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  • Dr Sean Buckley

    Dr Sean Buckley

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  • ResearchGate profile
    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sean-Buckley-7
  • ResearchGate profile
  • LinkedIn profile
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-buckley-b9a3a9176
  • LinkedIn profile
  • Google Scholar profile
    https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=4lbh5MoAAAAJ
  • Google Scholar profile
  • The G-CAT
    https://theg-cat.com/
  • The G-CAT

Dr Sean Buckley

Lecturer

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 3117
Email: s.buckley@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4929-6693

Sean is a Lecturer in Molecular Ecology and Environmental Management in the School of Science.

Current Teaching

  • SCI2117: Genetics
  • SCI3112: Evolution and Systematics
  • SCI1182: Case Studies in Science
  • SCI1183: Origins and Evolution of Life
  • SCI6150: Biological Databases and Data Mining

Background

Sean is a conservation and ecological geneticist with a focus on understanding how evolutionary and genomic research can inform conservation management of biodiversity. His research spans population genetics, phylogeography, and adaptive genomics, with applications in conservation planning, conservation translocations (including genetic rescue), and threatened species recovery. He works across a range of Australian fauna - (currently) including freshwater fishes, marsupials, reptiles, and birds - using genomic tools to address real-world conservation challenges.

As a science communicator, he is also passionate about making science accessible, inclusive, and engaging. He regularly communicates science through outreach talks, media contributions, and his long-running blog The G-CAT, which explores conservation, ecology, evolution and genetics. As the Edith Cowan University representative in the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre Champions Program, he is also passionate about supporting research staff and students to use and engage with high-performance computing capabilities.

  • 2023 – Present: Adjunct Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
  • 2022 – 2023: Research Fellow, University of Western Australia
  • 2021: Research Associate, Flinders University

Professional Memberships

  • 2025 – Present: Society for Conservation Biology Conservation Genetics Working Group (Member)
  • 2025 – Present: Society for Conservation Biology (Member)
  • 2024 – 2025: Australasian Wildlife Management Society (Member)
  • 2022 – 2023: Australian Mammal Society (Member)
  • 2022 – Present: Shark Bay Mammal Recovery Team (Member)

Research Areas and Interests

Sean has a research focus on integrating insights from genetics into applied and direct conservation management actions for a variety of taxa, including terrestrial mammals and freshwater fishes. Currently, his research focuses on integrating genetic, demographic, and environmental data to inform and improve translocation efforts for threatened marsupials. However, he does not consider himself limited by taxonomy, and loves to dabble with all kinds of critters (great and small). His research interests include:

  • Phylogenetics, phylogeography and evolutionary history, including cryptic species
  • Population genetics: genetic diversity and population connectivity of Australian wildlife
  • Adaptive genomics and assessing species responses to climate change
  • Conservation genetics and applied conservation management: threatened species assessment, informing conservation translocations and reintroductions
  • Genetic mixing and genetic rescue for conservation

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The Flinders University of South Australia, 2021.

Research Outputs

2025

Journal Articles

  • Buckley, S. (2025). Digest: A mosaic of genomic ancestries paints Iberian broom hare genomes. Evolution, 79(9), 1962-1964. https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf144.
  • Hammer, M., Morgan, D., Beatty, S., Allen, M., Unmack, P., Buckley, S., Beheregaray, L., Murphy, J., Adams, M. (2025). Species delineation, phylogeography and conservation of temperate perches (Actinopterygii: Percichthyidae) from an endemism and climate change hotspot. Marine and Freshwater Research, 76(1), MF24257. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24257.

2024

Journal Articles

  • Buckley, S., Brauer, CJ., Unmack, PJ., Hammer, MP., Adams, M., Beatty, SJ., Morgan, DL., Beheregaray, LB. (2024). Long-term climatic stability drives accumulation and maintenance of divergent freshwater fish lineages in a temperate biodiversity hotspot. Heredity, 133(3), 149-159. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-024-00700-6.
  • Buckley, S., Brauer, C., Lamin, C., Rose, P., Vornicu, D., Beheregaray, LB. (2024). A community-driven captive-breeding and reintroduction program maintains genetic diversity in a threatened freshwater fish. Conservation Science and Practice, 6(1), Article number e13054. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13054.

2022

Journal Articles

  • Buckley, S., Brauer, CJ., Unmack, PJ., Hammer, MP., Beheregaray, LB. (2022). Variation in intraspecific demography drives localised concordance but species-wide discordance in responses to past climatic change. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 22(1), Article number 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-022-01990-2.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Buckley, S., Brauer, C., Unmack, P., Hammer, MP., Beheregaray, LB. (2021). The roles of aridification and sea level changes in the diversification and persistence of freshwater fish lineages. Molecular Ecology, 30(19), 4866-4883. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16082.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Buckley, S., Domingos, FM., Attard, CR., Brauer, CJ., Sandoval-Castillo, J., Lodge, R., Unmack, PJ., Beheregaray, LB. (2018). Phylogenomic history of enigmatic pygmy perches: Implications for biogeography, taxonomy and conservation. Royal Society Open Science, 5(6), Article number 172125. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.172125.

Research Projects

  • Discovering Ecology of Corellas in the Wheatbelt, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Community Stewardship Grants 2025, 2026, $23,444.
  • Booderee - eDNA ecological impact study, World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2026, $18,900.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

Associate Supervisor

  • Master of Science by Research, The use of eDNA to determine the ecological impact of translocated mammals

Completed Supervisions

No data available
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