Alana Grech

I am the Head of Earth and Environmental Science in the College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University. Previously, I served as Assistant Director and Associate Dean of Research Education at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (2017–2022), Senior Lecturer in Spatial Information Science at Macquarie University (2013–2016), and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU (2010–2012). I am also a JCU Equity Contact Officer and an elected member of the JCU Council.

My research applies conservation biogeography and spatial technologies—including GIS, geostatistics, network analysis, biophysical models, and reserve design software—to support the management of Australia’s coastal ecosystems. I focus on developing methodologies for cumulative impact assessment (CIA) and examining its role in environmental decision-making, policy, and practice. Most of my work is based in northern Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait, and Gulf of Carpentaria.

I am a Chief Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF) and an Associate Editor for Diversity and Distributions. A central priority of my work is translating research into policy and action. I collaborate closely with government and non-government partners, including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Indigenous natural and cultural resource management organisations. I previously served on the Queensland Species Technical Committee and currently sit on the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel. In 2018, I was awarded the Queensland Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year.