Tel +64 3 479 5847
Email jon.waters@otago.ac.nz
Teaching
- CELS 191 Cell and Molecular Biology
- BIOL 112 Animal Biology
- GENE 222 Genes, Chromosomes and Populations
- GENE 312 Evolutionary Genetics
- GENE 360 Special Topics in Genetics
- GENE 411 Current Topics in Genetics
- ZOOL 410 Evolutionary Genetics
Research interests
Kelp research on the shore of the Southern Ocean.
- Extinction and recolonization - ancient DNA
(Co-director, Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory with Associate Professor Nic Rawlence) - Rates of molecular evolution
- Kelp rafting and Southern Ocean biogeography
- Freshwater phylogeography and drainage evolution
- Evolutionary genomics
Jon is also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies
Research highlights and news
- Little Blue Penguin ancient DNA - NewsHub
- Aquatic Mammal Prehistory - Kim Hill (15:50 duration)
- Audit of Prehistoric NZ - Kathryn Ryan (25:20 duration)
- Waitaha Penguin: BBC
- Climate change: REUTERS
- Molecular rates: ABC-TV
- Rafting: Radio-NZ
- Rafting: Science
Research projects
Bull kelp in the Southern Ocean.
- Use it or lose it: evolution of NZ's flightless alpine insects (Marsden Funding)
- Ancient DNA of NZ's prehistoric penguins and sea-lions (Marsden funding)
- Oceanic rafting (Marsden funding)
- River capture and fish evolution (Marsden funding)
Postdoctoral and postgraduate students
Nevis River valley, Central Otago.
Postdoctoral student
Postgraduate students
- Tess Cole, PhD - Ancient and modern genetics of crested penguins
- Brodie Foster, PhD - Evolutionary genetics and biogeography of NZ stoneflies
- Afroditi Kardamaki, PhD - Ancient DNA of NZ swans
- Elahe Parvizi, PhD - Coastal phylogeography
Recent postdoctoral and postgraduate students
- Megan Askew, MSc - Ancient DNA of elephant seals
- Dr Sanne Boessenkoo
- Dr Chris Burridge
- Laura Bussolini, MSc - Genetics of rafting kelp
- Catherine Collins, PhD - Ancient DNA of NZ sea-lions
- Dr Shan Crow
- Rebecca Cumming, PhD - Biogeography of Onchidella
- Dr Ceridwen Fraser
- Stefanie Grosser, PhD - Ancient DNA of little blue penguins
- Dr Catherine Grueber
- Dr Devon Keeney
- Keith King, PhD - Evolutionary genetics of alpine insects
- Dr Graham McCulloch
- Dr Raisa Nikula, Postdoc
- Kalinka Rexer-Huber, PhD - Conservation genetics of subantarctic petrels
- Alex Salis, BSc(Hons) - Ancient DNA of NZ fur-seals
- Jennifer Trickey, MSc - Biogeography of rafting nudibranchs
- Dr Andrew Veale, Postdoc
Publications
Cole, T. L., Dutoit, L., Dussex, N., Hart, T., Alexander, A., Younger, J. L., … Ellenberg, U., … Mattern, T., … Waters, J. M. (2019). Receding ice drove parallel expansions in Southern Ocean penguins. PNAS, 116(52), 26690-26696. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1904048116 Journal - Research Article
Cole, T. L., Ksepka, D. T., Mitchell, K. J., Tennyson, A. J. D., Thomas, D. B., Pan, H., … Rawlence, N. J., … Waters, J. M. (2019). Mitogenomes uncover extinct penguin taxa and reveal island formation as a key driver of speciation. Molecular Biology & Evolution, 36(4), 784-797. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msz017 Journal - Research Article
McCulloch, G. A., Foster, B. J., Dutoit, L., Ingram, T., Hay, E., Veale, A. J., Dearden, P. K., & Waters, J. M. (2019). Ecological gradients drive insect wing loss and speciation: The role of the alpine treeline. Molecular Ecology, 28, 3141-3150. doi: 10.1111/mec.15114 Journal - Research Article
Parvizi, E., Craw, D., & Waters, J. M. (2019). Kelp DNA records late Holocene paleoseismic uplift of coastline, southeastern New Zealand. Earth & Planetary Science Letters, 520, 18-25. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2019.05.034 Journal - Research Article
Fraser, C. I., Morrison, A. K., Hogg, A. M., Macaya, E. C., van Sebille, E., Ryan, P. G., … Waters, J. M. (2018). Antarctica's ecological isolation will be broken by storm-driven dispersal and warming. Nature Climate Change, 8, 704-708. doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0209-7 Journal - Research Article