David Schoeman

Professor David Schoeman is a Professor of Global-Change Ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Queensland, Australia. He holds a PhD, MSc (cum laude), BSc Hons (cum laude), and BSc (cum laude) from the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University), South Africa. His academic leadership includes designing and accrediting Australia’s first Bachelor of Animal Ecology degree program, which significantly boosted the university’s research capacity in marine and coastal ecology.

His research focuses on marine climate-change ecology, climate-smart conservation planning, and quantitative ecology. He has contributed to high-impact studies published in journals like Science, Nature, and Nature Climate Change. He served as a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report’s ocean and coastal chapter and played pivotal roles in the IPCC’s Special Report on the Oceans and Cryosphere.

Key awards include the Vice-Chancellor and President’s Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (2017). He has secured over AUD $1.2 million in grants, including projects on marine climate-change impacts, fisheries modeling, and ecological forecasting. His outreach includes training over 1,000 scientists in R programming through annual workshops.

Professional memberships include the Australian Marine Science Association. His work bridges research and teaching, emphasizing climate resilience and conservation solutions.