Simbarashe Gombedza is a PhD candidate at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University. He holds an Honours Degree majoring Ecology from the University of Zimbabwe and a Master’s degree in Biology (Molecular Ecology) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where his research focused on host–parasite interactions and disease ecology in southern Africa.

With a research focus on climate-adaptive restoration, his work explores how plant communities respond to environmental stress and how these responses can inform restoration strategies under changing climate conditions.

His PhD research investigates whether seed sourced from future climate analogue regions can improve restoration outcomes under current and projected climates. Using experimental restoration plots, he examines how temperature and moisture stress influence plant establishment, growth, competitive interactions, and ecosystem function.

Simbarashe’s research aims to contribute to evidence-based seed sourcing guidelines and support more resilient, climate-responsive restoration practices for threatened grassy woodland ecosystems, with broader implications for biodiversity conservation under climate change.