Peter Kriesner
Research Scientist (Genetics)
Bachelor of Science with Honours, PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Since a childhood spent in a small Victorian country town, Peter has had a lifelong passion for nature and the great Australian outdoors. He is inspired by the ‘endless forms’ and complexity of natural systems—how organisms interact with their environment and with each other, and the dynamic balance between competition and cooperation that underlies symbiotic relationships.
He recently completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne in ecology and evolutionary biology that focussed on common bacterial endosymbionts of insects and prior to that also had a broad and varied background in business management and administration, legal compliance, and workplace relations.
Peter is currently investigating gaps in our knowledge regarding population size and population structure of Victoria’s biodiversity from a genetic perspective, and the potential to enhance the genetic health of populations to bolster resilience against future threats such as climatic change, and to mitigate against the risk of inbreeding depression.
In his spare time, Peter enjoys hiking, outdoor photography, climbing, bird-watching, and spending time with his family.
Peter Kriesner, William Conner, Andrew Weeks, Michael Turelli, Ary Hoffmann (2016) Persistence of a Wolbachia infection frequency cline in Drosophila melanogaster and the possible role of reproductive dormancy. Evolution 70: 979-997.
Peter Kriesner, Ary Hoffmann, Siu Lee, Michael Turelli, Andrew Weeks (2013) Rapid sequential spread of two Wolbachia variants in Drosophila simulans. PLoS Pathogens 9: e1003607.