Alana Grech

Alana Grech is the Head of Earth and Environmental Science at James Cook University (JCU) within the College of Science and Engineering. Previously, she served as Assistant Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (2017–2022) and Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University (2013–2016). Her research focuses on conservation biogeography, spatial technologies (GIS, geostatistics), and cumulative impact assessments (CIA) to inform coastal ecosystem management. Key projects include seagrass connectivity modeling, climate change resilience, and Indigenous land-sea country planning.

Education:

• Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), University of Adelaide (2003)
• PhD, James Cook University (2010)

Research Interests:

• Spatial planning for marine conservation
• Cumulative impact assessments
• Biophysical modeling of marine plant dispersal
• Indigenous knowledge integration

Awards & Grants:

• Queensland Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year (2018)
• Chief Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories (2024–2031)
• JCU Equity Contact Officer and Council member

Collaborations:

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
• Queensland Government Departments
• Indigenous natural resource management organizations