Man-made islands might be better known as the domain of China or Dubai.
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But the ACT's new Scientist of the Year, biogeographer Dr Ceridwen Fraser, would build her own in the sub-Antarctic; if research money was no object.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Tuesday announced Dr Fraser, a former Lyneham Primary School student turned Antarctic climate change researcher, as the ACT's brightest scientific mind in 2016.
The award comes with a platform Dr Fraser was keen to use to promote the sciences as a viable career for young girls and women and for people working outside the sciences to bring a scientific perspective to their work - no matter the field.
"You don't have to be a scientist to have an inquiring mind - it's not a question of belief so much as making decisions based on the best available evidence," Dr Fraser said.
If she had access to unlimited research funds, the senior fellow at the Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society would build a new island in the sub-Antarctic, fill it with plants and animals and monitor it, a place from which the dispersal of other species in the region could also be examined.
Having researched the movements of invasive species into the region, and examined the role of Antarctic volcanoes in creating warmer "oases" of biodiversity in the globe's southern-most continent, Dr Fraser said the idea was a "dream project" for her, even if others might consider it a "pipe dream".
"If I did have access to unlimited research funds, it would be a dream project - it would also provide a new opportunity not just to see how the plants and animals on the island fared over time, but to measure the dispersal of new plants and animals moving into the region," Dr Fraser said.
Despite the questionable perspectives of some politicians on climate change, she said the scientific debate had moved on from questions of how to prevent it or "whether it is real".
"I think most governments understand, even if some individuals within those governments don't, that climate change is real and it's now time to decide on the next steps: what we can do to limit the damage," she said.
"We can't influence it happening, but we can still have an influence over the extent of climate change."
Influencing climate change will also likely rely on the information gained through an international effort Dr Fraser is involved with in the Antarctic.
The project, A Functional Biogeography of the Antarctic, involves a sprawling biodiversity assessment of the icy continent that could lead to new scientific discoveries.
"It's an assessment of plants and animals in the Antarctic, how they've dispersed and evolved in such an isolated place," Dr Fraser said.
"But it's also looking at how life survives in extreme conditions, so it could be of real interest also to those involved in space exploration as many of the conditions, like the dryness and cold, are very similar.
"We really want to find out what plants and animals are there, how far they can travel around the world and look at invasive species, all of which will give us an indication of how they might adapt to climate change over time."
