As a child in the UK, Dr Amy Coetsee dreamed of a career in conservation. But she never imagined she’d grow up to research octopus saliva.

After having studied this unlikely topic for her Bachelor of Zoology (Honours) at Aberdeen University, Amy travelled to Australia. Falling in love with the country, she decided to stay and undertake a PhD at the University of Melbourne on the reintroduction biology of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, a species that was classified as Extinct in the Wild.

Today, Amy is a Threatened Species Biologist at Zoos Victoria, where she continues her work on the Eastern Barred Bandicoot but also Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallabies, Southern Bent-Wing Bats and Long-Nosed Potoroos, focussing on translocations, habitat requirements and threat mitigation. Her work contributed to Eastern Barred Bandicoots being reclassified from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered in 2021 and the long term captive breeding and insurance program closed down as it was no longer required.

In case you hadn’t guessed, Amy is passionate about conservation. She has published numerous13 scientific papers, supervises several Honours and PhD students and actively engages communities to care for threatened species and fight their extinction. As a strong supporter of STEM, Amy works to inspire students to uphold Zoos Victoria’s commitment that no Victorian terrestrial vertebrate species will go extinct.

A busy mum of two, Amy finds calmness in the glorious chaos on daily walks through scenic places with her dog and creating a native garden for wildlife.

Dr Amy Coetsee is a Superstar of STEM.