Jules Farquhar

I am an ecologist and herpetologist working as a Senior Research Officer in the Australian Lizard and Snake Conservation lab at Monash University, where I am also completing a PhD focused on Australian reptile ecology. I am also a Research Associate at Museums Victoria. Broadly, my research spans reptile ecology, taxonomy, biogeography, invasion biology, physiology and conservation, with particular expertise in Australian skinks.

A major focus of my work is improving conservation outcomes for Australia’s poorly known and threatened lizards and snakes. I conduct targeted field studies across Australia to better understand species’ distributions, abundance, ecology and threats, and work with governments, land managers, traditional owners, community groups and private landholders to translate research into improved monitoring, habitat management and conservation action. I have particular expertise in the glossy grass skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni) and played a leading role in developing the species’ federal threatened-species listing under the EPBC Act.

I am also involved in Australian reptile taxonomy, citizen-science research and resolving human–snake conflict. I am a member of the Australian Society of Herpetologists and the IUCN Skink Specialist Group, and have received research funding and awards from organisations including the Australian Biological Resources Study, the Australian Academy of Science, the Ecological Society of Australia and the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. I am also the author of the award-winning CSIRO field guide "Wildlife of Victoria’s South-West".