Prof Kirsten Parris

Kirsten is a Professor of Urban Ecology in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences at The University of Melbourne, and the Leader of the NESP Hub for Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL). She has a deep affinity with frogs, and research interests that span urban ecology, conservation biology, animal behaviour, field survey methods and ecological ethics. In 2016, she published Ecology of Urban Environments (Wiley Blackwell), a text book for upper-level undergraduate and Masters students that provides an accessible introduction to urban ecology, using existing ecological theory to identify generalities in the complexity of urban environments.

Kirsten’s current research projects focus on the impacts of urban noise on acoustic communication in birds and frogs; the ecological costs and benefits of artificial wetlands in urban landscapes; community ecology in cities; and practical ways in which humans can better share the urban environment with other species. She also enjoys science communication including stand-up science comedy.

You can read more about her research at kirstenparris.com.