Associate Professor Romane Cristescu | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Associate Professor Romane Cristescu is Director of Detection Dogs for Conservation and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She is a conservation ecologist with a wide range of interests - all centred around this single and complex question: “how can we best help wildlife in a world dominated by humans?” 

As part of understanding how wildlife negotiates the increasingly anthropogenic landscape, Romane has focused on developing new methodologies to collect data more accurately and efficiently at landscape scales. In particular, during the past decade Romane and her team have been developing detection dog and drone-mounted thermal camera survey methods, non-invasive molecular analyses (genetic, diseases and hormones measured in poo) and innovative technologies to monitor koala movement - both ear tag and collar based.

Romane believes robust science is necessary to support good decision making, and she is especially keen to test that legislation is grounded in science and effectively delivering conservation outcomes. Her methodology and legislation work has been specifically focusing on koalas.

Romane is a qualified veterinarian and originally worked on conservation genetics before moving to Australia for her PhD in landscape ecology. She worked in the Mining Industry on Mine Closure / Rehabilitation, where she transformed her research on restoration ecology into practice. Since then, she continued working with the private sector, as well as the Government, not-for profits and Academia – by interacting with a wide range of stakeholders, understanding their constraints and aspirations, Romane hopes that her research can be transformed into informed and effective policy, investments and management actions. Since its creation in 2015, the Detection Dogs for Conservation team has grown to include five detection dogs and many dedicated students and researchers.