Dr Jenny Giles1, Dr Andreas Zwick1, Dr Stephen Bent1, Troy Denyer2, Dr Anna Kearns1, Dr Todd McLay1, Dr James Nicholls1, Dr Amanda Reid1, Leonardo Goncalves Tedeschi1, Dr Jesse Wallace1, Dr Mark Wallace1, Dr Nerida Wilson1, Claire Yang1, Dr Olly Berry1
1CSIRO Environomics Future Science Platform/ CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure, , Australia, 2CSIRO Information Management and Technology, Clayton, Australia
Biography:
Jenny Giles is the Director of CSIRO’s National Biodiversity DNA Library. An ichthyologist and molecular geneticist, Jenny is particularly interested in improving global capabilities for DNA-based species identifications in stringent and complex settings including wildlife law enforcement and environmental DNA analysis.
Jenny previously ran a US-based forensic consultancy specialising in the species identification of shark fins in global trade and fisheries enforcement cases using DNA and morphology. She has held positions at Stanford University, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and the University of California, Davis, and served on several US and multilateral efforts to develop and promote best practices in wildlife forensics and fisheries enforcement.
Abstract:
Reliable, suitable DNA reference data are a fundamental requirement for the success of eDNA metabarcoding analyses. The National Biodiversity DNA Library (NBDL) is an initiative led by Australia's National Science Agency, CSIRO, to provide a reference library to support the accurate taxonomic assignment of eDNA derived from Australian ecosystems. With our partners, the NBDL is generating comprehensive DNA reference sequences from expertly identified specimens held in research collections. Our first complement of campaigns include Australian marine vertebrates, marine invertebrates, macroalgae and seagrasses, marine pests, terrestrial vertebrates and plant pests. CSIRO has developed a cost-effective highly miniaturised genome-skimming technology ideally suited to collection specimens to build this library, in concert with efforts to host existing data generated by other initiatives that meet the same criteria. These data will be made publicly available through a dedicated data and analysis portal, to launch with the first data release in 2025.