Rate My Professor Claire Greenwell

Claire Greenwell serves as Adjunct Associate in Ornithology and Marine Ecology at Murdoch University. She completed her PhD in Environmental and Conservation Sciences at Murdoch University in 2021, with a doctoral thesis entitled "Life history, ecology, and population dynamics of the Australian Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis nereis)." This research, undertaken at the Harry Butler Institute's Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, investigated the breeding chronology, behavior, life history traits, and population dynamics of this vulnerable seabird, yielding insights that underpin management and conservation efforts across Western Australia and nationally. Greenwell also holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Conservation and Wildlife Biology and Marine Science, including a minor in Fisheries Science, from Murdoch University. Throughout her studies, she received numerous accolades, including the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment in 2018 and 2019, the Stuart Leslie Bird Award in 2018, the BirdLife Australia WA Postgraduate Award, the 2018 Honours/Masters Prize from the Australian Marine Science Association, and various Murdoch University prizes such as the Marine Science Prize, Banksia Association Scholarship, and Vice Chancellor's Commendation for Academic Excellence.

Greenwell's research specializations include seabird and shorebird ecology, marine trophic ecology, and applied conservation biology. Notable publications encompass "Drivers of colony failure in a vulnerable coastal seabird, the Australian Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis nereis)" (2023), "Liked to death: the impacts of social media and photography on biodiversity" (2024), "Cat Gets Its Tern: A Case Study of Predation on a Threatened Coastal Seabird" (2019), "Seasonal movements and metapopulation structure of the Australian fairy tern in Western Australia" (2020, co-authored), and "A long tern view: distribution of small terns (Sternula) in Western Australia and implications for their conservation" (2022). She additionally earned the 2020 BirdLife Photographer of the Year Portfolio Prize for her Australian Fairy Tern imagery. In her professional roles, Greenwell convenes the Western Australian Fairy Tern Network, chairs the National Fairy Tern Recovery Team—advising agencies on habitat management and protection strategies—and collaborates with the New Zealand Department of Conservation on the Tara iti Recovery Program. As a marine scientist, she delivers technical advice on seabird ecology, shorebird management, marine baseline studies, and environmental impact assessments for coastal and offshore developments, fostering integration of science into policy and community initiatives for sustainable ecosystems.