It was over five and a half years ago when I first sat down at my PhD desk to begin my journey to uncover the secrets of Pterostylis pollination. A lot has changed since then - we moved buildings at uni, I spent years in the field chasing gnats and in the lab working out chemistry, I published two papers on my research, I moved to Arnhem Land and moved back again, I started working in the public service and I submitted my PhD thesis.
Today, at least symbolically, I capped off that journey as I graduated from my PhD at the ANU.
Me in fancy robes and floppy hat. Photo: Nic Vevers/ANU.
I think I stayed fairly true to my initial aims, although I probably had much grander plans about how much I was going to achieve than I actually did. But, with the driest 3-year period on record in NSW smack bang in the middle of my fieldwork, and a global pandemic thrown in for good measure towards the end, I’m fairly happy with how things ended up.
ANU Science did a little piece on my research which I think came up quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I’ve also written two articles about my research findings here and here. My PhD thesis itself is currently under embargo but I will link it here when its available.
Me in fancy dress with my PhD supervisor Rod Peakall.
Where to now for the greenhoods and their pollinators? Who knows, hopefully the next person can build on the research I’ve done and uncover even more interesting tales of pollination in Pterostylis. There’s now a student in the lab who’s studying the fungus gnat side of the story, and I’m super excited to see what she uncovers…