Javiera Olivares Rojas

I am conservation biologist and early career researcher with interests spanning biodiversity management, ecosystem recovery and restoration, and evidence-based decision making. I hold a Bachelor of Natural Resource Sciences and Engineering (Hons) from the University of Chile, with my thesis focusing on modelling GHG fluxes from organic soils. I then completed my PhD at Monash University in 2023, where I developed methods to evaluate threatened ecosystem recovery, and cost-effectively prioritise management for threatened biodiversity in Australia. During my PhD, I also worked as a research assistant for the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems at Deakin University; contributed to a NESP project on herbivory impacts on threatened ecosystems at The University of Melbourne; and worked as a teaching associate at Monash for undergrad and postgraduate units.

Following my PhD, I completed a short postdoc at Monash, where I tested newly developed methods for the IUCN Green Status of Ecosystems. Currently, at MSEL, my research involves designing coral reef restoration strategies to enhance resilience to climate change, particularly on Palauan reefs. This work is part of the CORALADPT project, a collaboration between UQ, Newcastle University, University of the Philippines and the Palau International Coral Reef Center. 

Beyond research, I've been a volunteer program manager at the non-profit Future Forte, supporting international students and multicultural women, which led to my recognition as the Victorian International Education Award 2023 recipient for International Student of the Year in the Research category.