Co-Chair
Adjunct Professor at The University of Queensland, Chair of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre

Andrew has 40 years research experience in tropical rangelands and agricultural systems with an emphasis on improving livelihoods and environmental outcomes for rural communities. Andrew worked for CSIRO for 30 years where he undertook research and leadership roles in rangelands and in adapting to the impacts of climate variability and change. He was an organiser of the 1999 IRC in Townsville and has previously been a member of the IRC Continuing Committee. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at The University of Queensland, Chair of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and sits on a number of independent science panels in Australia and overseas.

Co-Chair
Senior Extension Officer, Central West, Beef and Sheep, Animal Science, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Longreach

Nicole has a background in animal production science and research experience in kangaroo meat quality, animal mineral nutrition of grazing livestock, and grazing ecology. After completing a benchmark study for Australia’s commercial Kangaroo Industry in 2008, Nicole commenced postdoctoral work in Lhasa, Tibet working as a research fellow for ACIAR. This work with Tibetan and Chinese colleagues in Lhasa and Beijing focussed on improving the mineral status of Tibetan livestock. Since 2013 to current, Nicole works in north-eastern Australia as a Grazing Land Management scientist for the Queensland Government, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, specialising in grazing ecology in support of beef grazing businesses. She is a current member of the IRC Continuing Committee.

Regional Manager, Extensive Livestock Systems, Central West Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Having chaired the 2015 Organising Committee for the successful 18th Biennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society held in Alice Springs, Pieter is well versed in project management of major events.

In addition to this, he was also a member of the Organising Committee of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa 42nd Annual Congress in 2007. He has a long association with the society, including a term as President.

As the chair of the Bid Committee for IRC 2025, he has developed an excellent working relationship with the management team of the Adelaide Convention Bureau and has familiarised himself with the accommodation and transport networks in Adelaide. He is experienced in working together with PCO’s to oversee the logistical arrangements of a congress.

Secretariat, XIIth International Rangeland Congress

I was part of the Nicolson family that had a pastoral sheep station in the Australian rangelands which also supported a field research facility for the University of Adelaide and the SA Government.  I was a committee member of the Australian Rangeland Society for many years, in addition to running my own conference organisation business (Intercomm Event Coordination).  In that capacity, I professionally organised half a dozen conferences for the Australian Rangeland Society over a period of 10 or so years.

For the past 15 years, I was working in international development, implementing long term aid projects in developing countries primarily funded by the Australian government.

Now retired, I have volunteered to be part of the logistics sub-committee for the organisation of the International Rangelands Conference to be held in Adelaide in 2025.

Director, Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (the TNQ Hub)

David Phelps was appointed to the role of Director of the Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (the TNQ Hub) in March 2022.

David has a lifetime of professional and lived experience in agriculture and rural communities, and in addressing the impacts of drought within variable climates. He has initiated and led agricultural research, extension and adoption projects across northern Australia and has written numerous grazing management training packages.

During extended drought conditions from 2013 to the present day, David has contributed to practical measures to help increase resilience across western Queensland through voluntary community roles in the Rotary Club of Longreach and as the founding Chair of the Western Queensland Drought Appeal.

David seeks to enhance drought resilience and preparedness by linking the resources of the TNQ Drought and Innovation hub with the needs of the agricultural industries and rural communities across northern Queensland.

Program Manager Adoption, Meat and Livestock Australia

Director, Remarkable NRM

John has over 25 years of broad and practical work experience with community based Natural Resource Management (NRM) through several positions across Australia. He is a Director and Principle Consultant with Remarkable NRM, specializing in natural resource management services and solutions. John’s passion for NRM is well known across the rangelands of Australia, and his extensive networks recognise him as a trusted adviser to many NRM organisations and individuals. His expertise and experience in this field is the result of a broad and practical work history with community based natural resource management. He has supported several regional NRM bodies across Australia with strategic planning and project development. John works with communities to undertake NRM projects at a local scale. His interest in sustainable development led to his previous roles as General Manager for the South Australian Arid Lands NRM Board, and CEO of Cape York NRM, where he was responsible for strategic development and delivery of projects dealing with grazing land management, water, vegetation, soil and pest management activities, through a community engagement framework. John was previously the Chair of the organizing committee for the 2017 Australian Rangelands Conference and has presented at a number of Rangelands conferences regarding natural resource management and the carbon economy.

Director and Treasurer, XIIth International Rangeland Congress
Finance & Audit Officer

Don Burnside has worked in the rangelands off and on since 1975 in public and private sector employment. Most of his work has been in the WA shrublands, although he has also done some consulting work in the Pilbara grasslands and in Western NSW. Don has been a member of the Australian Rangeland Society since 1976, and he has been a member of the Publications Committee for several years. He was the Editor of the Range Management Newsletter in the far-off days of 1984-1988. He was the secretary of the Organising Committee for the 2012 Kununurra Conference, an Australian representative on the International Rangeland Congress Continuing Committee between 2000 and 2008, ‘between 2000 and 2008, and was a member of the Organising Committee for the 1999 Townsville Congress.

Research Officer Pastures, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Trangie Agricultural Research Centre

Sarah is a rangelands and pastures researcher working with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, based at the Trangie Agricultural Research Centre. Growing up on a property in western NSW, working in research and extension roles and completing a PhD on grazing management in NSW rangelands has provided Sarah with a broad understanding of key issues affecting rangeland systems and a passion to address these. Sarah’s current research projects are related to improving the condition of pasture, soils and landscape function in NSW rangelands and more broadly in projects examining the impacts of grazing management and climate change.

BHP Curtin Indigenous Chair, Biodiversity & Environmental Science;
Director ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Healing Country;
Deputy Leader & Senior Indigenous Facilitator NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub

Australia’s first Indigenous Chair of Biodiversity and Environmental Science at Curtin University is a proud Wardandi Noongar with strong connections to Country in the Busselton – Margaret River region of south-west Western Australia.

As a botanical ecologist, research scientist and executive manager Stephen has established a diverse pedigree across biodiversity inventory, landscape ecology, threat mitigation, nature conservation and sustainable land management domains. He has worked for over 40 years across Western Australia, principally in the rangelands (Pilbara and Western Desert) and the Kwongan sandplains of the biodiversity hotspot that is south-west Western Australia. Stephen is empowered with the skills to combine his broad scientific competencies with a commitment to leadership in biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management research.

Stephen is a member of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, Senior Indigenous Facilitator and Deputy Hub Leader of the National Environmental Science Program’s Resilient Landscape Hub and also contributes to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, State of Environment 2021 Indigenous Authors Team, National Landcare Review Expert Reference Panel and other national, state and non-government committees. Stephen is also the Director of the Healing Country Industry Transformation Training Centre at Curtin University which is focused on the restoration economy for Indigenous Australians.

Stephen is passionate about Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage and achieving self-determination.  He believes that to realise self-determination it is critical that decisions about the livelihoods and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and most importantly their cultures, customs, heritage and stewardship of land, water and sea Country are made with them, if not by them – ‘Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land’.

Food Systems Scientist & Team Leader, CSIRO

Dr Cecile Godde is a Food Systems Research Scientist at The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research.

She is passionate about the challenges in relation to grazing systems and livestock as well as food security and global change, across geographical scales and time horizons.

Through her work, Dr Godde leverages system understanding, conceptual frameworks, stakeholder engagement and modelling expertise to better understand the complex interactions between biophysical, social, and economic systems underlying food systems, and explore pathways for healthy and equitable diets from sustainable food systems.

Dr Godde is Co-chair of the International Rangeland Congress 2025 Scientific Program Sub-committee.

CoLab Director (interim), TD School, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Alex is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on community engagement and policy options for emerging practices that offer potential environmental benefits in rangelands and rural areas of Australia. He is currently undertaking research on collaborative carbon farming funded by AgriFutures Australia, as well as developing carbon advice strategies with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Recently completed projects cover co-benefits and social licence of carbon farming, landholder collaboration for landscape-scale conservation, revegetation strategies and low-carbon tourism. In 2016 he released his first book, exploring ways in which the production of woody bioenergy crops can create incentives to restore degraded land, while addressing concerns around food security and climate change. His research has been published in the Journal of Environmental Management, Ecosystem Services, Environmental Science and Policy, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Annals of Tourism Research, Biomass and Bioenergy, Rural Society and The Rangeland Journal.

Pastoral Officer, Department of Primary Industries and Regions, Adelaide

I grew up on a Pastoral property north west of Whyalla where my family lived and grew wool for 94 years.

I have a Marine Biology (Honours) degree in Biodiversity and Conservation from Flinders University. My Honours work was based in the rangelands of South Australia looking at data collection using photopoints.

My work experience includes:

• 5 years in Research in a Plant Physiology laboratory at Flinders University;
• a Natural Resource Management position with the Department of Environment and Water, based in Orrorroo (SA); and
• currently I am working for the Pastoral Unit in the Department for Primary Industry and Regions based in Adelaide.