Samantha Setterfield

Professor Samantha Setterfield is a faculty member at the School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia. Her expertise spans tropical ecology, focusing on savanna and wetland ecosystems, invasive plant management, and weed risk assessment. She joined UWA in 2016 after extensive work at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and CSIRO, where she led research on tropical plant ecology and fire dynamics. Her research is highly collaborative, involving partnerships with institutions like CSIRO and the National Environmental Science Program (NESP).

Education & Career:

• Honours in Botany, Monash University
• PhD on fire effects in tropical savannas (CSIRO’s Kapalga Fire Experiment, Kakadu NP)
• Lecturing roles at CDU, leading education programs in tropical savannas

Research Interests: Tropical Savannas: Impact of invasive grasses like Andropogon gayanus on fire regimes, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. Breakthroughs include demonstrating ecosystem-transforming effects of invasive grasses.
Tropical Wetlands: Ecology of rivers and wetlands, assessing impacts of water extraction, invasions, and climate change. Focus on riparian zones as critical refuges in fire-prone ecosystems.

Awards & Recognition:

• Invasive Species Council Biosecure Australia Award (2014)
• CDU Vice-Chancellor’s Research Team Award (2008)
• Finalist, NT Government Research & Innovation Awards (2008)
• 2023 School of Agriculture Award for Research Impact

Teaching & Grants:

• Teaches ecology, conservation, and environmental decision-making units at UWA.
• Current grants include ARC Discovery projects, NESP initiatives, and CSIRO collaborations.

Labs & Collaborations: Leads interdisciplinary teams on invasive species management, fire ecology, and Indigenous-led environmental monitoring. Key collaborations with Prof Michael Douglas (UWA) and Dr Natalie Rossiter-Rachor (CDU).