- Associate Researcher, The University of Queensland
Dr Christina Zdenek coordinates BirdLife Australia’s Urban Birds Program, which works to halt and reverse the decline of Australia’s unique birds. She has created a 200 m² biodiverse habitat garden from bare ground, plus volunteers her time restoring degraded landscapes. Christina has published 65 scientific papers across ecology, biology, animal behaviour, and toxicology. She has led the Palm Cockatoo Project in remote Cape York for 17 years (including 40 months full-time in the field) and the Death Adder Project for three years.
Beyond research, Christina is a passionate science communicator. She manages eight social media accounts for three organisations, provides expert commentary in up to 50 media interviews each year, and has appeared on television 18 times since 2023, including eight live broadcasts. She is a frequent guest on national podcasts such as ABC’s What the Duck and The Science Show, and has authored 7 articles for The Conversation. As a Fulbright Fellow alumna, ABC Top 5 Scientist, UQ Rising Star (2023), and Qld Inspiring Australia ambassador (2024 and 2025), her vision is for conservation education to become commonplace, driving both top-down and bottom-up decision-making that supports Australia’s biodiversity.
Experience
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2023–presentAssociate research scientist, People For Wildlife
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2025–presentUrban Birds Program Coordinator, BirdLife Australia
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2025–2025Associate lecturer, University of Southern Queensland
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2009–2022Lab Manager/Post-doc at the Venom Evolution Lab , The University of Queensland
Education
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2020The University of Queensland, PhD/Toxinology
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2013The Australian National University, MPhil in Conservation Biology
Publications
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2025for papers, see google scholar, for papers, see google scholar
Grants and Contracts
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2025For grants, see my website
- Role:
- For grants, see my website
- Funding Source:
- For grants, see my website
Contact Christina for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
