Dr Cassandra Rowe ~ Research Fellow

Cassandra is a palaeoecologist and palynologist with experience working across northern Australia, Britain, Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia. Her research focusses on long-term environmental dynamics and human-environmental relationships within monsoonal regions, understanding vegetation composition, distribution and change with emphasis on tropical-savanna landscapes, dry-rainforest associations and island flora. The application of environmental history to ecosystem management is an additional committment. Cassandra’s interests have been pursued in collaboration with archaeological science and Earth-system modelling, and are complemented by work in research support-tool database developments.

Cassandra joined JCU in 2014 having previously worked at a number of academic institutions, and with a background collaborating with museums, conservation NGOs and Indigenous organisations. Additional experience includes contract research in industry within Australia and overseas. Cassandra is based within the College of Science and Engineering (GeoScience), and forms part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, and ‘What is natural? Humans, megafauna and climate in northern Australia’ research teams. For further examples of project work refer to the Earth systems science QUEST and BRIDGE programs, the pollen database APSA, Jawoyn Homeland Project Connecting Country, and the Maritime Settlement of Southern New Guinea Project (Archaeology of Caution Bay).

 

Interests

Research

• Quaternary tropical environmental variability
• Savanna composition and dynamics
• Fire regimes and biodiversity
• Pollen morphology
• Cultural landscapes
• Climate change verses human impact signals in the palaeoenvironmental record
• Environmental history applications to landscape and habitat management

Experience

• 2015 to 2019 - Research Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia)
• 2011 to 2013 - Research Fellow, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia)
• 2009 to 2011 - Archaeological/Heritage Management, Private & Academic combined (Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea)
• 2007 to 2009 - Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bristol (Bristol, England)
• 2006 to 2007 - Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian National University (Canberra, Australia)
• 2001 to 2005 - PhD Candidate, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia)

Research Disciplines

• Archaeology (2101)
• Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience (0406)
• Ecology (0602)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Understanding Past Societies (9505)
• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU.

Journal Articles

• David B, Jones-Amin H, Richards T, Mialanes J, Asmussen B, Petchey F, Aplin K, Leavesley M, McNiven I, Zetzmann C, Rowe C, Skelly R, Jenkins R, Faulkner P and Ulm S (2016) Ruisasi 1 and the earliest evidence of mass-produced ceramics in Caution Bay (Port Moresby Region), Papua New Guinea. Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 7 (1). pp. 41-60
• DAVID B, MIALANES J, Petchey F, Aplin K, Geneste J, Skelly R and Rowe C (2015) Archaeological investigations at Waredaru and the origins of the Keipte Kuyumen clan estate, upper Kikori River, Papua New Guinea. Paleo, 26. pp. 33-57
• Rowe C (2015) Late Holocene swamp transition in the Torres Strait, northern tropical Australia. Quaternary International, 385. pp. 56-68
• Stevenson J, Brockwell S, Rowe C, Proske U and Shiner J (2015) The palaeoenvironmental history of Big Willum Swamp, Weipa: an environmental context for the archaeological record. Australian Archaeology, 80. pp. 17-31
• Ash J, Faulkner P, Brady L and Rowe C (2013) Morphometric reconstructions and size variability analysis of the surf clam, Atactodea (=Paphies) striata, from Muralag 8, southwestern Torres Strait, northern Australia. Australian Archaeology, 77. pp. 82-93
• David B, Barker B, Petchey F, Delannoy J, Geneste J, Rowe C, Eccleston M, Lamb L and Whear R (2013) A 28,000 year old excavated painted rock from Nawarla Gabarnmang. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40 (5). pp. 2493-25011
• David B, McNiven I, Jones-Amin H, Connaughton S, Parkinson C, Rowe C, Richards T, Leavesley M, Barker B, Mandui H, Campanelli G and Flood N (2013) Three reconstructed Lapita plainware pots from Caution Bay, south coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. University of Otago Studies in Archaeology, 25. pp. 157-170
• Petchey F, Ulm S, David B, McNiven I, Asmussen B, Tomkins H, Dolby N, Aplin K, Richards T, Rowe C, Leavesley M and Mandui H (2013) High-resolution radiocarbon dating of marine materials in archaeological contexts: radiocarbon marine reservoir variability between Anadara, Gafrarium, Batissa, Polymesoda spp. and Echinoidea at Caution Bay, Southern Coastal Papua New Guinea. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 5 (1). pp. 69-80
• Rowe C, McNiven I, David B, Richards T and Leavesley M (2013) Holocene pollen records from Caution Bay, southern mainland Papua New Guinea. Holocene, 23 (8). pp. 1130-1142
• David B, Lamb L, Delannoy J, Pivoru F, Rowe C, Pivoru M, Frank T, Frank N, Fairbairn A and Pivoru R (2012) Poromoi Tamu and the case of the drowning village: history lost places and the stories we tell. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 16 (2). pp. 319-345

Book Chapters

• Aplin K, Rowe C, Peck H, Asmussen B, Ulm S, Faulkner P and Richards T (2016) The natural setting of Caution Bay: climate, landforms, biota, and environmental zones. In: Archaeological Research at Caution Bay, Papua New Guinea: cultural, linguistic and environmental setting. Caution Bay Studies in Archaeology, 1. Archaeopress, Oxford, UK, pp. 75-111
• David B, Richards T, Mcniven I, Mialanes J, Aplin K, Petchey F, Peck H, Asmussen B, Ulm S, Szabó K, Jones-Amin H, Faulkner P, Perrette C, Rowe C, Leavesley M and Barker B (2016) The Caution Bay Project field and laboratory methods. In: Archaeological Research at Caution Bay, Papua New Guinea: cultural, linguistic and environmental setting. Caution Bay Studies in Archaeology, 1. Archaeopress, Oxford, UK, pp. 145-175

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 32+ research outputs authored by Dr Cassandra Rowe from 2001 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Multi-proxy evidence for long-term environmental change in northern Australian tropical savannas (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Environmental Change and Anthropogenic Fire in northern Australia during the late Holocene (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.