Research

Our research program aims to increase our reach and influence across the industry.

We have been building our research program since 2018 and have a group target of investing 10% of our profits into research each year. The aims of the program are twofold:

To support and attract staff at the forefront of their fields and contribute to the way we lead conversations that influence communities and nature.

To contribute to the latest thinking on management and policy. This includes encouraging a culture of investigation and exploration.

Research Partnerships

We collaborate with research organisations, focusing on two-way knowledge exchange to explore research questions that best harness our collective capabilities. We have more than 15 partnerships with research organisations. Some of our recent partnership work includes:

University of Newcastle

A partnership with the University of Newcastle, to jointly deliver the Centre for Water, Climate and Land (CWCL). The CWCL focuses on understanding and dealing with the impacts of climate variability and change in the Asia-Pacific region. The partnership provides an avenue to effectively embed the latest thinking about climate change science and hydrology into industry best practice.

One Basin CRC

As a partner of One Basin CRC, we led one of its first projects, which focused on studies about the effects different levels of water flows – from floods to droughts – have on rural communities in the northern basin. We are actively participating in the CRC, including our role as the Consulting Industry Convenor, and working with the CRC to co-deliver the knowledge exchange project for the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s Flow-MER Program.

Western Sydney University

In collaboration with Western Sydney University, we cofounded a PhD project investigating the natural canopy dynamics of urban trees across metropolitan Sydney.

Research Program Leadership

Our research leadership team manages partnerships with research organisations, ensures the integration of research work into our consulting projects and communicates our insights with the industry.

Amanda Shipp

General Manager – Research and Insights

Professor Ian Rutherfurd

Dr Matt Francey

Group CEO

Professor Barry Hart

Director

Dr Paul Maxwell

General Manager – EcoFutures

Research Projects

Each year, we fund a round of internal research projects to explore new ideas and develop new knowledge and techniques. These projects are guided by themes our staff see as important to the industry and draw on opportunities to work in collaboration with our partners. Recent examples include applications of artificial intelligence, explicit consideration of uncertainty in management decision-making and consolidation projects which have compiled and interpreted years of ‘grey’ literature into a contemporary set of approaches.