh resilience, asking questions about metabolism, temperature stresses, nutrient cycling, and multi-trophic interactions. Kylor will be collaborating with the BCL during a 5 month internship, where she will be analyzing saltmarsh restoration (nutrient cycling fluxes and methane ebullition) and supporting citizen science programs. She strongly believes science can be fun for everyone!
Jessica Arnull
Jess has a BSc in Geography from the University of Bristol and MSc degree in Marine Systems and Policies from the University of Edinburgh. In the UK she spent most of her student years studying carbon ecology and the influence of plant types on greenhouse gases from peatland ecosystems. Jess also has worked with the sea cucumber aquaculture industry in Madagascar, where she studied how to increase sustainable livelihoods for local communities (project run by Blue Ventures). At BCL, Jess is supporting the citizen science programs and doing research on the ability of salt marsh species to trap carbon and recover from degradation.
Amanda Renee de la Rosa
Amanda completed her BSc in Environmental Science and Policy at St. Edward’s University. She is currently a graduate student obtaining a masters with the IMBRSea program at Ghent University in Belgium. Amanda will be collaborating with the BCL for her master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Peter Macreadie, where she will be examining the effects of salinity change on greenhouse gas emissions in marsh sediments.
Rebecca Morrow
Becca is a current MSc candidate in Marine Biological Resources with the IMBRSea program at the University of Ghent in Belgium. She is currently interested in biological carbon and nutrient cycling and will be investigating the role of salinity change on greenhouse gas flux in coastal sediments for her master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Peter Macreadie with the Blue Carbon Lab. Becca graduated from Florida State University in 2017 with a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Philosophy. She published her research in the Journal of Deep Sea Research Part II under the supervision of Dr. Mike Stukel.
Alessia Prospero
Alessia completed her bachelor in Biology at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and is now doing her MSc degree in Marine Biology at The University of Groningen (Netherlands). Her studies cover a range of topics including limnology, ecology and microbiology, allowing her to gain theoretical and practical knowledge on those fields. Alessia will be collaborating with the BCL during a 5 month internship, where she will be writing a review of the European crab (Carcinus maenas), which is classified as one of the world’s 100 worst pest invaders.
2019
Acacia Markov
Acacia is completing her Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op) at the University of Guelph in Ontario (Canada) in Water Resources Engineering. She is visiting the Blue Carbon Lab as a recipient of the Mitacs Globalink Research Award and working with Dr Noyan Yilmaz in coastal wetland protection/restoration for climate change mitigation.
Charlie Townsin
Charlie has a Master of Conservation Science from The University of Queensland. Before beginning his PhD with the Blue Carbon Lab, he has helped with data entry, processing of samples in the lab, and collection of soil cores in the field. Charlie has worked under the supervision of Dr Peter Macreadie and Dr Pawel Waryszak.
Miles Thomson
Miles graduated from Deakin in 2015 with a Bachelor of Environmental Science. He helps with the processing and analysis of soil cores in the lab and supports field coring campings under the supervision of Dr Pawel Waryszak.
Maddison Brown
Maddi is completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). She visited the Blue Carbon Lab to participate of wetland restoration research under the supervision of Dr Paul Carnell. Maddi helped doing field work and processing soil samples in the lab.
Callum Edwards
Callum is a student of Environmental Science at The University of Melbourne. He supports Blue Carbon research in the laboratory and in the field under the supervision of Dr Pawel Waryszak and Dr Melissa Wartman.
2015 to 2018
- Alex Dudkowski (2018)
- Katelyn McAdams (2018)
- Rebecca Spence (2018)
- Vidyahenny Maulina (2018)
- Nicolas Hebert (2018)
- Alice Gavoille (2017-2018)
- Muvi Liyanapathirana (2017)
- Madeleine Brenker (2016)
- Boonyanuj Yukate (2016)
- Kelsey Johnson (2016)
Before 2014
- Ellen Rochelmeyer (2014-15)
- Aurora Martinez-Ricart (2013)
- Nicola Pradela (2011)
- Valentin Fougerit (2011)
- Davina Clarke (2010/11)
*Please contact A/Prof Peter Macreadie or Dr Pawel Waryszak if you are interested in volunteering at the lab (Deakin University Burwood campus).
