Dr Daniel Chilton is a postdoctoral researcher in the field of limnology, with a focus on wildlife conservation and preserving biodiversity and ecosystem function. Dr Chilton has a general interest in aquatic ecosystems, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, botany, microbiology, avifauna and freshwater turtles. 

Dr Chilton is currently working on climate adaptation of the Coorong, South Australia, a shallow coastal lagoon of high ecological, economic and cultural importance. Dr Chilton has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Coorong, as it was the site of his PhD project, which focussed on investigating the combined impacts of a reduction in freshwater flow volumes with the process of wind-induced sediment resuspension on contributing to the Coorong's ecological degradation.

Dr Chilton believes in the transformative power of education as a force to address global challenges and foster positive change. Dr Chilton is currently working as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Adelaide, working with students in the courses of Freshwater Ecology III and Botany II. Dr Chilton has also taught in the course Plant Identification II at the University of Adelaide and conducted guest lectures in the course Develop a Coastal Rehabilitation Strategy at TAFE SA Urrbrae Campus.

Dr Chilton strives to engage and work in collaboration with people both locally and from around the world to share knowledge to improve the Earth's current state of the environment. Dr Chilton is currently a member of the Biological Society of South Australia (BSSA) and the Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), both of which are grassroots not-for-profit organisations focussed on improving the conservation of the world's ecosystems through the development and sharing of scientific knowledge and communication and engagement with the general public. Dr Chilton has participated in a range of workshops, seminars, conferences and events with these organisations and with several others, to foster collaboration and build multidisciplinary networks to tackle the Earth's complex and interdisciplinary environmental issues.

Biological surveys: field surveys detecing the presence, distribution and abundance of a range of Australian native and exotic flora species including assessing coastal and floodplain tree health and resource provision, aquatic macrophytes, woodland birds, waterbirds, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles using various observation and trapping methods. 

Field sampling and instrument deployment: grab water sampling, sediment coring, point water quality measurements using a multiparameter probe, deployment of a range of instruments to measure meteorological, hydrodynamic and water quality parameters including an anemometer, an acoustic doppler velocimeter (ADV), a laser in situ scattering transmissometer (LISST), water pressure, light and temperature loggers.

Water quality analysis: filtration of water samples and subsequent analysis for water quality parameters including suspended sediment particles, phytoplankton, coloured dissolved organic matter, nutrients and eDNA of microbes and fauna.

Sediment characteristic analysis: the analysis of a range of physical, chemical and biological parameters including texture, pH, mean and median grain size, particle size distribution, water and organic matter content, bulk density, macrophyte biomass, invertebrate abundance, chlorophyll a content and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content.

Statistical analysis and modelling: utilising a range of parametric and non-parametric statistical tests and models, including relatively simple tests (e.g., Student's t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, ANOVAs, Kruskal Wallis H tests and OLS regression) to more complex stepwise multiple regression models, Michaelis-Menten models, generalised linear models (GLMs), generalised additive models (GAMs) and decision tree models (e.g., regression tree). Utilising complex autoregressive models (e.g., Vector Autoregressive models) for time series analyses and forecasting.

Hydrodynamic and meteorological analyses: the analysis of large and complex datasets to calculate wind-induced wave and current velocities, turbulence and benthic shear stresses utilising a range of techniques including linear wave theory, Reynolds decomposition, Fourier transformation and wavelet analysis.

Literature review: performing a structured literature review utilising search terms and forming a database to synthesise knowledge.

Conceptual model development: constructing conceptual models utilising free image libraries and graphic software (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft PowerPoint) to aid in knowledge synthesis and concise presentation of complex information.

Oral and poster presentation: presenting research both orally and visually by poster production at various conferences and research institutes domestically and internationally.

General limnology (the physical, chemical and biological study of estuaries, lakes, rivers, lagoons, wetlands, floodplains and other inland waterbodies)

General botany including the study of plant, macrophyte and phytoplankton ecology and ecophysiology

The impact of direct anthropogenic actions and climate change on aquatic ecosystems

Holistic catchment to coast ecology and management

Ecosystem restoration and resilience

Wildlife and biodiversity conservation

The impact of extreme weather events on aquatic ecosystem sturcture and function

Collaborative science