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Amanda Niehaus

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ARC Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Queensland

I study ageing and lifespan. I had cancer around the time I finished my PhD, which inspired me to transition into research on why and how we age. I'm currently on a 3-year full-time (taken at 5 years part-time) Australian Research Council research fellowship to study the ecology, physiology and evolution of ageing.

I also write literary fiction and non-fiction. Much of my work stems from my experiences as a mother and as a cancer survivor, but I'm also exploring the idea of using fiction to communicate science. Could students learn and integrate concepts more effectively by writing and reading stories? My essays and stories have been published by Peppermint Magazine, Monkeybicycle and more.

Experience

  • 2013–present
    ARC Postdoctoral Fellow (0.6FTE), UQ
  • 2010–2012
    UQ Postdoctoral Fellow (0.2FTE), UQ

Education

  • 2009 
    University of Queensland, PhD
  • 2004 
    Simon Fraser University, MSc
  • 1999 
    University of Iowa, BSc (Honours)

Publications

  • 2014
    Can cheating crustaceans teach us anything about the origins of deception?, Lying: The making of Our World
  • 2014
    Does individual quality mask the detection of performance trade-offs? A test using analyses of human physical performance, Journal of Experimental Biology
  • 2013
    Dehydration hardly slows hopping toads (Rhinella granulosa) from xeric and mesic environments. , Physiological & Biochemical Zoology
  • 2012
    Fall field crickets did not acclimate to simulated seasonal changes in temperature., Journal of Comparative Physiology B
  • 2012
    Predicting the performance of ectotherms in fluctuating thermal environments. , Journal of Experimental Biology
  • 2011
    Striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii) tadpoles do not acclimate metabolic performance to thermal variability. , Journal of Experimental Biology
  • 2010
    emales prefer athletes, males fear the disadvantaged: different signals used in female choice and male competition have varied consequences. , Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B
  • 2008
    The fast and the fractalous: tradeoffs between running speed and manoeuvrability in leaf-cutter ants. , Functional Ecology
  • 2007
    Urban physiology: City ants possess greater thermal tolerance. , PLoS ONE
  • 2006
    Short- and long-term consequences of thermal variation in the larval environment of anurans. , Journal of Animal Ecology
  • 2006
    Ecological factors associated with the migratory phenology of high-latitude breeding Western Sandpipers. , Polar Biology
  • 2005
    Interannual differences in the relative timing of southward migration of male and female western sandpipers (Calidris mauri). , Naturwissenshaften
  • 2004
    Predator attraction to Western Sandpiper nest exclosures. , Waterbirds
  • 2003
    Measuring edge effects on nest predation in forest fragments: Do finch and quail eggs tell different stories? , American Midland Naturalist

Grants and Contracts

  • 2014
    How does habitat complexity drive motor ageing and fitness in wild mammals?
    Role:
    Co-Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Australian Research Council
  • 2014
    Professional Development Grant
    Role:
    Funding Source:
    Australian Science Communicators
  • 2013
    To die or not to die: Understanding the energetics of death in nature
    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding Source:
    Australian Research Council
  • 2010
    Using you-tube technology to teach undergraduate ecology
    Role:
    Co-Investigator
    Funding Source:
    The University of Queensland

Professional Memberships

  • Queensland Writers' Centre
  • Australian Science Communicators

Research Areas

  • Ecology (0602)
  • Ecological Physiology (060203)
  • Evolutionary Biology (0603)
  • Life Histories (060308)
  • Professional Writing (190302)
  • Technical Writing (190303)