Team

A network of minds, a shared passion for life
Our strength lies in collaboration. The SEED Lab team brings together field ecologists, molecular biologists, and data scientists to understand, protect, and celebrate the living systems that sustain our planet.

To explore our network of local and international collaborators and partner institutions, click here.

Core Scientific Leadership

Prof. Dr. Junun Sartohadi / Advisor

I have specialised in soil geomorphology, land degradation, and landscape restoration. My research focuses on understanding soil and terrain processes to support sustainable land resource management in tropical environments. Over the years, I have led projects on land conservation, geomorphological mapping, and disaster risk reduction. Within the SEED Lab, I contribute expertise on soil–landscape interactions and habitat dynamics, integrating geoscience perspectives into biodiversity conservation and ecological modeling.

Dr. A. A. Thasun / Principal Investigator

My primary research interests lie in the speciation, dispersal, systematics, biogeography, and evolution of widely distributed reptile and amphibian species across South and Southeast Asia. I have led extensive fieldwork in remote islands, dense forests, and high mountain ranges, conducting fresh collections and studying museum specimens, complemented by laboratory molecular analyses. My research has led to the discovery of over 35 new species from India, Sri Lanka, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Prof. Dr. Justin Travis / Co-Investigator

Much of my research uses stochastic individual-based models to study the evolutionary ecology and population genetics of range expansions, incorporating greater realism into the dispersal process within spatial population models, as well as evolvability and the evolutionary ecology of longevity. I am increasingly interested in how these models can be combined with modern statistical methods (including Bayesian approaches) and analytical approximations to gain greater insights and predictive capabilities.

Prof. Dr. Lesley Lancaster / Co-Investigator

My research focuses on evolution under climate change and evolutionary processes associated with geographic range limits. I am interested in how social and behavioral factors interact with changing ecological conditions to facilitate or hinder evolutionary change and macroevolutionary processes associated with geographic range shifts and habitat shifts.

Dr. Sandy Nurvianto / Project coordinator

My research interest is ecological models to study conservation biology, wildlife ecology, and forest resource management within spatial models. With expertise in ecological assessments and conservation planning, I have worked across diverse landscapes for biodiversity monitoring, socio-ecological dynamics, and conservation. My research contributions demonstrate how scientific research can guide policymakers in making informed decisions to balance development and conservation.

Research & Technical Staff

Dr. Tharusha Wijewardena

My research focuses on the intersection of population ecology, urban ecology, and conservation. I am interested in the processes and mechanisms that influence population dynamics in urban environments. My primary study system focuses on freshwater turtles, but I also have a strong interest in other megafauna. Given their imperiled status worldwide, I am committed to assessing conservation actions that enhance population stability.

Dr. Namrata Anirudh

I am a conservation ecologist with a PhD in Ecology from Universitas Indonesia, completed in collaboration with DICE, University of Kent. My research work focuses on biodiversity, landscape conservation, and ecological sustainability. Combining scientific research with real-world impact, I study tropical forest conservation and ecology, emphasising biodiversity monitoring, socio-ecological dynamics, and conservation beyond strictly protected areas.

Dr. Rebekka Allgayer

I am a computational movement ecologist with broad interests in understanding how marine and freshwater population dynamics, dispersal, and evolution interact to determine species’ responses to environmental change. I developed the individual-based, eco-evolutionary modelling platform MerMADE for investigating movement and dispersal evolution within a 3D seascape, including hydrodynamics and a range of behaviours during dispersal phases.