Angela Moles

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Angela Moles

| image = Angela Moles at XX International Botanical Congress.jpg

| caption = Moles at XX International Botanical Congress, 2024

| workplaces = Macquarie University
University of New South Wales

| alma_mater = Macquarie University

| thesis_title = The Seed Size Synthesis

| awards = Edgeworth David Medal (2010)
Nancy Millis Medal (2021)

}}

Angela Tina Moles {{Post-nominals|country=AUS|FRSN}} is a New Zealand ecologist, evolutionary biologist and science communicator who worked in Australia since 1998. She is professor of botany and ecology and leads the Big Ecology Lab at the University of New South Wales.

Education

Moles graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 1997 with a BSc.{{Cite web |title=Professor Angela Moles |url=https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/angela-moles |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=UNSW Sydney |language=en}} She then completed a PhD at Macquarie University in 2004, with a thesis titled "The Seed Size Synthesis".{{Cite thesis |last1=Moles |first=Angela Tina |title=The seed size synthesis |publication-date=2003 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/17362779 |access-date=20 September 2024}} In 2006 she undertook a postgraduate diploma in higher education, focusing on biological sciences.

Career

On completion of her PhD, Moles remained at Macquarie University where she continued her study of seed size. She moved to the University of New South Wales in 2007{{Cite Q|Q56773788}} where from her research she concluded that 92% vines worldwide twisted anticlockwise, contrary to predictions that they would follow the Coriolis effect or the sun.{{Cite web |last=Macey |first=Richard |date=2008-08-27 |title=Vine story has a puzzling twist |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/vine-story-has-a-puzzling-twist-20080827-gdssmo.html |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}

Moles presented "Our Relationship with Weeds" at TEDxSydney in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Researcher: Professor Angela Moles |url=https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/professor-angela-moles |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=University of New South Wales |language=en}}

For the World Herbivory Project, Moles visited 75 ecosystems around the world and assessed how animals and plants interact.{{Cite journal |date=February 2011 |title=Announcing our Award Winners for 2010 |url=https://www.royalsoc.org.au/submit-bulletin-documents/2011-issues/47-342-february/file |journal=Bulletin and Proceedings |pages=2 |via=The Royal Society of New South Wales}} She has also studied the evolutionary changes in plants introduced to Australia.

Awards and recognition

Moles was awarded the L'Oreal/UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship in and the NSW Tall Poppy Award in 2008. She was awarded the Edgeworth David Medal in 2010 and the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year in 2013.

Moles was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales in 2017.{{Cite journal |date=2018-02-06 |title=The Royal Society of New South Wales – Fellows |url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2018_2018-13.pdf |journal=NSW Government Gazette |volume=13 |pages=534}} In 2018 Moles was awarded the Australian Ecology Research Award by the Ecological Society of Australia in recognition of her contribution to "major advances in the development of understanding of global patterns in ecology".{{Cite web |title=Past recipients of the Australian Ecology Research Award (AERA) |url=https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/grants-awards/aera/aera-past-recipient/ |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Ecological Society of Australia |language=en-AU}} She was awarded the 2021 Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science by the Australian Academy of Science.{{Cite web |title=2021 awardees – 2021 Nancy Millis Medal |url=https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/awards-and-opportunities/honorific-awardees/2021-awardees#millis |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=Australian Academy of Science |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=UNSW researchers lead Australian Academy of Science top honours |url=https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/03/unsw-researchers-lead-australian-academy-of-science-top-honours |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=UNSW Sites |language=en}}

Select publications

{{Cite Q|Q60543442}}
{{Cite Q|Q56765108}}
{{Cite Q|Q89998747}}

References

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni

Category:Macquarie University alumni

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales

Category:Academic staff of the University of New South Wales