Sam is an Honours student at the Queensland University of Technology, under the supervision of Dr Justin Shaw and Prof. Jennifer Firn. He is interested in Macquarie Island’s invasive plant species, and what has driven their spread on the island. His research will explore how their distribution and densities have changed over the last 40 years, including using environmental variables to predict areas on the island susceptible to further invasion. Sam loves all things with an ecological and genetics focus, having completed minors in wildlife ecology and biotechnology in his Bachelor’s. Sam is drawn to understanding the success of plant invaders in abiotically severe environments such as Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands.