Biography and expertise
Biography
Dr Luke Jeffrey is an Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow and emerging global leader in forest biogeochemistry, with a research program focused on microbial regulation of greenhouse gas cycling in trees and wetland ecosystems. His work has made fundamental contributions to understanding trees as both sources and sinks of the potent greenhouse gas - methane, identifying previously unrecognised plant–microbe pathways that influence climate feedbacks.
He has published over 45 peer-reviewed papers, including 13 as first author, with an h-index of 24 and >1500 citations. His research includes high-impact first-author publications in Nature Communications (2022) and the cover of Science (2026). His work has attracted substantial international attention, reaching an estimated global audience of more than 230 million people through media coverage in 2026.
Luke is a member of SCU's Research Clusters:
- Catchments, Coasts and Communities
Luke's work contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals
Research
Dr Jeffrey leads an externally funded research program supported by an ARC DECRA Fellowship and competitive grants. His work has contributed to international climate assessments, including the IPCC AR6, and is shaping emerging directions in forest–atmosphere exchange research.
Supervision
Luke is also committed to developing the next generation of researchers. He currently supervises five PhD candidates, serving as primary supervisor for three, and has successfully supervised two PhD candidates and one Honours student to completion. Through his supervision and collaborative leadership, he is building internationally connected research programs and supporting the development of early-career researchers.