Ross Thompson - Hillary Jolly Medallist

Professor Ross Thompson is foundation Director of the Centre for Applied Water Science and co-Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra. He completed his undergraduate, Honours and PhD degrees at the University of Otago in New Zealand, before moving to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver for his post-doctoral work. In 2005 Ross was appointed as a tenure-track lecturer at Monash University where he became Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Biodiversity. In 2012 he moved to Canberra to take up the position of ARC Future Fellow and Chair of Water Science at the Institute for Applied Ecology. In 2015 he moved into the role of Director of the Institute, and in 2020 he established with colleagues the Centre for Applied Water Science.

Ross’ research interests are biodiversity and restoration of landscapes, mainly in freshwater ecosystems. The fundamental part of his research program is in food-web ecology; seeking the rules that determine how natural communities assemble and persist. Ross’ applied research addresses the ways in which food webs can be influenced by anthropogenic factors including urbanisation, land clearance, pharmaceutical contamination, invasion and river flow management. His work has strong links to government and industry, and Ross sits on advisory panels for local, state and federal research programs.

Over his 20y academic career to date Ross has published >100 papers, 11 book chapters and >150 scientific reports, and attracted more than $20M in research income. This has included continuous funding from the Australian Research Council for the last 15 years. Ross has sat on the ARC College of Experts and the NZ Marsden Grant Biological Science Panel and is a grant assessor for the USA NSF and NZ Endeavour Fund amongst others. He is a past President of the Australian Freshwater Sciences Society, and in 2021 that Society awarded him the prestigious Hillary Jolly Medal.

Aleicia Holland - Early Career Researcher Excellence Award

Dr Aleicia Holland is a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University and a member of the Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems. She also holds a visiting scientist position within CSIRO Land and Water. Dr Holland completed her PhD in 2014 at CQUniversity, Rockhampton, QLD, before conducting a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) in collaboration with University of British Columbia. In 2016 she was awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, which she begun at the University of Wollongong and then moved to La Trobe University in 2017.

Aleicia's research investigates the role dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays in aquatic ecosystems. She incorporates a mixture of analytical and optical methods to characterise DOM in freshwaters and to explore its influence on aquatic communities and toxicity of contaminants such as metals. Her research spans the fields of aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry and ecotoxicology. Her work has been funded by the ARC, international metal associations, government, industry and catchment authorities. Aleicia's work goes towards improving management of freshwater ecosystems and current water quality guidelines for contaminants such as metals.

Dr Holland has published >28 publications and >20 scientific reports and has attracted more than $2M in research income. She is the recipient of numerous awards including most recently the 2020 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Australasia Early Career Medal and the Australian Freshwater Sciences Society Early Career Researcher Excellence Award and is a grant assessor for the ARC and NSERC, Canada.

Phil Duncan

Phil Duncan is from Moree New South Wales and is a member of the Gomeroi Nation and a Member Gomeroi Nation Native Title Claimant Group. His homelands are Moree and Terry Hie Hie. Phil almost 40 years’ experience working with Aboriginal people and government to improve the lives of Aboriginal people through recognition of our rich cultural history, the return of our lands, the improvement of our living conditions and education of our next generation through both his employment and active volunteer community work. Phil provides high level policy and strategic advice and leadership to key Indigenous Representative Organisations, Universities, State and Federal government agencies as well as key external stakeholder groups.

His strategic advice, leadership and engagement is around issues of culture and heritage significance, community engagement in on-ground projects, as well as the design, delivery and implementation of programs in partnership with government. Phil has made significant contributions in a variety of domains from education and organisational reconciliation action through to areas of focus such as natural resource management, freshwater river management, forestry, native fish, water rights and allocations. Phil is active in managing and maintaining connections and representing and understanding different viewpoints which can be applied to creating trusting and collaborative relationships. Phil is extremely proud to be appointed to the NSW Natural Resource Access Regulator Board, as the first Indigenous Board Member.

Read Phil Duncan’s plenary abstract here