Marlon is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on the conservation and management of three small dasyurid marsupial species (common dunnart, agile antechinus and yellow-footed antechinus) in the ACT region. The three species that are the focus of this research are widespread and can be locally common. However, there is mounting evidence that at least in the ACT region, all three species appear to have experienced declines over the past few decades. The concern is that species such as these that may be experiencing unrecognised slow declines.

Over the course of this PhD, Marlon aims to establish where ACT populations sit within the broader distributional ecology of these species (drawing on biogeographical principles and dynamic occupancy modelling), assess which environmental covariates (including species interactions and a variety of disturbance types) best predict the occurrence of these species both at the distribution level and within the ACT region, and experimentally evaluating possible management strategies to develop recommendations on how these species may best be managed in this context.

More broadly, Marlon has an interest in evaluating conservation management practices in order to improve outcomes for biodiversity, for instance evaluating the efficacy of a post-fire nest box program during his Honours research.