Professor Owen T Nevin – CEO, Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI).

Owen is an experienced conservation biologist and research leader with more than 25 years’ experience in the conservation and management of large carnivores globally and extensive experience in senior leadership in higher education and research.  He has held significant positions including as Head of the National School of Forestry (UK) and Associate Vice-Chancellor at CQUniversity Australia. 

Owen held the prestigious position of Stokes-Leopold Memorial Scholar at Utah State University from 2002 to 2003.  In 2003 he was elected to the Society for Conservation Biology’s European Board where he served for six years and later served on the Global Board of Governors from 2010 to 2013; he currently serves as a specialist director on the Society’s Oceania Board.  In 2008 he was elected as a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and 2017 was appointed as Anniversary Visiting Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Cumbria. He holds an Adjunct Professorship at CQUniversity and a Ministerial appointment to the Western Australian Biosecurity Council.

Much of Owen’s research work has been focused around advancing the conservation of threatened species and their habitats through developing better management and understanding of behaviour and ecosystem function, and human impacts including ecotourism and resource exploitation. In conducting this work, he has applied a combination of behavioural, spatial and economic tools to gain novel insights into population processes. 

Owen holds a BSc (Hons) in Biology and Ecology from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from Utah State University (USA).