Sharon Appleyard

Dr. Sharon Appleyard is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Australian National Fish Collection (ANFC) at CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure in Hobart, Australia. She leads integrated taxonomic and genomic research on Australian marine fishes and oversees a major national biodiversity resource. Her work bridges molecular genetics, conservation, and aquaculture, with a focus on population structure, species identification, and environmental DNA applications.

Her research interests center on fisheries genetics, molecular population genomics, and marine biodiversity. She applies cutting-edge techniques such as DNA barcoding, SNP analysis, and high-throughput metabarcoding to assess population connectivity, support stock assessments, and identify species—including rare and endangered ones like the spotted handfish. Her expertise extends to degraded DNA from museum and ethanol-preserved specimens, advancing the use of historical collections in modern genomics.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in generating and curating genomic reference libraries for marine fishes, particularly through the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD). These works emphasize data transparency, reproducibility, and the integration of genetic and morphological data for accurate species identification across life stages.

• Invited Member, Commonwealth National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT), Captive Breeding Subcommittee (2024–ongoing)
• Invited Member, Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) Steering Committee for Biomolecular Tools for Fisheries and Aquaculture (2024–ongoing)

Dr. Appleyard has been principal or co-investigator on strategic and externally funded projects totaling over $4 million. She leads the CSIRO National Biodiversity DNA Library Marine Vertebrate Campaign and manages over 35 reference sequence projects in BOLD. She does not hold formal university faculty appointments but plays a central role in national research infrastructure and collaborative science.

She leads the Australian National Fish Collection, a key node in Australia’s biodiversity research network, and works closely with the CSIRO National Biodiversity DNA Library. Her team supports fisheries management, conservation policy, and taxonomic research through specimen-validated genomic resources.