David Tunbridge

Coming from a varied employment background predominantly focused on recreational sports education (diving and water skiing), I graduated from Murdoch University with Honours in Marine Science, as a mature age student in 2000. I have since had over 10 years’ experience as a field scientist working across a wide range of marine, estuarine and aquatic environments. This experience has been gained within a university research environment, initially as a Marine Research Assistant and then as the Field Operations Manager at the Marine and Freshwater Research Laboratory at Murdoch University. I joined the University of Western Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management (CENRM) in Albany in 2007, initially as a Research Officer and currently as a Scientific Officer.

Since joining CENRM, my focus has been upon the provision of field assistance to the centre’s Lead Researchers. Field research conducted has included: acoustic tracking of black bream in South Coast Estuaries, environmental sampling in the eastern Kimberley (water quality, fish, aquatic invertebrates and habitat assessment), riparian vegetation assessment and assessment of environmental water requirements.

The principle role of this position is to manage the field research operations conducted by the Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, University of Western Australia, Albany WA. The role encompasses all areas of field logistics, including responsibility for:

• coordination and conduct of research experiments,
• forward field work planning and assisting in the preparation and design of field experiments and monitoring programs,
• data collection, analyses and interpretation of results and preparation of annual monitoring reports and papers, maintenance of databases,
• supervision and training of field staff and postgraduate students,
• calibration and maintenance of field research equipment,
• conduct literature reviews, and
• assisting the Centre’s Lead Research Fellows in the preparation of quotations and invoices relating to field monitoring programs, and general management of research programmes in their absence.

• continue to be involved in CENRM research focused on estuarine fish habitat usage (acoustic tracking)
• investigate the use of pioneer seagrass species for initial stabilization of bare marine sediments, via seed broadcast, in order to enhance success in seagrass rehabilitation programs
• continue to assist the Centre’s Lead Researchers in the conduct of cross-discipline research, in any way possible.

• Acoustic tracking of Black Bream in South Coast Estuaries
• Provision of field assistance for Honours and Post-graduate student projects 2011/2012

No current teaching commitments

• Estuarine, marine and aquatic water quality monitoring
• Estuarine fish habitat usage- acoustic tracking
• Freshwater fish monitoring- electrofishing
• Seagrass rehabilitation