Russ Babcock

Prof Russ Babcock is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and holds adjunct positions as Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University and Adjunct Associate Professor at University of Western Australia. With over 40 years of research experience, his work focuses on coral reefs, kelp forests, and marine conservation. Current research includes coral restoration and crown-of-thorns starfish management on the Great Barrier Reef. He leads the Impacts on Coastal Biodiversity Team and has contributed to major studies on marine reserve effectiveness and climate impacts.

Education: BSc Hons(1) and PhD from James Cook University (1980, 1986). Professional roles include Associate Professor at University of Auckland (1993-2003), ARC Research Fellow (1986-1989), and leadership in national initiatives like the National Coral Bleaching Task Force and IMOS ATF committees.

Research interests span coral reef ecology, marine protected areas, anthropogenic impacts, and acoustic tracking of marine species. Notable achievements include co-discovering coral mass spawning (1984) and winning the 1992 Pol Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. His work bridges ecological science with management, addressing climate change, overfishing, and habitat degradation.

Scientific awards:

• Pol Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (1992)

Advising and grants: Extensive contributions to marine conservation policy, including roles in the Queensland Healthy Waterways Scientific Expert Panel and GBRMPA crown-of-thorns starfish committees. Over 150 publications and active in national and international scientific networks.

Labs/teams: Leads CSIRO's Impacts on Coastal Biodiversity Team and collaborates with institutions like Ningaloo Outlook Projects and GISERA Marine. Research integrates fieldwork, modeling, and citizen science for ecosystem resilience strategies.