Team

The Centre brings together a wealth of in-house expertise across a range of disciplines, including ecology, biogeochemistry, microbiology, environmental economics, spatial modelling, social science, and remote sensing.

United by our passion for advancing nature positive solutions, we are an inclusive and multicultural group, representing seven nationalities and speaking seven different languages. Together, we leverage our diverse experience and skills to drive impactful research.

Centre leadership

Prof Peter Macreadie

Centre Director

Peter is a global expert in natural climate solutions focused on translating science into policy.

Dr Stacey Trevathan-Tackett

Senior Lecturer

Stacey leads research in wetland biogeochemistry and plant-soil-microbe interactions, including enhancing restoration outcomes.

Dr Martino Malerba

Senior Lecturer

Martino integrates new tech to enhance carbon and biodiversity monitoring in freshwater environments.

Dr Micheli Costa

Senior Research Fellow

Micheli leads research on spatial science, modelling, decision science.

Dr Paul Carnell

Senior Lecturer

Paul leads natural capital accounting research, providing a business case for nature and tracking the benefits of restoration.

Dr Maria Palacios

Senior Research Fellow

Maria leads multi-stakeholder research that empowers local communities and delivers nature positive outcomes.

Dr Melissa Wartman

Senior Research Fellow

Mel leads environmental research and on-ground implementation of coastal wetland restoration.

Dr Tanveer Adyel

Senior Lecturer

Tanveer leads research on the fate and impact of microplastics and urban stormwater engineering.

Research staff

Dr Lukas Schuster

Research Fellow

Lukas focuses on developing and implementing nature-based solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase biodiversity in freshwater and coastal wetland ecosystems.

Dr Anne Yusuf

Research Fellow

Anne explores the dynamics of wetland biogeochemistry and plant-soil interactions across both coastal and freshwater ecosystems, with a strong focus on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and restoration.

Dr Noyan Yilmaz

Senior Technical Officer

Noyan has vast experience in monitoring marine and coastal ecosystems, including remote field campaigns.

Sabrina Olsson

Research Officer

Sabrina is an environmental scientist excited about new methods for coastal wetland restoration. At CNPS she is part of the Regenerating Our Coasts program.

Phebe Fidge

Research Assistant

Phebe is a marine ecologist passionate about repairing nature and mitigating climate change. At CNPS, she supports the Regenerating Our Coasts project, which uses biodegradable structures to restore coastal wetlands.

Dr Anirban Akhand

Research Fellow

Anirban focuses on carbon biogeochemistry and carbonate chemistry of estuaries, coasts, and freshwater wetlands to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through conservation and restoration.

Dr Krys Mossop

Research Fellow

With interests in climate justice, leadership, and communication, Krys's work spans research, editing, project management, and fundraising. She is passionate about translating technical content into stories that engage.

Judith Rosales

Research Assistant

Graduate in Environmental Science, Management & Sustainability with a strong interest in coastal restoration and water resource management. Research assistant with the Regenerating Our Coast team, supporting science-driven restoration efforts

Jacqui Pocklington

Senior Research Fellow

Jacqui is a marine ecologist who's research spans condition monitoring, ecosystem management, restoration and conservation of kelp and other coastal marine ecosystems.

HDR students

Alexandra Rodriguez

PhD Candidate

Alexandra focuses on integrating social dimensions into conservation programs, enhancing coastal restoration sustainability, promoting inclusive engagement, and climate solutions that strengthen people's connection with nature.

Nipuni Perera

PhD Candidate

Nipuni’s research extent along the broad theme of effective coastal wetland management strategies with a special focus on global blue carbon markets and spatial mapping of future climate impacts on coastal wetlands.

Derrick Omollo

PhD Candidate

Derrick’s research identifies barriers to blue carbon projects in Africa, develops ocean accounts of coastal wetlands, and enhances stakeholder engagement for climate action, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.

Christopher Bie

PhD Candidate

Chris explores the value of kelp forests; estimating ecosystem health and comparing restoration methods to provide a cost-benefit analysis for Natural Capital Accounting.

Nipunika Hansani

PhD Candidate

Nipunika's research explores nature-based management approaches to enhance farm dams, evaluating their costs, benefits, and practical adoption to promote sustainable farm dams in Australia.

Natasha Tropeano

PhD Candidate

Investigating seedbank composition and germination potential across Victorian saltmarsh habitats under varying environmental conditions to inform coastal wetland restoration.

Ahalya Suresh

PhD Candidate

Ahalya explores how regenerative tourism can support blue carbon ecosystem restoration, exploring stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and conservation incentives to drive ecosystem recovery and resilience.

Mohammad Abu Noman

PhD Candidate

Noman researches the impact of plastic pollution on blue carbon biogeochemistry using cutting-edge microbiology and mass spectrometry techniques.

Agustina Quadri Adrogue

PhD Candidate

Agustina is exploring how low-cost restoration shapes biodiversity and ecosystem function, combining ecological and environmental approaches to assess recovery in saltmarshes.

Yuxin Bi

PhD Candidate

Yuxin's research focuses on the role of ocean alkalinity enhancement in removing atmospheric carbon dioxide and the potential ecological impacts that may arise during this process.

Hongxue Luo

PhD Candidate

Hongxue's research focuses on the home field effect of litter decomposition in blue carbon ecosystems and the impact of microorganisms and invertebrates on the decomposition process.

Partho Banik

PhD Candidate

Partho evaluates the impact of microplastics-induced dissolve organic matters on blue carbon mineralisation in the coastal wetland ecosystems using UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, FT-ICR-MS, and chromatographic procedures.

Scarlett Schroeder

PhD Candidate

Scarlett focuses on using constructed wetlands as nature-based solutions for sustainable wastewater management. Her work quantifies greenhouse gas dynamics and long-term carbon storage to support evidence-based carbon crediting frameworks.

Daniel Tassi

Honours Student

Daniel is assessing the condition of macroalgal reefs in Port Phillip Bay and how restoration can improve reef condition.

Sonali Koura

Honours Student

Sonali's Honours project investigates how restoration of kelp forests restores the value of the ecosystem services they provide.

Connect with us

Whether you’re interested in partnering, collaborating, or just staying connected, we’d love to hear from you! Email us below or follow us on LinkedIn to keep up with our projects, news, and articles from our team. Let’s work together to create impactful change.

cnps@rmit.edu.au

CNPS LinkedIn

Team

The Centre brings together a wealth of in-house expertise across a range of disciplines, including ecology, biogeochemistry, microbiology, environmental economics, spatial modelling, social science, and remote sensing.

Centre leadership

Research staff

HDR students

Connect with us

Acknowledgement of Country