Todd Erickson

Todd Erickson is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia (UWA), affiliated with the School of Agriculture and Environment and the School of Engineering. He serves as Project Manager of the Restoration Seedbank (RSB) Initiative and Project Director of the Global Innovation Linkages project focused on mine-site rehabilitation. His work integrates ecological research with practical restoration strategies in arid zones.

Education: PhD in Plant Science (2015, UWA), focusing on arid zone seed ecology; BAppSc (Hons) in Biodiversity & Environmental Management (2006, University of South Australia). Early roles included research positions at Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and Kings Park Botanic Gardens.

Research interests span seed ecology, germination biology, mine restoration, and arid zone conservation. He pioneers techniques like seed pelleting and flash flaming to enhance plant establishment in degraded environments. His studies emphasize dormancy alleviation and the role of native microbiota in ecosystem recovery.

Grants include a $1.3M Global Innovation Linkages grant (2017-2021) and the $5M Restoration Seedbank Initiative. Projects often collaborate with industry (BHP, Rio Tinto) and international institutions (University of California, Brigham Young University) to address large-scale ecological challenges.

Key contributions: Over 90 publications, 10 datasets, and leadership in projects like the Pilbara Seed Atlas and Eco-engineering for mine rehabilitation. Active in knowledge-sharing and community engagement, including demonstrations of UWA's flash flaming technology.