Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics

Dr Stefan Hajkowicz: natural resource policy and economic analysis

Stefan's research helps government and industry make wiser choices and plan for an uncertain future.

• 24 March 2006 | Updated 18 January 2012

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Stefan Hajkowicz is a principal scientist leading a diverse portfolio of social and economic research into the digital economy, welfare services, healthcare, sport and recreation, the ageing population, food security and strategic foresight.

Background

Stefan's interest in strategic planning emerged during his first job with the Caboolutre Shire Council as a Land Information Officer. During this time Stefan witnessed bushfires within the Shire which destroyed property, forest plantations and ecological habitats.
Stefan thought about ways to mitigate future risks and was later awarded first class honours from The University of Queensland for developing a bushfire hazard mapping system in his final-year undergraduate thesis.

In his doctoral thesis he continued to work on decision making by examining how people, as individuals and groups, make environmental decisions using intuitive versus structured and analytical approaches. This involved pioneering work in the field of multiple criteria decision analysis.

Since starting with CSIRO as a post doctoral scientist in Adelaide over a decade ago Stefan's decision models have guided government and industry investment choices worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His work has influenced critical policy choices relating to Australia's Murray Darling Basin, Great Barrier Reef, the Swan and Canning River Estuary and other environmental assets.

Stefan's economic and geographic analyses have informed environmental and social policy in Niue, the Cook Islands, Palau and Egypt. In the United States Stefan conducted research into watershed management for the Mississippi River. He has informed the decision making and strategy of corporations including BP, GPT, Simplot and Sunwater.

In 2010 Stefan published the report "Our Future World" which identified five megatrends reshaping Australia's economy, society and environment. He has given over 30 invited conference keynote talks, board room briefings and professional seminars on this topic across Australia.

Stefan is now a principal scientist in a dedicated research role leading small teams and working widely across the breadth and depth of CSIRO's functions.

Academic qualifications

Dr Hajkowicz has a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Geography and a Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resource Management from the University of Queensland. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of New England.

Achievements

Stefan has led over 30 research projects valued over $4.5 million and has 60 scientific publications including 38 ISI accredited journal papers.

Stefan has directed large research activities including the $14m per annum CSIRO sustainable regional development theme which engaged over 100 scientific staff and the $20m 5 year Human Service Delivery Research Alliance.

His work has been adopted by government and industry to inform important policy decisions and investment choices worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Some of Stefan’s awards and appointments include:

• 2010 Appointed to the Ministerial National Enabling Technologies advisory panel
• 2003 Land and Water Australia Travelling Fellowship
• 2001 Science Media Fellowship awarded by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• 1996 Australian Postgraduate Award with an Industry Stipend.