University of Tasmania, Australia

Dingo research earns Prof Chris Johnson a Eureka Prize nomination

A multi-institutional team led by University of Tasmania ecologist and conservation biologist Professor Chris Johnson has been nominated for a prestigious national science award.

Prof Johnson, a New Star Professor in the UTAS School of Zoology, and his team of dingo researchers are in the running for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

The Eureka Prizes will be announced at a gala dinner at the Australian Museum in Sydney on Wednesday 4 September 2013.

Prof Johnson and his team’s work have shown how the dingo helps sustain biodiversity in Australian ecosystems. It points the way to improved environmental management in which the dingo could be used to aid the recovery of degraded lands and therefore help protect threatened species.

The other team members are Dr Michael Letnic from the University of New South Wales; Dr Euan Ritchie of Deakin University; Dr Arian Wallach, James Cook University; and Adam O'Neill from Evelyn Downs Station in South Australia.

The Eureka Prizes were established in 1990 to reward outstanding achievements in Australian science and science communication. This year 17 prizes will be awarded in four categories - Research & Innovation, Leadership & Commercialisation, School Science and Science Communication & Journalism.