Leadership Team

In his role as Research and External Partnerships Coordinator Dr Ian McLeod works with the Program Director and Principal Systems Engineer to coordinate and manage the program. Ian is a Principal Research Scientist at James Cook University and Assistant Director of the TropWATER Research Centre. In these roles he leads projects focused on marine and coastal habitat conservation and restoration, coral reef ecology and land-based effects on coastal waters. Previously Ian’s professional roles and research have focused on climate change impacts on the marine environment, ecotourism, and environmental management. Ian is Co-Chair of the International Coral Reef Initiative Ad Hoc Reef Restoration Committee, is a member of the Executive Team for the Coral Restoration Consortium and founded the Australian Coastal Restoration Network. Ian has five years’ experience as a Communications Manager and was a Founding Director of the media company Cinematic Science. Ian was awarded an ABC Top 5 Science Prize in 2020 as one of the outstanding early career science leaders in Australia.