About us

Stephanie von Gavel

Chair, NSW

Stephanie von Gavel has over 25 years of experience in technology transfer, intellectual property, business and strategy development, and stakeholder engagement in a range of sectors – from biotechnology, agriculture, biodiversity, information management, international research for development, government engagement and inclusive innovation in an Indigenous science context. Stephanie has a Science/Law degree and previously worked in the agribusiness sector and for over 18 years with CSIRO – now retired she is enjoying various creative endeavours.

Stephanie was involved in the set up of ACSA in 2014 and was previously vice-chair and is now its Chair from October 2025. Stephanie’s interest in citizen science ranges from being an avid iNaturalist user to wanting to support ACSA in its mission to advance citizen in Australia and beyond – especially in understanding its impact, expanding the visibility of the diversity of citizen science, and creating a network of networks to share and grow the capacity of citizen science. 

Bridie Schultz

Vice Chair, QLD

Dr. Bridie Schultz is a co-founder of Sativus Pty Ltd and holds a PhD in Genetics and Conservation, and a Masters of Science Education. Through Sativus, Bridie works with research corporations, universities, schools, and private enterprises to enhance the accessibility of information generated from scientific research. She is passionate about the effective application of research outcomes and lives by the principle that knowledge is only useful if it is shared; scientists spend valuable investment on solving worldwide problems and it is important for the wider community to be informed and involved. Bridie empowers researchers, teachers, students, and communities with the skills to create, conduct and communicate impactful science.

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Alice Howe

Treasurer, NSW

Alice Howe PhD GAICD FIEAust CPEng EngExec

Alice is an environmental engineer with over 25 years’ experience in government, not-for-profit, academic and private sector contexts. Alice is currently a conjoint academic at the University of Newcastle, company secretary of Honey Eaters Pty Ltd, director of disability service provider, Tulgeen, a member of Engineers Australia’s Accreditation Board, and member of the Australian Citizen Science Association’s management committee.

Mary-Lou Gittins

Secretary, QLD

Mary-Lou is an educator and irrigator from Goomburra Valley in the Upper Condamine catchment. She has a strong background in community participation and representation. Over thirty years she has represented Agriculture, Landcare and Natural Resource Management groups at a local, regional, state and commonwealth level.

At the local level in South East Queensland and now Darling Downs she has supported Landcare organisations, planted thousands of trees, and facilitated Waterwatch and Landcare education for children and adults. Mary-Lou has been recognised by her peers and won an individual State Landcare Award in 2003. Then in 2019 for service to conservation and the environment, Mary-Lou received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Currently, she is secretary to the Condamine Catchment Management Association and Allora Medical Support Group.

Sylvia Clarke

Chapter Chair for SA

Sylvia has worked with the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board since 2015. As the Seniro Project
Officer for Citizen Science and Community Engagement she manages a range of citizen science and volunteer
programs that are designed to connect the local community to nature and the management of regional
waterways and landscapes while generating important data sets. We share knowledge, educate, collaborate,
and build capacity to enable more people to become active citizen scientists, and engage with others beyond our
region. Current citizen science projects include; Waterwatch and Waterbug Bioblitzes, Frogwatch SA, iSPYthon,
Soil Your Undies, Find Our Fungi and 1 Million Turtles/ the TURTLE Project. Sylvia also co-manages the Marne
Saunders Report Card Project which for the first time brings together citizen science, government data, First
Nations cultural knowledge and local photos and stories to paint a picture of the current state of health of these
catchments, connect stakeholder and inspire action. Sylvia has a background in ecology, community
engagement and science communication, and is current chair of the SA Chapter of Australian Citizen Science
Association.

Pat Bonney

Chapter Chair for VIC

Pat Bonney is a citizen science researcher and practitioner, based at RMIT University. With a PhD in environmental management, his research examines the possibilities of citizen science to strengthen connections with waterway management and policy. Since 2017, Pat has served as a general member of the Australian Citizen Science Association Victoria Chapter and member of the ACSA Early and Mid-Career Researcher Working Group. Pat is working with DELWP and the Corangamite CMA to develop a new strategic direction for the Victorian Waterwatch program. He also co-facilitates a community-led citizen science program in East Gippsland, Living Bung Yarnda, which aims at elevating place-based knowledge and concerns for improved environmental management.

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Laura Skates

Chapter Chair for WA

Dr Laura Skates is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Western Australia teaching into the Science
Communication discipline including SCOM5309 Citizen Science. Laura has a background in botany and over a decade of experience in environmental education and science communication. She completed her PhD on carnivorous plant ecology, an Australian Postgraduate Research Internship on science communication at botanic gardens, and co-led the Turning Gardeners into Conservationists citizen science project with Perth NRM and UWA. Laura lives and works in the beautiful green city of Perth, Western Australia, on Whadjuk Noongar country.

Lindy Orwin

Chapter Chair for QLD

Dr Lindy Orwin is an award-winning leader in the use of technology for learning who has worked globally on a
diverse array of educational projects. Lindy has 35 years of experience conducting professional development
sharing her expertise in adult learning, student-centred participatory teaching strategies, elearning, professional
learning communities, Action Learning and 3D virtual worlds.
In 2018, Lindy made a ‘sea-change’ into the area of Natural Resource Management and committed to the mission of Cooloola Coastcare, where she is now president. She applied her skills in technology, education, project management, leadership, grant writing and community engagement to protect the local environment surrounding her home on the Cooloola Coast, a Ramsar Wetland of International Significance, part of the
UNESCO Great Sandy Biosphere Reserve, home of the Great Sandy National Park (Cooloola Section) and the Great Sandy Marine Park and on the World Heritage Tentative List.
She also became the Convenor of the Gympie STEM Hub, a community group promoting Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths literacy in the regional community and hosting National Science Week activities. In 2025
she became the Queensland Chapter Chair for the Australian Citizen Science Association. She helps other community groups to use technology in their organisations to engage the community and ‘volun-tourists’ in Citizen Science.

Lynette Plenderleith

Chapter Chair for NSW

Lynette is a Biodiversity Engagement Specialist in Local Government. She has previously designed citizen science programs and facilitated participantion. She has a PhD in frog ecology from Monash University and a Masters degree in salamander ecology from Towson University in the US. Lynette moved from academia to science communication, mostly working in television and film. She founded the community interest group Frogs Victoria, was the organisation’s first Chair, and now manages communications for them. Originally from the UK, Lynette moved to Australia for its wildlife and she spends her weekends hiking, snorkelling and birdwatching.

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Michelle Neil

General Member

In 2011 Michelle’s young son presented her with a spider. A redback spider. After convincing her son not to pick up spiders but to take pictures of them instead Michelle soon found she had over 7000 photos of all sorts of creatures and no idea what any of them were called. Thus a citizen scientist is made. In May 2014, Michelle was invited by Earthwatch to attend the inaugural Australian Citizen Science Association workshop in Brisbane. She found herself co-chair of the Communications Working Group. Michelle and Jessie Oliver co-developed ACSA social media (Twitter, Facebook, & LinkedIn). Since then Michelle, with her orange-coloured iPad clutched firmly in one hand, has been an active social media moderator, poster and tweeter for the ACSA social media platforms. Having worked in analytical chemistry for over a decade Michelle finds herself in an interesting place – a scientist as well as a citizen scientist, with a passion for science communication.

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Prof Steve Turton

General Member, QLD

Dr Steve Turton grew up in Southern Africa and New Zealand and has lived in Australia for 40 years. He holds a BSc and MSc in Geography from the University of Canterbury and a PhD in Environmental Science from James Cook University. Currently a climate change specialist and adjunct professor at Central Queensland University, he previously held senior academic and leadership roles at James Cook University (1984–2016) and the
Rainforest Cooperative Research Centre. Dr Turton is a past president of the Australian Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, the Institute of Australian Geographers, and past chair of the National Committee for Geographical Sciences. He served as an expert reviewer for the IPCC’s Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Australian Geographers and recipient of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland’s J.P. Thomson Medal. He has authored over 140 publications on rainforest ecology, environmental geography, and climate change adaptation.

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Lisa Evans

General Member, New Zealand

Lisa originally studied Astronomy, then moved into a career in 3D animation and game development. After years working as a technical artist, Lisa became interested in “serious games” – games that have other goals than just entertainment. She completed a PhD about engaging the public in climate change using games, and has also worked on a number of serious games projects as a tech artist, designer and mentor. Her research focus is on the design and evaluation of digital projects with real, measurable impacts on audiences.

Lisa is interested in citizen science as a means of directly engaging the public in science, and creating online platforms that empower citizen scientists. From 2017-2021 she coordinated the astronomy citizen science project AstroQuest, and from 2020 she has been involved with ACSA as a committee member, consultant, employee and now volunteer. In 2022 Lisa moved with her family from Perth to Dunedin, New Zealand. She continues her involvement with ACSA remotely, as well as its New Zealand counterpart, CitSciNZ.

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Larissa Braz Sousa

General Member, NSW

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in School Science Education using Citizen Science, at the University of Sydney. I lead the Learning by Doing project, exploring citizen science as an approach to science democratisation. My recent research focused on citizen science mosquito surveillance to enhance public health literacy and education outcomes, leading the Mozzie Monitors project. I am also a science teacher from Brazil and a passionate science communicator and citizen science facilitator. I co-founded the not-for-profit Ferox australis and the global citizen science initiative Great Southern Bioblitz. I am particularly interested in citizen science, public health, biodiversity, science education and health equity.

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Darryl Ebenezer

General Member, QLD

Darryl is the current CEO of Queensland Water and Land Carers Inc. In this role, he has been able to contribute to and support the activities of many citizen scientists and groups across Queensland and Australia.

He is very much a facilitator and enabler and has worked within community environmental groups and assisted with many practical citizen science activities, both on the ground and online. He currently works with more than 500 volunteer groups across Queensland assisting with good governance, risk and insurance, human resourcing, volunteer management and advocacy.

He was ACSA Treasurer until 2025.

Jessie Longmuir

General Member

Jessie Longmuir is a general committee member of the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA). With a strong background in ecological conservation, education, and community engagement, Jessie is committed to fostering meaningful connections between communities and Australia’s unique ecosystems. Her experience in coordinating programs such as Land for Wildlife in Central Australia has deepened her belief in the power of citizen science to monitor environmental change and empower local communities to take an active role in conservation.

Jessie has a deep love for insects and aspires to begin research combining entomology and community engagement. What’s not to love about insects? She is excited to contribute her skills in project coordination, public outreach, and digital communication to ACSA. Jessie is particularly passionate about using technology to make citizen science more accessible and engaging for a broader audience. As part of the ACSA Committee, she looks forward to expanding citizen science opportunities across Australia and contributing to a more environmentally aware and active society.

Sunny Sanderson

General Member

Sunny strongly believes in taking a holistic approach to complex conservation challenges, equally valuing environmental and social sustainability. Her experience spans both terrestrial and marine systems; she is currently a Research Fellow, utilising a One Health approach to investigate the connections between agricultural land-use change and zoonotic malaria in Indonesia. Previously, she served as Director of Environmental & Social Sustainability at Kelp Blue, and earlier worked at SparkLab in the Queensland Museum, where she used science to communicate the wonder of the world around us.
She holds a Doctorate in political ecology and human geography, as well as a research master’s in ecology. Her
research includes evaluating the socioeconomic and livelihood impacts of African Swine Fever in the Philippines, conducting remote field-based studies on gibbons and orangutans in Borneo, and analysing how large-scale oil-palm development affects rural livelihoods in Malaysia.

Sunny is a strong advocate for strengthening local communities’ connection to the environment through
collaborations that promote citizen science, support healthy people and resilient ecosystems.

Professor Hugh Possingham

ACSA Patron

Hugh served as the Queensland Chief Scientist between 2020 to 2022. He is a conservation scientist and mathematician who has held a myriad of advisory roles to environmental NGOs (internationally and nationally), governments of all levels, and universities. Hugh is currently a board member for Birdlife Australia. His most significant contribution to conservation was the co-development of the spatial planning software Marxan. It was first used to rezone the Great Barrier Reef, and is now used in almost every country in the world to inform the expansion of marine and terrestrial protected area systems.

Hugh is a huge advocate for citizen science. He asserts that when people are involved in discovery through citizen science they are empowered to advocate for positive action. In his recent citizen science article in The Griffith Review, he wrote, 

The power of citizen science to remake or reimagine the world lies in the opportunities it gives to everyone involved – opportunities to learn about the world, to pose questions about how we affect the world and to consider how any change can make a difference. Furthermore, being engaged in citizen science provides people with the confidence to speak out about matters they care about and to question policies or decisions with which they disagree.

You may also like to read a blog he wrote about citizen science and birdwatching. Hugh clearly understands citizen science and appreciates the extraordinary value it adds to scientific research and participatory democracy. We look forward to working with Hugh to raise the profile of ACSA and citizen science across society.

Erin Roger

Open Science Liaison

Erin is an experienced Sector Lead, with strong expertise in strategic planning and management working across both the citizen science and biosecurity sectors in her role in CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia. Before working for the ALA, Erin worked in climate change adaptation and knowledge management and has a PhD in Terrestrial Ecology. Erin is a 2022 Churchill Fellow and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as the former Chair of ACSA (2017-2021).