AFSS Early Career Excellence Award

Background and History

At the Australian Society for Limnology (ASL) conference in Darwin in 2000, it was suggested that the society consider providing an award to encourage and reward ‘young achievers’ in the field of limnological excellence. The ASL Early Career Excellence award was made for the first time in 2002. Following the name change of the society to the Australian Freshwater Sciences Society in 2017, the name of the award is now referred to as the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award.

The AFSS Early Career Excellence Award aims to reward and encourage excellence by an early career limnologist who has contributed substantially to Australian limnology and/or aquatic ecosystem management.

Any early career researcher who is a financial member of AFSS may be nominated for the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award. Nominations may only be made by financial members of the society and will hold for up to 3 years after nomination. The nomination must be in writing, confidential, and must be seconded by a financial member of the society. Nominations must address the relevant selection criteria and a current copy of the nominee’s CV should be included to support the case if deemed appropriate. Each nomination will be assessed by a Committee of AFSS which is chaired by the President. An award is not necessarily made each year.

The following guidelines were developed to maintain a consistent procedure for the society for awarding the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award.

Guidelines

"Early career" is defined broadly as < 10 years of involvement in a limnological career, and could be judged as commencing with postgraduate work in limnology or membership of the society. This guideline is applied at the discretion of the Committee but seeks to differentiate contenders from those for the AFSS Medal who are more senior in their career.

Selection Criteria:

  • Current financial membership of AFSS

  • Evidence of professional limnological excellence, potentially including successful completion of a Masters or PhD thesis in limnology within the last 10-15 years

  • Tangible evidence of excellence represented by one or a combination of: high quality published papers or other scholarly media; substantial improvements in 'on-ground' water resource management; peer recognition by invitations to speak at conferences or to contribute to special sessions; international experience applied to Australian limnology; excellence in communication, extension and/or education in limnology.

Nomination process

  • Any person who is a financial member of the society may be nominated for the Award, and nominations may only be made by financial members of the society.

  • The nomination must be in writing and must be seconded by a financial member of the society.

  • The written nomination must be kept confidential from the nominee

  • Nominations must address the relevant selection criteria and contain a current copy of the nominee's CV if appropriate.

  • Nominations are made to the AFSS President (e.g. via direct email, or through the AFSS secretary or secretariat)

  • Nominations for the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award are accepted at any time, but for the award to be made for that year, the nomination should be made three months before the conference.

Process of selection

Nominations received by the President are considered by an AFSS Committee. This Committee comprises at least three AFSS members, and is chaired by the AFSS President, who has the power to co-opt committee members as she or he sees fit. It is expected that at least one Committee member will be a previous winner of the Award. In establishing the Committee, there should be an appropriate balance in terms of gender, discipline and backgrounds of research/management, but must ultimately ensure that the Committee has experience in the judgment of limnological excellence. No one person should sit on the Committee for more than three years. A member of the Committee may not vote on a nomination where a conflict of interest is likely to occur. If the conflict of interest results in an inoperable Committee, the President (or nominee) is empowered to co-opt from the AFSS membership for the purposes of a decision on the nomination.

Nominations will be called for each year and an application will hold valid for three years unless successful. There need not be an award made every year.

The Award

The Award will be announced at the AGM of the AFSS, usually held during the annual conference, and the awardee will be recognised on the society’s website where the citation describing the reasons for the award will also be posted.

The award winner will be invited to present the Christy Fellows Lecture at the following year’s AFSS conference and will be reimbursed for reasonable costs, including a domestic airfare, associated with attending and presenting the lecture at the conference. The Christy Fellows Lecture is named on honour of Christy Fellows, an outstanding early career researcher whose passing was a great loss to the freshwater research community. More details on Christy’s life and career can be found here [Christy Fellows].

Recent award winners

Complete winners list with citations (2002 - 2020)

2021: Ryan Burrows

This year’s recipient of the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award holds a PhD in Freshwater Ecology, awarded in 2013. In just over 7 years since, the recipient has demonstrated research leadership with an international reputation for excellence in ecosystem ecology research, with a strong focus on applied research problems. Their achievements in various professional roles in industry, government, and academia in Australia and Europe have all focused on minimising human impacts to freshwater ecosystems and adapting to climate change. Their research includes projects investigating the ecological consequences of human-induced groundwater extraction, impacts of climate change on Arctic and Boreal rivers, the links between catchment activities and the coastal water quality of the Great Barrier Reef, and the role of drought in mediating biogeochemical cycling in the world’s dryland rivers.

The recipient is currently a joint Research Fellow at the Melbourne Waterways Research-Practice Partnership, a position which attests to their experience conducting practical research with a strong emphasis on science to inform management policy. Previously at the Australian Rivers Institute, they led research on a large, multi-institutional and industry-funded research project investigating the potential ecological impacts of inland gas extraction and coal mining on rivers. Before this, their post-doctoral work was a post at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences enhanced our scientific understanding of how forest management and climate change can impact the productivity of boreal and Arctic streams and rivers.

With a very strong publication record for career stage, the recipient has co-authored over 70 publications, including 21 peer-reviewed publications in leading international scientific journals including Nature Geoscience, Global Change Biology, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, and Limnology and Oceanography. They have been successful in attracting research funding and awards, including a large industry grant by CSIRO and Origin Energy to investigate the potential ecological consequences that methane seeps have for the functioning of biotic communities in the Condamine River, Queensland. They have a growing international research reputation in non-perennial waterways and are a member of the Dry Rivers Research Coordination Network, an interdisciplinary and fully funded (by the American National Science Foundation) network of scientists focused on advancing our understanding of non-perennial rivers and streams.

The recipient also engages in activities that have increased the impact and uptake of research findings for government policy makers and private industry, disseminating research across a range of popular and traditional formats, including twitter, science blogs, targeted industry factsheets, conference presentations, and workshops.

Finally, the recipient has demonstrated admirable service to their workplace, discipline, and industry that goes far beyond what is required. They served as the AFSS Queensland state representative for almost two years, continuing the Science on Tap seminar series and organising the inaugural early- and mid-career event for the Sydney AFSS conference. Finally, the recipient makes time to mentor and supervise students and staff and fosters a joyful and harmonious workplace for everyone.

I am very pleased to announce Dr Ryan Burrows as this year’s recipient of the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award, and invite him to present the Christy Fellows plenary at next year’s conference.

2020: Aleicia Holland

This year’s recipient of the AFSS Early Career Excellence Award graduated with a PhD in Aquatic Ecology /Ecotoxicology from CQ University in 2014 and has since published 20 internationally peer-reviewed papers (many as first/lead author) and multiple industry reports. The awardee was a 2015 ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) 9 recipient and has recently been promoted to Senior Lecturer in Biology at La Trobe University. This impressive research performance has been achieved while being a single parent of two children.

The recipient is an aquatic ecologist with a unique background in chemistry and ecotoxicology and is recognised as an expert in Australia on dissolved organic carbon (DOC), with research investigating the role of DOC in aquatic ecosystems, its chemical characteristics, and its influence on water quality for the environment and humans. This research is informing the management of freshwater ecosystems and contributing to an improved revision of the Australian and New Zealand Water Quality Guidelines for metals such as copper.

The recipient has developed a global research network by conducting research in Brazil and Canada and continues to collaborate with various organisations internationally and nationally, for example receiving a Science without Borders Fellowship from the Brazilian federal government.

The recipient actively contributes to a positive research culture in the workplace that cultivates a passion for science through student mentorship and support for young researchers, including via supervision of 7 PhD students and having advocated for and created the Early Career Researcher network on the Albury/Wodonga campus of La Trobe University. The recipient concurrently co-leads a research group of 8 students, 2 technicians, and 3 summer cadets, supported by several research grants.

I am delighted to announce this year’s recipient of the AFSS Early Career Excellence award: Dr Aleicia Holland. The Society invites Aleicia to accept this award and present the Christy Fellows Lecture at the next annual conference. Congratulations Aleicia.

2019: Bernadette Proemse

This year’s Early Career Excellence award recipient is an exceptional early career researcher. Since graduating with a PhD in 2012 from the University of Calgary, she has published 16 internationally peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and contributed to over 50 conference presentations with two career breaks to have children. She is a hydrologist and environmental chemist specialising in the application of stable isotopes to untangle biogeochemical processes, and to illuminate the sources and fates of pollutants and nutrients in catchments and their receiving waters. A true polymath, this has resulted in her contributing to research on atmospheric, freshwater, estuarine and marine sciences. She actively engages with the wider community of researchers, managers and practitioners in Tasmania using her membership of the Society’s executive to transform the Tasmanian Pub Nights into a reinvigorated annual event that last year truly moved “outside the box” to include climatologists, fire ecologists, geographers and geoscientists to bring their perspectives on extreme events in freshwater systems. Her most recent appointment as the Catchment Scientist for the Derwent Estuary Program (now a non-profit organisation) testifies to her promise as a true inter-disciplinary researcher with the skills and organisational facility to continue to make nationally significant contributions to biogeochemistry and its applications to catchment management agencies.

As the 2017 recipient, I am delighted to announce this year’s recipient of the AFSS Early Career Excellence award: Dr Bernadette Proemse. The society invites Bernadette to accept this award and present the Christy Fellows Lecture at the next annual conference. Congratulations Bernadette.

2017: Catherine Leigh

Citation coming soon.

2016: Samantha Capon

I would like to nominate Dr Sam Capon for the 2016 ASL Early Career Excellence Award, in particular because of her high quality contributions to published limnological research (especially vegetation ecology), excellence in communication and education (as a gifted writer, designer, teacher, facilitator and network coordinator), and tangible work on improving on-ground water resource management (particularly in areas of restoration and climate change adaptation).

High quality published papers and other scholarly media

Dr Capon completed her PhD degree in flow-related responses of floodplain vegetation in arid environments at Griffith University in 2004, supervised by Prof Stuart Bunn, Dr Margaret Brock and A/Prof Fran Sheldon. Several publications arose from this work that have been instrumental in guiding and challenging research on dryland river ecology and vegetation science, including one that has been cited over 100 times (SJ Capon, MA Brock, 2006, Flooding, soil seed bank dynamics and vegetation resilience of a hydrologically variable desert floodplain, Freshwater Biology, 51: 206-223). During her PhD she also contributed to what is regarded as a citation classic on the flow variability and ecology of dryland rivers (SE Bunn, MC Thoms, SK Hamilton, SJ Capon, 2006, Flow variability in dryland rivers: boom, bust and the bits in between, River Research and Applications, 22: 179–186), cited > 200 times. Although it has been just over 10 years since her PhD was awarded, in this period Dr Capon has been raising two small children whilst also surmounting significant health complications, necessitating some disruptions to her professional life.

Dr Capon has a career total of > 20 refereed journal articles, 5 book chapters and >40 technical reports and conference publications, nearing 1000 citations, including nearly 200 in 2015 (H index = 14, i10 index = 20; see also attached CV). She is lead author of the second top-cited paper in Ecosystems (2013-2014). One of her most recent and major achievements is the publication of the scholarly book Vegetation of Australian Riverine Landscapes, co-edited with Cassandra James and Michael Reid (2016, CSIRO Publishing). The book highlights the incredible diversity and dynamic nature of riverine vegetation across Australia, and provides an excellent reference for researchers, academics and environmental consultants on the biology, ecology and management of these important plant communities. Dr Capon co-authored 5 of the book’s chapters in addition to being lead editor.

Substantial improvements in on-ground water resource management

Much of Dr Capon’s work focuses on informing water and land management to protect, enhance and restore riverine and wetland landscapes, especially their vegetation and particularly in dryland regions. For example, she currently leads the basin-scale analysis of vegetation diversity response to environmental water as part of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office’s Long Term Intervention Monitoring (CEWO LTIM) program to support improved decision making through the application of the principles of adaptive management, good governance and reporting. Dr Capon was also involved in the development of the earliest water management plans for the Cooper Georgina-Diamantina catchments in the 1990’s, with ongoing involvement in these processes, and in the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) northern Basin science review, as part of the MDB Plan. Her work, including numerous reports, has contributed significantly to understanding of the environmental water requirements of rivers in the northern MDB, as well as the Murrumbidgee and the Lachlan catchments. In her role as Network Coordinator of the Water Resources and Freshwater Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network (2009-2012) within the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF), she coordinated several collaborative workshops and prepared multi-authored technical reports and journal articles, all focussing on the impacts of climate change and adaptation potential of freshwater ecosystems to guide Australia’s (and the global) research and management agenda.

Peer recognition

Dr Capon’s excellence in limnological research is recognised by national and international peers, as testified by her current position as President of the Oceania Chapter of the International Society for Wetland Science (2013-present). She receives many invitations to present her work at congresses and contribute to special sessions and workshops. For example, she was invited to present her work on climate-change adaptation options and risk assessment using a water ecosystem services-based approach at the World Water Congress in Edinburgh (2015), attended by over 1000 delegates. The previous year she was organiser and lead panel member of the plenary session on the future of freshwater ecosystem restoration at the Joint Aquatic Science Meeting in Portland, Oregon, attended by over 3500 delegates from around the world, and was an invited contributor to the Australia-China Wetland research network workshop in Nanjing, China (2014). Her excellence has also been recognised by peers within both limnological and general science fields, serving as an invited member of the editorial boards for the journals Scientific Reports (Nature Journal) and Journal of Ecohydraulics.

Excellence in communication, extension and education in limnology

Dr Capon is a Lecturer within the Griffith School of Environment at Griffith University (2016-present), convening and teaching within several ecological courses including the undergraduate courses Freshwater Ecology and Emerging Issues in Aquatic Ecology, and was a Lecturer at Monash University (2005-2008). She is a gifted teacher who encourages her students to think independently and broadly, and to publish their work (e.g. A Maxwell, S Capon, C James, 2015, Effects of flooding on seedling establishment in two Australian riparian trees with contrasting distributions; Acacia stenophylla A. Cunn. ex Benth. and Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq, Ecohydrology, doi: 10.1002/eco.1691). She currently supervises 4 PhD and 2 Honours students. Her commitment to strive for excellence in education is testified by her own ongoing education, for example gaining a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from Monash University in 2007 and studying the philosophy of science and environmental ethics as a Master of Arts (Philosophy) student at the University of New England (2015-present). Dr Capon is also a passionate science communicator and ambassador. She firmly believes in the importance of making scientific findings accessible to the broader community. Most notably, her work as National Network Coordinator for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF; 2009-2012) highlights her abilities in communication and extension. Together with Dr Wade Hadwen, she developed a mobile phone app (CERCCS) to condense and make communicable the heavy science of the associated Coastal Ecosystems Response to Climate Change Synthesis Report to NCCARF. The app effectively helps the public anticipate how climate change may impact on coastal Australia and the locations least at risk. In her role as Coordinator, Dr Capon additionally organised and facilitated science syntheses and engagement events ranging from small think-tanks to large, cross-sectoral symposia, and produced several e-newsletters. She was also instrumental in redesigning and updating the communication strategy of the ASL newsletter during her time as ASL Newsletter Editor (2013). As noted above, she is also widely sought by scientists and managers alike as a science communicator, for example as an invited panel member of special sessions and workshops at national and international limnological congresses.

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