INVITED SPEAKERS
Prof Kirsten Benkendorff
Southern Cross University
Kirsten is a Professor of marine science, co-lead of the Catchments, Coasts and Communities research cluster and former Director of the National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University. She obtained her PhD from University of Wollongong and was named the 2000 Young Australian of the Year for Science and Technology. She received the 2011 Dorothy Hill Award from the Australian Academy of Science and was selected as a 2023/4 Superstar of STEM by Science and Technology Australia.
Kirsten leads a multi-disciplinary research team investigating the value and vulnerability of marine resources. She has published over 170 papers that span marine biodiversity and chemical diversity assessment, and the identification of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral compounds from molluscs. She has made significant contributions towards assessing the impacts of ocean climate change and environmental contaminants on the health, nutritional quality and functional food properties of seafood species.
Kirsten loves mentoring students and has supervised 42 PhD, 8 Masters and 36 Honours students to date. She works in collaboration with industry, Government agencies, Traditional Owners and community partners to increase awareness and find solutions to environmental problems. Her current research informs water quality management, pesticide regulation and coastal monitoring, to help keep our marine ecosystems safe and healthy
Emeritus Prof Robert Harcourt
Macquarie University
Rob formed the Marine Predator Research Group at Macquarie University in 1997. Rob is a pioneer in the use of technology to 'open a window' into the world of large marine predators. His were the first team to successfully deploy satellite transmitters on otariid seals and wintering Adelie penguins over thirty years ago. He instigated Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System’s Animal Tracking Facility which he has led since its foundation in 2006.
With 335+ scientific publications and three books over a 40-year career, Rob’s interests have revolved around the importance of individual variation in behaviour to foraging, communication, mating tactics and life experience. Much of his research focused on individual differences and evolutionary mechanisms, combining observation and experimental manipulation of behaviour in the field, providing fascinating insights into what drives wild marine animals to do what they do.
Concurrently, he has dedicated much of his career to improving the welfare and conservation status of wild animals, sitting on expert panels, Animal Ethics committees, interdisciplinary panels and authoring more than 120 unpublished reports, and 20 expert submissions. This includes identifying, quantifying and working with decision makers to manage human impacts and mitigate their consequences for marine megafauna.
Rebecca Hubbard
High Seas Alliance
Rebecca Hubbard is Director of the High Seas Alliance, a global coalition of more than 70 NGOs working to secure protection for the High Seas: the two thirds of our ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction. She leads a global team and partners across continents, aligning science, civil society and political strategy to accelerate ocean protection at international scale.
An environmental campaigner for more than 25 years, Rebecca has worked from grassroots advocacy to multilateral diplomacy. She has participated in over 300 events and negotiations across more than 30 countries, including participating in major global processes such as UNFCCC, CBD and negotiations for the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ). She has played a central leadership role in the “Race for Ratification” campaign that helped secure 60 ratifications of the Treaty in just two years: a milestone achievement for ocean governance recognised internationally, including through the Earthshot Prize.
Previously, Rebecca worked with organizations such as Greenpeace and Our Fish, mobilising public and political action to end overfishing and restore ocean health. Over the past decade she has raised more than USD $15 million to advance ambitious ocean campaigns globally.
Born on the south-east coast of Australia and raised between forest and ocean, Rebecca holds an Honours degree in Environmental Science from the University of Wollongong and is based on Muwinina country in lutruwita / Tasmania. Her work is driven by a deep belief that the ocean is essential to sustaining life on Earth, and that this decade must deliver decisive protection for generations to come.
Prof Charlie Veron
Corals of the World
Charlie was the first full-time scientist to work on the Great Barrier Reef and the inaugural scientist employed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). He was appointed Chief Scientist of AIMS in 1997, a role he held for seven years. In 2007, he left AIMS to focus more broadly on corals, climate change, and reef conservation.
He has been interviewed more than 300 times and has played a central role in 34 documentary and media productions, including Australian Story (ABC, 2021), The Reef (HBO, 2020), The Magnitude of All Things (2020), and Chasing Coral (2017). His publication record includes approximately 100 scientific outputs, comprising 16 books and monographs spanning coral palaeontology, taxonomy, biogeography, physiology, and molecular science.
Beyond coral biology, he has published extensively on evolution and mass extinctions and is the founder of the globally recognised reference resource www.coralsoftheworld.org launched in 2016 and updated in 2026). Among his most influential works are his memoir A Life Underwater (Penguin, 2017) and Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific (1993).
Most recently, this lifetime of research culminated in the Review of Coral Taxonomy, Evolution and Diversity (2025), in which Charlie synthesises decades of global work to articulate his understanding of coral systematics and evolutionary history, informed by a career spanning field observation, taxonomy and theory.