Paola Pisetta Raupp is a PhD candidate in the Cumberland Plain Research Group. Her research explores how plant communities and soil conditions interact to support native vegetation and limit the spread of exotic species.

She focuses on the often overlooked, yet highly diverse understorey of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, identifying key physicochemical and biological soil properties, such as texture, nutrients, and microbes, that shape plant community establishment and ecosystem recovery in threatened grassy woodlands.

Her work combines glasshouse and rainout shelter experiments, as well as field surveys across Western Sydney, gathering data to guide conservation efforts and improve restoration success in the Cumberland Plain.