NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee

Scientist who is an employee of a NSW tertiary educational institution

Professor French is at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on the impacts of different disturbances such as weed invasion and heatwaves on threatened species and communities. Her work straddles both plants and animals and is focused on delivering information to directly help management.

Scientist nominated by a professional body principally involved in ecological or invertebrate research

Professor Gross is Professor Emeritus in Vegetation Management at the University of New England. She is currently working on plant-pollinator systems at the individual plant and community level, seed bank ecology and the population ecology of threatened plant species. She is currently leading a team that has been investigating the impacts of fire in the Howell Shrublands, an endangered ecological community. 

Scientist employed and nominated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Dr Encinas-Viso is a research scientist at the Centre of Australian National Biodiversity Research, CSIRO. His research focuses on conservation genetics, plant and pollination ecology. He also has a strong interest in the application of ecological and evolutionary modelling to conservation and habitat restoration.

Scientist who is an employee of a NSW tertiary educational institution

Professor Moles is director of the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, and a member of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Advisory Panel. Angela is a plant ecologist whose research spans many topics relevant to threatened species, including how Australian ecosystems are responding to climate change, invasion biology, and plant-animal interactions such as seed predation, herbivory and pollination. 

Scientist employed and nominated by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Dr Offord is a conservation biologist at the Australian Institute for Botanical Science, based at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan. She specialises in ex situ conservation and translocation of threatened plant species. Cathy has a particular interest in seed biology, tissue culture and cryogenic storage of germplasm. 

Scientist employed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and nominated by the Environment Agency Head

Michael Pennay is an ecologist working for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Chiroptera specialist group. Michael has more than 20 years’ experience in applied ecology with a focus on survey, identification, and assessment of the distribution and conservation status of numerous species and ecological communities in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

Scientist who is an employee of, and nominated by, the Australian Museum Trust

Dr  Reid  is  a systematic  entomologist  with  particular  interest  in  beetles  (Coleoptera), especially  leaf  beetles  (Chrysomelidae)  and  scarabs  (Scarabaeidae).  His  research includes evolution, host plant relationships, agricultural pests, biogeography, life history and conservation.

Scientist who is employed by a public authority with expertise in forest ecology, agricultural science or natural resource management

Mr Slade is an ecologist with more than 30 years’ experience in terrestrial ecology and natural resource management within the NSW public sector. He has extensive experience in field survey and management of native fauna species across eastern NSW. He is currently the Senior Ecologist in Hardwood Forests of Forestry Corporation, which involves biodiversity management in forests including recently, research on koala habitat use and development of monitoring programs. 

Scientist employed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) and nominated by the Environment Agency Head

Rob Armstrong is an ecologist working for the department, with a focus on the survey and recovery of threatened entities including plants, ecological communities, reptiles and invertebrates. Rob has a strong background in government and private industry across south-eastern, central and western New South Wales and is currently working as part of the Saving our Species program along with supporting planning, compliance and science matters related to listed entities.