Rate My Professor Dianne Gleeson

Professor Dianne Gleeson is a Professor in Ecological Genetics in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Canberra. She is affiliated with the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics and leads the EcoDNA team at the Institute for Applied Ecology. As Director of the National eDNA Reference Centre Australia, she drives the development and standardization of environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies. With 27 years of experience as a wildlife geneticist, her career spans New Zealand and Australia, focusing on applying DNA technologies for biodiversity conservation and biosecurity outcomes. Previously at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research New Zealand, she founded the EcoGene business unit, earning a national award for Women in Science Entrepreneurship for facilitating research translation to end-users. Her work emphasizes eDNA methods for species detection, community analysis in freshwater systems, and surveillance of invasive species and pests.

Dianne Gleeson's leadership has advanced eDNA applications significantly. Under her direction, the EcoDNA team became the first in Australia—and second worldwide—to achieve NATA ISO accreditation for eDNA/RNA testing, including sample collection, extraction, and qPCR for priority pests like Khapra beetle and red imported fire ants. The team launched a dedicated Trace DNA Lab and contributed to a $5 million ARC-funded Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity, with Dianne as Co-Director. She has authored over 100 publications, including highly cited works such as 'An environmental DNA-based method for monitoring spawning activity: a case study, using the endangered Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica)' (Bylemans et al., 2017), 'Improving reliability in environmental DNA detection surveys' (Furlan et al., 2016), 'Zoological applications for environmental DNA' (Gleeson, 2021), and 'Detection of Khapra Beetle Environmental DNA' (Trujillo-González et al., 2022). Her Google Scholar profile reflects an h-index of 39 (all time) and 25 (recent), underscoring her influence in ecological genetics and conservation biology.