Jim Willis Studentships

Vacation studentships honouring the late Dr James Hamlyn Willis

2026/2027 Applications are now open

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria invites applications for vacation studentships honouring the late Dr James Hamlyn Willis, distinguished former senior member of staff at the National Herbarium of Victoria. You will be in the third or fourth year of a Science degree, with interests in plant and/or fungal systematics. The studentship will allow you to participate, under supervision, in one of the research programs at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. 

There are three studentships available and each is awarded for an eight-week period during December to February, and remuneration is $2,396 gross per fortnight (plus super).  Applications will be assessed on the merit of the applicant. 

The following three projects are offered for 2026/2027:

1. What genus does the Australian and New Zealand moss Dicranella dietrichiae really belong to?

Over 200 species have been placed in the moss genus Dicranella, with representatives occurring on all continents. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data have shown that Dicranella comprises several separate lineages that are now being recognised as separate genera. These phylogenies have not included one of the Victorian species, Dicranella dietrichiae, which is likely misplaced in Dicranella based on several morphological differences to species belonging to the true Dicranella lineage. To determine which genus D. dietrichiae would be best placed in, DNA sequences will be obtained from recent Victorian collections, and together with existing sequences of other Dicranella and relatives, will be analysed using various phylogenetic methods. To try to make sense of the phylogenetic placement obtained, a survey of morphological features will be conducted with the aid of SEM and light microscopy to allow comparison to morphology in related species.

Supervisors: Daniel Ohlsen (Daniel.Ohlsen@rbg.vic.gov.au) & Rachael Fowler

2. Assessing Urban Foraging by Grey-Headed Flying-Foxes Using Nanopore eDNA Metabarcoding

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of grey-headed flying-fox scat offers a non-invasive method for identifying plants visited and consumed by these important pollinators, providing insights into their foraging ecology and movement across urban landscapes. This project will analyse Oxford Nanopore ITS2 and rbcL amplicon data from ten grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) scat samples collected at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The student will work with the RBGV bioinformatician to develop a reproducible workflow involving read-quality filtering, sequence clustering, and consensus-sequence generation, followed by comparison against curated reference databases using stringent identity, alignment-coverage and read-support thresholds. The project will compare the results with the RBGV Living Collections Database, assess which plant detections are robust, and determine the appropriate taxonomic resolution for each marker. It will provide training in Nanopore sequence analysis, reference-database curation, bioinformatics and scientific reporting, while producing a defensible estimate of the plants represented in the samples. The outcomes will improve interpretation of flying-fox dietary metabarcoding data and help establish a transferable workflow for future biodiversity-monitoring projects at RBGV.

Supervisors: Chris Jackson (Chris.Jackson@rbg.vic.gov.au) & Terry Coates.

 

3. A new species of Gyroporus (Boletales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota, Fungi)

Gyroporus (Gyroporaceae, Boletales) is a genus of ectomycorrhizal mushroom-forming fungi with representatives on every major continent except Antarctica. In Australia, several formally described and undescribed species are known to occur; they are mycorrhizal primarily with native Myrtaceae but possibly Casuarinaceae and other plant families as well. Recent examination of past Gyroporus collections and data has revealed a novel, previously unknown morphospecies from Western Australia. Building on previous work by the supervisors and collaborators, this project will engage students with multiple aspects of describing a new species of ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycota, including microscopy, conducting phylogenetic analyses and producing phylogenetic figures, and writing formal descriptions. Depending on the status of the project and the interest of the student, other species of Gyroporus and related Boletales may also be studied. Results from this project will advance fungal taxonomy and further elucidate the evolution, ecology and biogeography of these important but elusive elements of Australian bushlands.

Supervisors: Naveed Davoodian (naveed.davoodian@rbg.vic.gov.au) & Gareth Holmes.

Apply now

Applications should include a curriculum vitae (including university transcript), two referees, and a brief cover letter explaining how the applicant would benefit from the Jim Willis Studentship and how they can contribute to research at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and reasons for their preference of a particular project. 

Applications (single PDF only) should be emailed to Dr Todd McLay, Director Research, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, todd.mclay@rbg.vic.gov.au by Friday 17 October 2026.