Family life in the wild: Linking genes, social behaviour, and population dynamics

About the research project

Understanding how and why complex social behaviour evolves remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Family living provides a particularly powerful context in which to address this question, arising when associations between parents and offspring extend beyond periods of obligatory parental investment. These extended associations are underpinned by behaviours such as parental care, social tolerance and aggression, yet we still know relatively little about the genetic and molecular mechanisms that generate variation in these behaviours, how they shape individual life histories and population dynamics, or how they evolve alongside increasingly complex social systems.

This research program will address these questions using Australian family-living lizards as a model system, with a particular focus on White’s skink (Liopholis whitii) and related species within the Egernia lineage. These species display remarkable variation in social organisation, ranging from relatively simple parent–offspring associations to stable, multigenerational family groups, providing an exceptional system for investigating the origins and evolution of family life. The research will integrate behavioural ecology, evolutionary genomics, molecular biology and population ecology to investigate how genes, behaviour and the environment interact to shape social variation. Building on more than two decades of detailed ecological and behavioural research on L. whitii, there will be opportunities to combine long-term individual-based data, pedigrees and behavioural assays with genomic and transcriptomic approaches to identify the genetic and regulatory mechanisms underlying key social behaviours. This framework will allow us to examine how variation in social behaviour influences individual life-history trajectories, reproductive success and population dynamics. At a broader evolutionary scale, comparative analyses will investigate how the mechanisms underlying social behaviour evolve alongside changes in social organisation, both within the Egernia lineage and across lizards more broadly. These comparisons will provide opportunities to test whether increasingly complex forms of family living have evolved through shared molecular mechanisms and evolutionary pathways, or whether similar social systems have arisen through distinct routes.

Together, this work will connect processes operating from genes and gene regulation through individual behaviour to populations and evolutionary change, providing a more integrated understanding of how family life originates, evolves and persists in natural populations.

Primary supervisor

Meet Associate Professor Geoff While

Funding

The successful applicant will receive a scholarship which provides:

• a living allowance stipend funded by ARC of $34,315 per annum for 3.5 years
• a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)

A tuition fee offset may be offered to eligible international applicants following competitive assessment 

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Other funding opportunities and fees

For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees for undertaking a research degree, please visit our Scholarships and fees on research degrees page.

Eligibility

Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.

Ensure your eligibility for the scholarship round by referring to our Key Dates.

Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:

• Applicants must be able to undertake the project on a full-time basis and on-campus.
• Applications are open to applicants from Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Behavioural Ecology, Quantitative Biology or a closely related discipline only.
• English language score must meet minimum entry requirements.

Selection criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded. Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.

Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:

• First Class Honours or an equivalent research Master’s degree in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Behavioural Ecology, Quantitative Biology, Genetics, Genomics, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated capacity for independent research, including completion of a substantial research thesis or equivalent data-intensive project, with evidence of analytical capability and contribution to scientific dissemination (e.g., presentations, reports, or publications).
• Strong quantitative and computational skills, including experience using R (or equivalent programming environments) for data wrangling, visualisation, reproducible workflows, and statistical analyses.
• Demonstrated interest in behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology, population biology, genetics, or the integration of ecological and evolutionary approaches to biological questions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including the ability to communicate scientific concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organisational skills, initiative, and capacity for independent work, including the ability to manage research activities and deliver high-quality outcomes within agreed timeframes.
• Willingness and capacity to undertake fieldwork in remote environments, operating safely and effectively within established field and safety protocols.
• Experience with, or willingness to undertake, laboratory and field procedures associated with vertebrate research, including tissue collection and biological sampling conducted under approved animal ethics protocols. 

Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:

• Experience with genomic analyses, bioinformatic workflows, quantitative genetics, pedigree reconstruction, or genome-scale datasets.
• Experience analysing complex biological datasets, with familiarity with mixed-effects modelling, hierarchical approaches, Bayesian methods, quantitative genetics, or related analytical frameworks advantageous.
• Experience in spatial analyses, GIS workflows, network analyses, or ecological modelling approaches.
• Current unrestricted driver’s licence, with four-wheel-drive experience advantageous.
• Remote first-aid qualification, wilderness field experience, or willingness to undertake relevant training.
• Evidence of scholarly contribution, including publications, manuscripts in preparation or review, conference presentations, or other research outputs.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary research teams and contribute positively to a broader research environment. 

Application process

1. Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
2. Contact Associate Professor Geoff While to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
3. In your application:
   • Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
   • Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
4. Apply prior to 1 October 2026.

Full details of the application process can be found under the ' How to apply ' section of the Research Degrees website.

Following the closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.

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