UNE staff members Emeritus Professor Jeremy Bruhl, Dr Rose Andrew, Dr Ian Telford, Associate Professor R.D.B. (Wal) Whalley and others recently re-enacted a private graduation ceremony for PhD graduate Tim Collins, including an academic procession.

Tim was presented with his testamur as well as a prestigious Chancellor’s Doctoral Research Medal for his exceptional thesis “Taxonomy, systematics, and polyploidy in Xerochrysum, Coronidium and Helichrysum leucopsideum (Asteraceae; Gnaphalieae)” or everlasting paper daisies.

Emeritus Professor Bruhl, who was Tim’s principal supervisor together with Dr Andrew, Dr Telford and Dr Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, explained what made Tim’s paper so exceptional.

“Tim’s thesis was broad-ranging, of great depth and thoroughness. One chapter (now published) dealt with the origins of the popular ornamental cultivars of X. bracteatum, which have been grown worldwide since the 1800s. It also included reference to naturalised plants on the island of St Helena that were derived from plants sent to the island for exiled Napoleon Bonaparte,” Prof. Bruhl said.

“In addition, Tim’s thesis resolved the long-standing taxonomic confusion in the X. bracteatum species complex and in Coronidium sens. lat. using morphological, ultrastructural and molecular data; inferring molecular evolutionary relationships in the study group; and estimating genome sizes based on flow cytometry and chromosome counts.

“Altogether, Tim described one new genus and 16 new species in his study group — an extraordinary achievement.”

Dr Telford and Prof. Bruhl were determined to celebrate Tim’s achievement, and, in the absence of the usual and much loved outdoors UNE Graduation, worked together to organise the location and COVID-safe formalities.

Dr David Moffatt, co-owner of the historic Invergowrie Homestead and nephew of the late Doug Moffatt, hosted the ceremony at the Homestead where Dr Telford, who was Doug’s partner, oversees the maintenance, restoration and development of the Homestead’s gardens.

In attendance were Tim’s partner, fellow PhD students and relatives of Dr Moffatt and Dr Telford. Tim’s CSIRO Canberra supervisor, Dr Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn, was unable to attend the event.

Upon the submission of his thesis, Tim was headhunted for a position at the NSW Government’s Biodiversity Conservation Trust. A few months later, he applied for and gained a position with NSW Department of Primary Industries as Senior Scientist (Ecologist) in the Vegetation Mapping of Threatened Ecological Communities group in Queanbeyan. The new position takes advantage of his extensive skills in field botany, plant identification and plant collection, and vegetation assessment.

Image: UNE PhD graduate Tim Collins with supervisors Emeritus Professor Jeremy Bruhl, Dr Rose Andrew and Dr Ian Telford.