ProfessorMike Weston

Professor

Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Life and Environmental Sciences/Deakin Centre for Marine Science

  • Professor
    Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment/School of Life and Environmental Sciences/Deakin Centre for Marine Science
  • +61 3 925 17433 (Work)
  • Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Wildlife and conservation biology. Because there is an urgent need for science-based conservation, I direct my research towards informing conservation action.

Knowledge Areas include: Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Escape Ecology, Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Shorebird Breeding Ecology, Disturbance of Wildlife.

Projects include: I run numerous research projects including those on escape ecology, on shorebirds, their threats and solutions to those threats. My publications indicate a broad area of interest, underpinned by themes of "being part of the solution", and acknowledging the fact that people are both the part of the biodiversity conservation problem, and also importantly part of the solution.

GRANTS

  • GRANT
    STUDENT APPLICATION - Escape Behaviour of Threatened mammals across predator gradients
    1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2026
    People funded by this grant:
    Fundamental Ecology Award - $5,000.00
  • GRANT
    Evolving escape - anti-predator adaptations in threatened bird species
    5 May 2025 - 20 May 2028
    People funded by this grant:
    ARC - Discovery Projects - DP250103036 - $683,000.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Use of non-toxic projectiles for the kangaroo industry
    31 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025
    People funded by this grant:
    AgriFutures Australia - $30,000.00
  • GRANT
    Additional funding to support research collaborations and associated workshops (including internationally) on plover conservation.
    15 Jun 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
    People funded by this grant:
    • Mike Weston
    BirdLife Australia Research Awards - 75 149 124 774 - $2,912.00
  • GRANT
    STUDENT APPLICATION - Danger noodles, nope ropes or slinkys? The role of community attitudes and experiences in promoting tolerance and coexistence with snakes
    27 Mar 2024 - 26 Mar 2025
    People funded by this grant:
    VEAC Grant - Bill Borthwick Scholarship - $1,900.00
  • INTERNAL GRANT
    Silent Killers: Investigating rodenticide prevalence among wildlife in the Asia-Pacific Region and its impact on human health and biodiversity.
    School of Life and Environmental Sciences4 Mar 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
    People funded by this grant:
    • White J,
    • Cooke R,
    • Weston M
  • INTERNAL GRANT
    Hops, Skips and Jumps: Workshops to kickstart a LES/Deakin-led global study on flight-initiation distances of the world’s mammals
    School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University24 Mar 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    • Yokochi K,
    • Weston M
  • GRANT
    Fear, flight, and fitness: The adaptive significance of escape response in Hooded Plovers Thinornis rubricollis.
    14 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    Australian Bird Study Association - $1,000.00
  • GRANT
    STUDENT APPLICATION - Fear, flight, and fitness: The adaptive significance of escape response in Hooded Plovers, Thinornis cucullatus cucullatas.
    1 Sep 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
    People funded by this grant:
    ESA - Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - 20 571 098 795 - $12,890.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    ERP16 USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATIVE WILDLIFE POPULATION ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
    3 Aug 2021 - 31 Dec 2024
    People funded by this grant:
    Department of Environment Land Water and Planning - $545,000.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Assessing the effectiveness of quail callers in attracting stubble quail.
    16 Nov 2020 - 31 Dec 2022
    People funded by this grant:
    Game Management Authority - $21,136.36
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    Review of effects of wind powered vessels on wildlife within Victoria's MPAs and sensitive coastal areas.
    1 Oct 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
    People funded by this grant:
    • Carnell P,
    • Weston M
    Parks Victoria Grant - Research CAT2-1-2 - $14,364.00
  • GRANT
    Assessing the impacts to shorebirds of an emerging threat in critical habitat horses on exposed sandy shores
    14 Aug 2019 - 31 Dec 2020
    People funded by this grant:
    Balnarring Foreshore and Parks Reserve Committee of Management - $3,100.00
  • GRANT
    Shorebird conservation projects
    15 Jan 2019 - 13 Dec 2021
    People funded by this grant:
    • Mike Weston
    BirdLife Australia Research Awards - 75 149 124 774 - $1,545.45
  • GRANT
    Examining the influence of photographers in avian escape behaviour
    28 May 2018 - 31 May 2019
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Slater CM
    VEAC Grant - Bill Borthwick Scholarship - $1,900.00
  • GRANT
    Across the egg shell - embryonic vocalisations in shorebirds
    1 Dec 2017 - 30 Jun 2021
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Kostoglou K
    ESA - Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - 20 571 098 795 - $13,500.00
  • GRANT
    Adaptive predator management to protect ecotourism of an iconic species
    16 Oct 2017 - 30 May 2020
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Tan LXL
    Australian Wildlife Management Society - $2,000.00
  • GRANT
    Flight-initiation Distances of the worlds birds
    1 May 2017 - 1 May 2019
    People funded by this grant:
    • Mike Weston
    BirdLife Australia Research Awards - 75 149 124 774 - $2,657.00
  • GRANT
    Adaptive predator management to protect ecotourism of an iconic species
    10 Nov 2016 - 10 Nov 2017
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Tan LXL
    BirdLife Australia Research Awards - 75 149 124 774 - $1,000.00
  • GRANT
    Adaptive predator management to protect ecotourism of an iconic species
    1 Jul 2016 - 30 Jun 2020
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Tan LXL
    ESA - Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - 20 571 098 795 - $11,800.00
  • GRANT
    Adaptive predator management to protect ecotourism of an iconic species
    1 May 2016 - 30 Apr 2017
    People funded by this grant:
    • Weston M,
    • Tan LXL
    VEAC Grant - Bill Borthwick Scholarship - $2,000.00
  • GRANT
    Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis): radio-tracking of chicks
    1 May 2016 - 31 Jan 2018
    People funded by this grant:
    • Mike Weston
    BirdLife Australia Research Awards - 75 149 124 774 - $10,000.00
  • CONTRACT RESEARCH
    A CITIZEN SCIENCE SURVEY OF BIRD FEEDING IN AUSTRALIA
    13 Oct 2015 - 12 Oct 2016
    People funded by this grant:
    Mars Birdcare Australia - $40,000.00
  • GRANT
    Sex-ratio in shorebirds
    7 Jul 2015 - 31 Dec 2016
    People funded by this grant:
    BirdLife Australia - $1,500.00
  • GRANT
    The role of auditory cues in the risk of egg depredation of shorebirds
    1 Mar 2015 - 31 Dec 2016
    People funded by this grant:
    • Mike Weston
    BirdLife Australia - $2,200.00