Kuchinke, Diana (Dr)

Research interests

• Creating a management framework for the timing of prescribed burns that considers climate drivers of varying time-scales as well as on-off ‘switches’ that trigger fire
• Investigating the factors impacting the abundance of the Laughing Kookaburra, including reviewing its Tasmanian history
• Investigating 40 years of Tasman Peninsula meteorological data and what this story tells us
• Research on Reservoir Water Quality Risk Perception and Intelligent Early Warning Based on Space-Air-Ground Collaboration (in collaboration with Hebei University of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, University of Melbourne and Hebei Water Science Research Institute)
• A meta-study to investigate whether common bird species of the Asia-Pacific region, with high cognitive abilities and social development, can buffer the effects of climate change (in collaboration with Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing and Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul)

Short biography

Diana is a fire ecologist with broad interests in conservation ecology, climate change drivers and impacts, and bird responses to landscape disturbance. For her PhD, Diana investigated bird responses to fire in terms of fire frequency, severity and time-since-fire, with a particular focus on the Laughing Kookaburra. She currently teaches in Shijiazhuang, China as well as domestically and so has expanded her research to the Asian region. Diana has a passion for helping future ecologists achieve their goals and she currently holds the Honorary position of Vice-President Next Generation, for the Ecological Society of Australia.

Qualifications

• Ph.D., Federation University
• Master Env. Sci., Monash University
• Grad. Dip. Water Sci., Monash University
• B. Biol. Sci., La Trobe University

Teaching areas

• 1001  Environmental Studies (Australia and China)
• 3800  Ecosystems Conservation and Management (China)

Extended research profile