Dr Jodi Rowley

I am the Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum and Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney. My research seeks to uncover and document biodiversity and inform conservation decisions. I have a passion for communicating biodiversity conservation.

After obtaining a degree in Environmental Science (Honours) at UNSW Sydney, I completed my PhD on rainforest frog ecology and conservation at James Cook University.

I have led dozens of expeditions in search of amphibians in Australasia and co-discovered 40 frog species new to science. I am the Lead Scientist of FrogID, a national citizen science project developed by the Australian Museum that has engaged tens of thousands of people across the continent to collect over 1.4 million records of frogs across Australia.

I have co-authored over 160 scientific publications, am a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, and Co-Chair for Australia for the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. I was named one of “100 Inspiring Australians” by Qantas in 2020, and 2023 Field Leader in Zoology by The Australian’s Research Magazine.

I’m a regular presence on radio and TV in Australia. I have been featured in documentaries including Earthsounds (Apple TV+, 2024), Australia’s Wild Odyssey (ABC TV, 2023), and Australia’s Great Wild North (2018), and was interviwed on The Drew Barrymore Show (2024), discussing frog biology and conservation to a massive global audience.

I have one snake and two frog species from Southeast Asia named in my honour.