Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Hi!
I'm Perry (they/she), an entomologist and evolutionary biologist. I use genetics to shed light on the biodiversity and evolution of Earth's largest group of animals: insects.I'm interested in species that have evolved in isolation for extended periods of time, like cave fauna. My aim is to extract insights for long-term conservation outcomes, including naming new species.Outside of my day-to-day work, I'm passionate about elevating the visibility of LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent people working in STEMM.
Research
Outreach
Education
My research focuses on the hidden, underground biodiversity in Australia's caves, burrows, and aquifers.Understanding how these animals have evolved gives us the best chance of conserving them—and their unique habitats—long into the future.Read more
I'm passionate about invertebrate advocacy and education.I've contributed to scientific outreach through radio and podcast interviews, short films, art festivals, and more.Read more
Ph.D. (2021), The University of SydneyHB.Sc. (2016), The University of AdelaideB.Sc. (2015), The University of Adelaide
Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Under review
Beasley-Hall, P G, Trewick, S A, Eberhard, S M et al. Molecular phylogenetics illuminates the evolutionary history and hidden diversity of Australian cave crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae). bioRxiv 10.1101/2024.08.11.607522.
Beasley-Hall, P G, Eberhard, S M. Diversity and distribution of Micropathus cave crickets, threatened short-range endemics from Tasmanian wet forest (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae).
Hedges, B A, Beasley-Hall, P G, Berry, T et al. Environmental DNA reveals temporal and spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies.
Guzik, M T et al. Towards a global barcode reference library for subterranean fauna. bioRxiv 10.1101/2024.09.20.613981. [NB: P. G. Beasley-Hall is author 7/11.]
Guzik, M T et al. What are the best practices for curating eDNA custom barcode reference libraries? A case study using Australian subterranean fauna. bioRxiv 10.1101/2024.09.18.611555. [NB: P. G. Beasley-Hall is author 9/21.]
2025
Beasley-Hall, P G, Trewick, S A, Hedges, B A et al. (in press). Integrative taxonomy and systematics of the Australian cave cricket genus Speleotettix Chopard (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae): new species, distribution, and conservation implications. Austral Entomology.
2024
Iannello, S, Beasley-Hall, P G (2024). Ecology and evolution of Eburnocauda gen. nov. (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae), a cave cricket from Australian granite pseudokarst. Australian Journal of Taxonomy 73: 1–9.
Beasley-Hall, P G, Hedges, B A, Cooper, S J B, Austin, A D, Guzik, M T (2024). A comprehensive review of South Australia's Great Artesian Basin spring and discharge wetlands biota. Marine and Freshwater Research 75: MF24118.
Beasley-Hall, P G, Kinjo, Y, Rose, H A, Walker, J, Foster, C S P, Kovacs, T G L, Bourguignon, T, Ho, S Y W, Lo, N (2024). Shrinking in the dark: Parallel endosymbiont genome erosions are associated with repeated host transitions to an underground life. Insect Science (Early View).
Balart-García, P, Bradford, T, Beasley-Hall, P G, Polak, S, Ribera, I, Cooper, S J B, Fernandez, R (2024). Highly dynamic evolution of the chemosensory gene repertoire driven by gene gain and expansion across subterranean beetles. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 194: 108027.
2023
Beasley-Hall, P G, Murphy, N P, King, R A, White, N E, Hedges, B A, Cooper, S J B, Austin, A D, Guzik, M T (2023). Time capsules of biodiversity: future research directions for groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Great Artesian Basin. Frontiers in Environmental Science 10: 1021987.
Balart-García, P, Aristide, L, Bradford, T, Beasley-Hall, P G, Polak, S, Ribera, I, Cooper, S J B, Fernandez, R (2023). Parallel and convergent genomic changes underlie independent subterranean colonization across beetles. Nature Communications 14: 3842.
2022
Beasley-Hall, P G, Bertozzi, T, Bradford, T M, Foster, C S P, Jones, K, Tierney, S M, Humphreys, W F, Austin, A D, Cooper, S J B (2022). Differential transcriptomic responses to heat stress in surface and subterranean diving beetles. Scientific Reports 12: 16194.
Jones, B R, Brock, P D, Mantovani, B, Beasley-Hall, P G, Yeates, D K, Lo, N (2022). Integrative taxonomy of the stick insect genus Austrocarausius Brock, 2000 (Phasmatodea: Lonchodidae) reveals cryptic species in remnant Queensland rainforests. Invertebrate Systematics 36, 849–873.
Langille B L, Tierney S M, Bertozzi T, Beasley-Hall, P G, Bradford T M, Fagan-Jeffries E P, Hyde J, Leijs R, Richardson M, Saint KM, Stringer DN, Villastrigo A, Humphreys WF, Austin A D, Cooper S J B (2022). Parallel decay of vision genes in subterranean water beetles. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 173, 107522.
For older publications, visit my Google Scholar profile.
Journals I've reviewed for
Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny
Austral Entomology
Ecology and Evolution
Insect Science
Invertebrate Systematics
Molecular Ecology
One Earth
Functional Ecology
Scientific Reports
Systematic Entomology
Limnology and Oceanography
Evolution & Development
European Journal of Taxonomy
Australian Journal of Taxonomy
Communications Biology
Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Media interviews and engagement
Dr Aola Richards: The wētā woman, The Post (New Zealand), April 2024
Nature's vibrators, What the Duck?!, ABC Radio National, November 2023
Profiled in Wear It Purple Day poster series, Questacon, August 2023
More black native crickets in Ballarat may be because of rainy La Niña summer. The Courier, February 2023
Lost ark of animals awaits discovery in Australia's arid zone. Cosmos Weekly, February 2023
The Latest Set of Emojis Matter. Here's Why. Wall Street Journal, August 2022
Queers in Science is helping tackle discrimination in STEM, QNews, July 2022
Celebrating Pride in STEM, Dope Labs Podcast, June 2022
Unravelling the enigma of cave crickets, Environment Institute Blog, May 2022
Australian native animals as pets. Yes/No?, What the Duck?!, ABC Radio National, April 2022
Why women scientists are rallying around six-year-old bug and frog lover Lyra, ABC Science, April 2022
Cockroaches Are Cool!, NPR Short Wave, National Public Radio, Oct 2021
Crickets and Sprickets, Off Track with Ann Jones, ABC Radio National, Sep 2021
The BFG of the Insect World, Off Track with Ann Jones, ABC Radio National, May 2021
Caves, Roaches, and Microbes, OH MY!, The Science Stream, May 2021
Australian giant cockroaches actually hiss, Australian Geographic, 2018
Women in entomology, Breakfast with Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, ABC Radio Sydney, 2018
Down and dirty: the Aussie women working in entomology, Australian Geographic, 2018
Speaking and writing
Writer, Most people will never see a cave cricket, so why should we care about them?, Taxonomy Australia, June 2024
Invited speaker, Australian Speleological Federation, Name it, save it: Cave crickets and the race to describe Australia’s underground biodiversity, April 2023
Co-author, Introducing the invertebrates factsheet, Biodiversity Council of Australia, December 2022
Invited speaker, Cave Exploration Group of South Australia, What's in a name? The science of cave insect taxonomy, August 2022
Invited speaker, Australian Speleological Federation, Evolved in the dark: insects of the subterranean world, May 2022
Invited speaker, Queers in STEMM Showcase run by Queers in Science, Nov 2021
Contributor, It's in our Nature: A Queer Tour of the Museum, South Australian Museum, Nov 2021
Volunteer presenter, Night Lab: Metamorphosis, South Australian Museum, Sep 2021
Lead writer, Adapted to the Dark: Rhaphidophoridae (short film) for the International Year of Caves and Karst, 2021
Organising member and invited speaker, An Evening with 500 Queer Scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, 2019–2020
Service to organisations
Current
Member, Royal Entomological Society, 2025–
Secretary, Society of Australian Systematic Biologists, 2024–
Member, Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender, 2024–
Member, Cave Invertebrate Specialist Group within the IUCN Species Survival Commission, 2024–
Associate Editor, Insect Conservation and Diversity, 2023–
Scientific and Communications Advisory Committees, Invertebrates Australia, 2023–
National Steering Committee, Taxonomy Australia, 2023–
Judge, Science at the Fringe Award, Adelaide Fringe Festival, 2021–
Past
Inform Program Leader, Invertebrates Australia, 2022–2023
State co-chair, Queers in Science South Australia, 2020–2022
Organising Committee member, Australian Entomological Society 52nd AGM and Scientific Conference, 2021
Social media officer, Biological Sciences Early and Mid-Career Researcher Association, The University of Adelaide, 2020–2021
Board member and Social Media Director, Australian Entomological Society, 2019–2022
Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Current
ABRS Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Adelaide, December 2022–
Past positions
Honorary Associate, The University of Sydney, 2021–2023
Project Officer in Evolutionary Genomics, South Australian Museum, 2022
Postdoctoral Researcher, The University of Adelaide, August 2020–2022
Grants
Marsh, J. R. (2024). Conserving caves: Developing tools to safeguard subterranean biodiversity. Australian Research Council Early Career Industry Fellowship. $482,830. Collaborative Partner alongside S. Cooper, M. Harvey, M. Rix, and J. Wood.
Shaw, M., Beasley-Hall, P. G. (2023). Solving the evolutionary puzzle of climate outliers: description of new cave and mallee mites (Dermanyssiae: Ologamasidae) as part of the Yalata Bush Blitz. Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. $15,000. Joint Investigator.
Beasley-Hall, P. G., Austin, A. D., Cooper, S. J. B., Reed, E., Trewick, S. (2022). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian cave crickets (Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae): an enigmatic and at-risk fauna. Australian Biological Resources Study National Taxonomy Research Grant Program. $300,000. Principal Investigator.
Beasley-Hall, P. G. (2022). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian cave crickets (Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae): an enigmatic and at-risk fauna. Australian Speleological Federation Karst Conservation Fund. $15,000. Principal Investigator.
Papadelos, P., Beasley-Hall, P. G., Hewitt, A., Umbers, K., Guzik, M. T., Beasley, C. (2022). Science communication behind the scenes?: Interrogating the role of women in professional life sciences societies. The University of Adelaide ABLE Interdisciplinary Research Grant. $10,000. Co-chief Investigator.
Awards
Creating Positive Change Fellowship, Conservation Council of South Australia, 2024
Emerging Leaders Program scholarship ($5,950), Environment Institute, 2021
Best student presentation, Australian Entomological Society, 2019
Best presentation, SOLES Postgraduate Showcase, The University of Sydney, 2019
Postgraduate Research Student Support Scheme ($3,000), The University of Sydney, 2019
Graduate Student Research Award ($2,700), Society of Systematic Biologists, 2018
Phil Carne Prize finalist, Australian Entomological Society, 2018
Postgraduate Research Student Support Scheme ($1,300), The University of Sydney, 2018
Early PhD Student Travel Grant, Australian Entomological Society, 2017
Best presentation finalist, SOLES Postgraduate Showcase, The University of Sydney, 2017
Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship ($75,000), 2017
Faculty of Sciences Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, The University of Adelaide, 2015
Adelaide Summer Research Scholarship at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, The University of Adelaide, 2014
Faculty of Sciences Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, The University of Adelaide, 2014
Teaching
Tutor, Principles & Practice of Research (Advanced) II, The University of Adelaide, 2024
Lecturer and organising committee member, 8th National Postgraduate Training Workshop in Systematics, The University of Adelaide, 2022
Teaching assistant, The University of Sydney, 2017-2020
Instructor, Taming the BEAST Down Under, 2019
Instructor, Sydney Phylogenetics Workshop, 2017-2019
Teaching assistant, The University of Adelaide, 2016
Professional development & service
People & Culture Committee, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, 2024–
Connect & Share on Neurodiversity, The University of Adelaide, 2024
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion co-design workshop, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, 2023
Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, 2022
Developing Positive Partnerships Program, The University of Adelaide, 2021
Emerging Leaders Program, Environment Institute, 2021