Our Director
Professor Chris Daniels
Prof. Chris Daniels was educated at the University of Adelaide and the University of New England, obtaining his PhD in 1987. He has held academic positions at the University of California, Flinders University and the University of Adelaide before moving to UniSA. Prof. Daniels has been a prolific scientist and author and has been published on many issues, primarily concerning urban ecology and evolutionary physiology. He is also an award-winning science communicator, with a regular public talks and a fortnightly talk-back radio session on 891 ABC Adelaide.
Prof. Daniels has a strong research record and attracts research
funding and sponsorship from a wide range of government and
non-government organisations. He held continuous ARC Discovery
grants from 1986 to 2009. He has over 130 peer-reviewed
publications, including journal articles, books, book chapters and
invited reviews. According to
Researcher ID,
a data collection tool for academic publications, in 2011 Prof.
Daniels had almost 1,500 citations, an average citation per article
of 15.92 and an H index of 22 (meaning over 22 publications have
over 22 citations). Prof. Daniels currently supervises 9 PhD
students. Additionally, he is a member of the Editorial Board of
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (2005-2011).
Prof. Daniels is a multi-award winner for his research and science communication activities. His books have received numerous awards. The book Adelaide Nature of a City was awarded the Whitley medal from the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, a Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) commendation and the President's Award from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. The companion volume, Adelaide: Water of a City, won both South Australian and National awards from the Stormwater Industry Association and a South Australian award from the PIA. Other recent prizes include a Premier's Science Excellence Award in Education & Science Communication (South Australia), a UniSA Chancellor's Award and a Special Commendation for Community Engagement, the Field Naturalists Society of South Australia's natural history medallion, and a finalist prize from EarthWatch/RioTinto for citizen science.
Prof. Daniels is currently the Director of the Barbara Hardy Institute, having previously been Director of the Barbara Hardy Centre at UniSA and BioCity: Centre for Urban Habitats at the University of Adelaide. He was Head of the Geospatial and Environmental Management Discipline at UniSA from 2008 until he took the role as Institute Director in 2011. He holds honorary positions with the SA Museum and ZoosSA. In 2011 Prof. Daniels was also appointed Presiding member of the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board for his work connecting communities with the environment.