Karl Bowles

Dr Karl Bowles serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, and holds a concurrent position as Senior Principal Environmental Scientist at Jacobs Australia. In this dual role, he acts as Strategic Lead for Technical Policy in the PFAS Investigation and Management Branch for the Australian Department of Defence, leveraging 30 years of cross-sector experience spanning research, consultancy, academia, and government.

His research centers on chemical contaminant dynamics, with intensive focus on PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) over the past decade. Expertise includes environmental fate/transport modeling, emerging contaminant impacts, and analytical methodologies for metals and organometallics. He has shaped national policy through contributions to the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan and drives research addressing critical gaps in environmental risk assessment frameworks.

Bowles currently serves as Principal Investigator in a QAEHS project developing passive samplers for PFAS monitoring in collaboration with Dr Sarit Kaserzon, funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). His industry insights ensure research tools meet real-world contaminated land management needs. Previous collaborative work includes PFAS studies in aquatic wildlife and seafood, demonstrating applied environmental health science translation.