Portrait image of Dr Mark Lonsdale.

Dr Mark Lonsdale: Chief of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences.

Dr Mark Lonsdale: Chief, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences

Dr Mark Lonsdale has extensive experience in invasive species and biological control.

  • 15 August 2011 | Updated 20 March 2013
  1. Resume
  2. Publishing History

Resume

Page 1 of 2

Current activities

Dr Mark Lonsdale was appointed as the Chief of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences in July 2010.

His areas of expertise include:

  • biological invasions
  • environmental risk analysis
  • biological control of weeds
  • the ecological implications of genetically modified organisms.

Background

Dr Lonsdale is a plant ecologist, and was awarded a doctorate in 1982 for his work plant population ecology. Following this he worked as a biology lecturer in Nigeria before coming to Australia to research the ecology of tropical weeds for CSIRO in 1984..

Dr Lonsdale’s areas of expertise include biological invasions, environmental risk analysis, biological control of weeds, and the ecological implications of genetically modified organisms.

Dr Lonsdale worked in Darwin, Northern Territory, until 1995, and carried out research into:

  • the impact of invasive weeds on biodiversity - especially Mimosa pigra
  • intersectoral conflict in plant introductions
  • the impacts of weed biological control on plant populations
  • rates of spread of exotic weeds
  • the impacts of fire on tropical savannas
  • seed bank ecology.

Subsequently, he became officer in charge of CSIRO's European laboratory in France, where he worked on:

  • the potential for biocontrol of the invasive plant Vulpia
  • validation of weed risk assessment systems
  • the concept of invasibility.

Dr Lonsdale returned to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, in 1998.

In January 1999, he was appointed Leader of Entomology’s Weeds Program, and subsequently took on a number of leadership roles in the Division before being appointed as Chief of Entomology in 2007.

In the past decade he:

  • wrote the business plan for the successful rebid for the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for Australian Weed Management, 2001-08
  • was involved in initiating CSIRO's new program on the ecological implications of genetically modified organisms, 2000-03, of which he became coordinator in July 2000
  • led the development of research priorities for the Australian Federal government's Defeating the Weed Menace program, and the draft research and development priorities for the Australian biosecurity system (AusBiosec)
  • was recently invited to join the scientific committee of the international organisation for biodiversity research, Diversitas
  • was appointed to the Australian Federal government's Eminent Scientists Group, advising the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) on risk assessment for introduced commodities.

Academic qualifications

Dr Lonsdale holds the following qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Science with Honours in biology, from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, 1978
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Plant population ecology – Studies on thinning in pure and mixed populations of plants) from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, 1982. 

Achievements

Dr Lonsdale is a:

  • Member of the Scientific Committee of Diversitas
  • Member, DAFF Eminent Scientists Group
  • Graduate Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, since 2004
  • Member, Editorial Board, Biological Invasions, 1998 - 2008
  • Member, Executive Board, Global Invasive Species Program (GISP), 2004 - 2011
  • Board Member, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, 2005 - 2011.

Find out how CSIRO is Managing insect pests and weeds.