Dr Jim Wallace, Environmental Physicist.

Dr Jim Wallace: tropical hydrology

Dr Jim Wallace's current research areas include the water balance of tropical rainforests and the role of floods in delivering sediment and nutrient to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

• 21 October 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities 
• Background 
• Academic qualifications 
• Achievements 
• Professional activities 

Current activities

Dr Jim Wallace is a Senior Research Scientist who leads the Tropical Hydrological Processes research team in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

His current research topics include:

• the role of floods in delivering sediment and nutrient to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon
• the water balance of tropical rainforests and the response of this to climate change
• climate and development impacts on environmental assets in northern Australia
• the filter function of wetlands.

Background

Dr Wallace is an Environmental Physicist with a wide knowledge of hydrological research and particular expertise in land-atmosphere interactions, arid zone crop water use and rainforest hydrology.

He has senior research leadership experience at Director level and has also been an International leader in major global water research programmes with extensive experience of research collaboration in developing countries.

Dr Wallace joined CSIRO in 2003 and is a Team Leader within the Environmental Flows & Ecology Group of the Catchment and Aquatic Systems Program in CSIRO Land and Water in Townsville.

He is responsible for water quantity and quality research that underpins integrated water and pollution management in tropical landscapes and has published new research on Australian rainforest hydrology.

Academic qualifications

Dr Wallace has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics at Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1973
• Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Physics, Nottingham University School of Agriculture, Nottinghamshire, England, 1978. 

Achievements

Dr Wallace has authored and co-authored over 155 publications, mainly in refereed journals, books and conference proceedings, and has supervised young scientists and students. He has also successfully attracted external research funding for his teams.

During his career, Dr Wallace was appointed as Director of the UK Institute of Hydrology and Deputy Director of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

He has over 15 years of experience in developing countries, partaking in active project collaboration with six overseas national and international research institutes.

Dr Wallace has also been a leading player in major international hydrology research programs.

Professional activities

Dr Wallace has been involved in an extensive range of national and international networks, including;

• Hydrological advisor, UK Government and the UK Permanent Representative to World Meteorological Organization and Chairman of the UK Interdepartmental Committee for Hydrology
• Member, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Advisory Board
• Fellow, Royal Meteorological Society
• Member, UK NERC National Centres for Atmospheric Science and e-Science Scientific Steering Committees
• Member, Universities Weather Research Network (UWERN) Scientific Steering Committee and the Centre for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (CEAS) Committee of the University of Reading
• Member, British Hydrological Society
• Chairman, UK International Hydrology Programme Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
• Hydrological Advisor, British Oxygen Company Foundation for the Environment
• Member, Australian Cardwell Shire Floodplain Program Steering Committee
• Member, International Association of Hydrological Sciences – Prediction in Ungauged Basins Strategic Advisory Committee
• Member, EurAqua Directors Management Board
• Chairman, UNESCO Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy Scientific Steering Committee
• Member, Editorial Board of the international journal Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.

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