I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, in a family that loved the great outdoors and whose holidays were camping trips! This early exposure to the outback helped set me on a path towards the natural sciences. I am passionate about researching Australian organisms not only because I think they provide wonderful systems to understand how species evolve and adapt to their environments, but also because I would like to play a role in conserving our unique biodiversity. I have been fortunate to conduct remote field work in beautiful locales, often filling important gaps in our museum collections, while working with indigenous rangers, local communities, and also government and non-government organisations.

My research has focused on quantifying and understanding genetic processes across multiple levels from population genomics to phylogenomics. My research addresses key evolutionary questions to understand how genomes evolve and adapt. In particular, I am interested in how genome organisation can influence genome function. My research has largely focused on terrestrial vertebrates including small mammals and reptiles.

I am particularly interested in the role of genome organisation, or reorganisation in driving adaptation and speciation. My current fellowship explores the role of genome reorganisation in adaptation and speciation of Australian mammals. Of particular focus, is trying to understand the mechanisms associated with chromosomal speciation and the role of X chromosome divergence compared to autosomes. This builds off research on one of Australia’s unique natural systems, the rock-wallabies, where there are diverse chromosomal rearrangements (23 species and sub-species!). These iconic marsupials offer a wonderful model system with which to explore a fundamental process – speciation. Using comparative and population genomic approaches we are exploring the role of demographic history, chromosome structure and X vs. autosome divergence in genome evolution. Exploring the processes driving differentiation and variation provides valuable insight for conservation in this group, which have numerous species listed as endangered or vulnerable and under active conservation management.

I recently started my own lab – the Potter Lab at Macquarie University. Being a new lab, the group is still small but I hope to build an inclusive and friendly environment for students enthusiastic about evolutionary biology and organismal biology to join in, learn and grow.

Professional Experience

Australian Research Council Future Fellow

School of Natural Sciences

Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW

July 2022 to Present

I will be applying comparative genomics to examine the role of chromosome rearrangements in driving adaptation and speciation using Australia’s endemic mammalian fauna.

Postdoctoral Researcher (Level B)
Research School of Biology
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT
December 2012 to July 2022

I worked on multiple Australian Research Council Projects, including “Do chromosomal rearrangements drive genomic evolution and speciation?”, “Genomes on islands: Improving management of Australia’s threatened mammals”and ARC Laureate project “New approaches to discovering biodiversity and understanding its response to climate change” awarded to Professor Craig Moritz. These projects ranged in focus from micro- to macro-evolution and focused on lizards and mammals.

Chadwick Biodiversity Fellow
Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW – Terrestrial vertebrate group
November 2011 – July 2012

This is an independent postdoctoral position that I won through a competitive application process. During this time, I was embedded in the Mammal Department working with Dr. Mark Eldridge. I worked on the following research  projects: 1) Population genetics of yellow-footed rock-wallabies; 2) Phylogeographic diversity of scaly-tailed possums; 3) Molecular divergence associated with chromosomal diversity in rock-wallabies; and 4) Taxonomic revision of northern Australian rock-wallabies.

Education

The University of adelaide, South Australia
PhD, Evolutionary Biology, 2011
Thesis: “Phylogeny, phylogeography and conservation genetics of the brachyotis group of rock-wallabies”
Advisors: Dr Mark Eldridge (Australian Museum), Dr Steven Cooper (South Australian Museum), Dr David Taggart (University of Adelaide)

The University of adelaide, South Australia
Bachelor of Science (Honours, first class), 2005
Thesis: “Does mode of body temperature regulation influence the evolution of SP-C in mammals?”
Advisors: Dr Sandra Orgeig, Dr Christopher Daniels (University of South Australia)

The University of adelaide, South Australia
Bachelor of Science, 2004
Major: Genetics & Environmental Biology (Zoology)