Michelle Ward

Dr. Michelle Ward is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on biodiversity conservation, threatened species recovery, and environmental policy, with a strong emphasis on quantifying the impacts of human activities (e.g., logging, deforestation, fires) on ecosystems and species. She holds a PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from The University of Queensland (2021).

Her work integrates ecological modeling, policy analysis, and cost-benefit assessments to address global challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, and biodiversity decline. Recent studies include evaluating post-fire sedimentation threats to aquatic systems, assessing the financial needs for species recovery, and analyzing the effects of logging on threatened species habitats.

Key contributions include:

• Quantifying habitat protection gaps for imperiled species
• Developing frameworks for threatened species recovery reporting
• Advocating for policy reforms to improve environmental impact assessments

Her research has been featured in high-impact journals like *Nature Ecology & Evolution*, *Conservation Biology*, and *Science*, with a focus on translating findings into actionable conservation strategies.