Behavioural ecology and Australian research
Welbergen completed his Cambridge zoology doctorate with Nick Davies and held research fellowships in Britain and Australia before joining the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment in 2014. He leads the Lab of Animal Ecology, connecting behavioural and evolutionary questions with climate-change biology and conservation.
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Signals, societies and species interactions
His research topics include movement, animal signals, social organisation and brood-parasite–host dynamics. These questions examine how animals respond to resources, companions and physical conditions, linking individual behaviour with population and interspecific processes.
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From roosts to physiological mechanisms
Flying-fox heat research combines roost microclimate and behavioural observations, laboratory thermal-physiology trials and biophysical models. It records responses such as wing fanning, clustering, salivation and panting and compares vulnerability among species, ages and reproductive states.
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Prediction and conservation
The programme uses mechanistic evidence to predict near-term heat risks and evaluate conservation responses. Welbergen also studies flying-fox habitat, urban conflicts and threatened populations and served as president of the Australasian Bat Society from 2016 to 2024.