Liz Deschaseaux

Biography:

Originally from France, I did my Undergraduate in cellular biology and physiology at the University of Bordeaux II (France) and moved to Australia in 2006 to enrol in Honours in applied science at the University of Canberra (UC). My Honours research project was to investigate the effect of variations in temperature and salinity on three biomarkers of stress (antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation and lysosomal stability) in the egg masses of rocky-shore gastropods.

I then worked for 2 years as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, in the field of freshwater ecology before undertaking my PhD at Southern Cross University.

Research:

I completed my PhD in 2014 on the production of dimethylated sulfur compounds (DSCs) in reef-building Acropora corals and associated Symbiodinium, and on the role of these DSCs as antioxidants in the coral holobiont.

I then worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Climate Change Cluster at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) where I investigated how stress-induced shifts in the physiological integrity of phytoplankton might alter the production of DSCs and influence phytoplankton-bacteria interactions in a changing ocean.

During my second post-doc at SCU, I investigated the relative contribution of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds at producing dimethylsulfide (DMS), isoprene and other climatically relevant biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs).

I am currently working as a Research Fellow on BVOC emissions as part of the Shading and Cooling component of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) where I will investigate how human-induced cloud brightening might influence BVOC emissions from the Australian Great Barrier Reef.

Community engagement:

Through the years, I volunteered for SharkWatch, which is a non-profit organization aiming at protecting both humans and sharks through preventing shark attacks and stopping the use of shark nets; participated in beach clean-ups for Positive Change for Marine Life; volunteered for Australian Seabird Rescue through helping to rescue wildlife and giving presentations to non-scientific audience on plastic pollution and consequences on the marine ecosystems; and participated in clean-up dives and fish surveys as part of the Byron Underwater Research Group (BURG), which is an association that involves the wider community in marine research projects based in the Cape Byron Marine Park.

I am also a member of Homeward Bound, a global network of women in STEMM that aims at tackling climate change and gender inequity.

Supervision:

During my two consecutive postdocs, I mentored 2 Honours students at UTS and formally supervised to completion a PhD student at SCU (Victoria Hrebien, from 2017 to 2021).

Teaching:

I was a Demonstrator for the Coral-Reef-On-the-Edge and Biology units from 2011 to 2015. As such, I supervised students, gave guest lectures and helped setting-up field-based and lab-based practicals.