Our Team
Operations
Our operations team is committed to delivering this project, managing the participants, and ensuring that all findings are disseminated out to the public in an accessible and timely fashion. We will also be critically assessing the success and impact of this project, to help us better inform future scientific collaborations.

Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries
The University of Adelaide, Project Manager

Assoc. Prof. Patrick O’Connor
The University of Adelaide, Evaluation

Dr Andy Howe
University of the Sunshine Coast, Ecology

Alana McClelland
The University of Adelaide, Specimen and Collection Management

Brock Hedges
The University of Adelaide, Website and Social Media

Dr Trang Nguyen
The University of Adelaide, Evaluation
School Engagement
Our schools team will be ensuring that the science that our taxonomists are so passionate about, is communicated in an exciting, engaging and accessible way in our partnered schools and developing resources to help teachers integrate the project into the classroom and curriculum.

Dr Andy Howe
University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD Schools Liaison and Ecological Component Design

Dr Sylvia Clarke
Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, SA Schools Liaison

Nathan Ducker
WA Gould League, WA Schools Liaison

Alice Woodward
Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board, SA Schools Liaison

Leanne Wheaton
South Australian Museum

Kate Dilger
South Australian Science Teachers Association, Executive Officer

Jill Mackenzie
South Australian Museum, Manager, Community Programs

Natalie Castree
South Australian Museum

Dr Karen Cullen
WA Gould League
Museums
Our museums team will be ensuring that all scientific specimens are appropriately preserved, stored and databased, and will be assisting our partnered taxonomists with accessing the critical material needed for species descriptions.

Dr Ben Parslow
South Australian Museum, Collection Manager (Terrestrial Invertebrates)

Dr Matt Shaw
South Australian Museum, Collection Manager (Terrestrial Invertebrates)

Dr Chris Lambkin
Queensland Museum, Curator Terrestrial Biodiversity (Entomology)

Susan Wright
Queensland Museum, Collection Manager, Entomology

Dr Nik Tatarnic
Western Australian Museum, Curator of Entomology

Dr Mark Harvey
Western Australian Museum, Head, Terrestrial Zoology; Curator of Arachnids & Myriapods
Taxonomists
This project doesn’t work without taxonomists, a critically underfunded profession in Australia. These expert scientists are volunteering their time to the project due to their immense passion for documenting Australian biodiversity. They will be assessing the specimens generated by schools, describing new species, and liaising with students to name these species!

Dr Chris Lambkin
Queensland Museum, Taxonomist
(Stiletto and Bee Flies)

Dr Ben Parslow
South Australian Museum, Taxonomist (Gasteruptiid wasps)

Dr Michael Rix
Queensland Museum, Taxonomist (Mygalomorph spiders)

Dr Francesco Martoni
Agriculture Victoria Research, Taxonomist (Psylloidea)

Dr Peter Allsopp
Queensland Museum, Taxonomist (Scarab subfamilies Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, Rutelina)

Dr Juanita Rodriguez
Australian National Insect Collection, Taxonomist (Pompillid and Mutilid Wasps)

Dr Keith Bayless
Australian National Insect Collection, Taxonomist (Tabanidae, Stratiomyidae, and acalyptrates)

Dr Nikolas Johnston
University of Tasmania, Taxonomist (Blow flies and flesh flies)

Dr Nik Tatarnic
Western Australia Museum, Taxonomist (Heteroptera)

Dr Mark Harvey
Western Australian Museum, Taxonomist (Pseudoscorpions)

Dr Vivian Sandoval
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Museum, Taxonomist (fungus beetles, ants)

Dr Carly Tribull
Farmingdale State College, Taxonomist (Dryinidae)

Maddi Giannotta
Australian National University, Taxonomist (Mutillidae)

Prof. Andy Austin
The University of Adelaide, Taxonomist (platygastoid Wasps)

Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries
The University of Adelaide, Taxonomist (Microgastrine wasps)
Our Lot
Project support
Insect Investigators received support and guidance from lots of experts, particularly:

Dr Steve Donnellan
South Australian Museum, Project devlopment

Prof. Andy Austin
The University of Adelaide, Advisory

Assoc. Prof. Kevin Thiele
Taxonomy Australia, Advisory

Wayne Frazer
Australian Entomological Supplies, Director of Australian Entomological Supplies Pty Ltd.

Dr. Dirk Steinke
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (Canada), DNA Barcoding Coordinator