Dr Penelope Ajani - CV

1964 Born in Melbourne

           Lives and Works in Sydney

EDUCATION

1982-1985 Bachelor of Science with Honours, Melbourne University

2010-2014 PhD Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

PUBLICATIONS & GRANTS

Penny has 120+ scientific publications, reports and book chapters (see Dr Penelope Ajani Google Scholar), and has been awarded a total of $2.5 mil in competitive research funding since 2010. Penny has also contributed to 50+ online articles/radio interviews on her research in relation to climate change and harmful algal blooms including an article in the latest Wilderness Journal (2025) and interview on ABC Breakfast Radio Sydney (2026).

AWARDS AND PRIZES

2019 Cover Image Nature Microbiology 

2017 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Photographic Award 

2016 Cover Image Nature Scientific Data

2016 NSW Annual Coastal Management Innovation Award

2015 Photo Credit, Editorial 'Ocean wanderers' Nature Climate Change 

2014 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of Technology Sydney

2014 International Society for Applied Phycology Photographic Award

2013 Australian Marine Science Association Photographic Award 

2010 Australian Postgraduate Award

INVITED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025 Visions of the Harbour, Woollahra Gallery, 19 Nov 2025 - 15 Feb 2026

2025 Deep Place: Explorations in Art and Ecology, Randwick Town Hall, 22-25 Nov 2025

2026 Pendulum ('Critical Baseline' P. Ajani, Digital Projection of Ocean Microalgae), Retort House, Sub Base Platypus, North Sydney, 7 Feb 2026

SOLO EXHIBITION

2026 Blooming Algae: From Microscopic to Monumental, The Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, 20 Mar - 1 Apr 2026; Virtual Exhibition