Mark Dowton

Mark Dowton is Professor in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience at the University of Wollongong. His research employs DNA sequencing to reconstruct evolutionary relationships across diverse organisms.

Research focuses on evolutionary biology, genetics, and zoology, with specialization in mitochondrial genome evolution and Hymenoptera phylogenetics. Dowton's work combines genomic analysis with ecological modeling to examine biodiversity patterns.

Recent publications investigate coral-fish symbiosis vulnerability, parasitoid genomics for biocontrol, and marsupial population genetics, applying genomic techniques to conservation challenges.

Current projects include landscape genetics of threatened mammals and genomic studies of insect parasitoids. Leads multiple PhD students researching coral-dwelling gobies, mammal conservation genomics, and social behavior evolution in marine species.