Professor Paul Roe
Professor of computer science, QUT
See Professor Roe’s full research profile here.
p.roe@qut.edu.au
Research outputs linked to policy change and decision-making
- Professor Roe leads the Australian Acoustic Observatory, a project seeking to understand biodiversity and phenological changes at a continental scale. This is the first project of its kind in the world. It comprises a network of 400 acoustic recording stations, continuously collecting sound from all over Australia. The project is supported by Australian Research Council (ARC) discovery and linkage infrastructure, equipment and facilities projects:
- DP200101365. Acoustics for large-scale biodiversity assessment (2020–22). L Schwarzkopf, R Fuller, P Roe, D Watson, P McDonald ($560,000)
- LE170100033. Australian Acoustic Observatory: A network to monitor biodiversity (2017–18) P Roe, D Watson, R Fuller, S Parsons, T Bednarz, M Brereton, L Schwarzkopf, D Nimmo, B van Rensburg, M Maron, M Sheaves, P McDonald, G Luck ($900,000)
- DP170104004. Earth soundscapes: A human-computer approach to environmental sound analysis (2017–19). P Roe, M Brereton ($460,000)
- In an agricultural setting, Professor Roe is looking at how technologies, especially acoustic sensing, can improve biodiversity on cotton farms:
- National Landcare Program. Smart farming partnerships: New technologies to improve natural resources (biodiversity) on Australian cotton farms (2019–2021). E Peterson, S Fuller, S Parsons, P Roe ($1,132,000).
- In Queensland and New South Wales, Professor Roe works with colleagues at The University of Queensland (Dr Bill Ellis) and NSW Department of Primary Industries (Prof Brad Law) and Forestry Corp to survey koala populations using acoustic recorders. They have developed a novel occupancy modelling technique to monitor populations and this is being used to assess impacts from recent bushfires. This work has been supported by numerous grants, and Professor Roe lead the acoustic monitoring part of these initiatives.
Current academic employment and positions
- 2010–present: professor of computer science, QUT
- 2020–22: investigator, ARC discovery project, Acoustics for large-scale biodiversity assessment.
Highest qualification
- 1991: PhD, University of Glasgow, UK.
Links with non-government groups or networks
- For the past 4 years, Professor Roe has run workshops and symposia in eco-acoustic monitoring (2017, 2018, 2020). Each of these events was attended by more than 100 people, including many from overseas. We have shared expertise in eco-acoustics monitoring and analysis, and his group at QUT has run workshops on using their eco-acoustics tools. All their tools are freely available and open source: www.ecosounds.org.
My Projects
Current project
Completed project
NESP RLH, 2021-2027NESP, 2015-2021NERP, 2012-2015TRaCK, 2005-present
