Overview
The Director of the Marine National Facility (MNF) manages the delivery of the MNF to its users. The Director is employed by CSIRO and, through the Executive Director for Digital, National Facilities and Collections, is ultimately responsible to the Chief Executive, CSIRO. The MNF is subject to CSIRO governance structures and policies.
The independent Marine National Facility Steering Committee (MNFSC) provides high-level advice to the MNF Director. MNFSC members also act as advocates for the MNF. The Committee is charged with providing advice to the MNF Director consistent with CSIRO’s ongoing delivery of ocean research capabilities for the nation and with advocacy on behalf of the MNF.
Operational procedures are consistent with the principles set out in the Guidelines For The Operation Of National Research Facilities report to the Prime Minister by the Australian Science and Technology Council (ASTEC), January 1984.
The MNFSC is supported in performing these functions by two independent sub-committees: Research Advisory Committee and National Benefit Advisory Committee.
For further information about the MNFSC, including delineation of its role, view the MNFSC Charter and Terms of Reference.
Members
Mr Greg Hood | Acting Chair
Deputy Chair - Airservices Australia
Greg Hood was appointed as Deputy Chair of Airservices Australia in September 2021 having completed a five-year tenure as Chief Commissioner and CEO of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on 30 June 2021.
Greg has more than 44 years’ experience in the transport industry, beginning his career with almost a decade of service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During his RAAF tenure, Greg worked at locations throughout Australia and served in the Middle East.
Greg has since had a wide range of operational, training and leadership roles in Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority prior to his appointment as Chief Commissioner of the ATSB in 2016. In this role, he was integrally involved in aviation, maritime and rail transport safety matters.
As well as being a glider and powered aircraft pilot and a keen sailor, Greg is involved with several professional bodies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Freeman in the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, a Life Member of the Qantas Founders Museum, and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Prior to his appointment as Airservices Australia's Deputy Chair, Greg served as a Board Member of Safeskies Australia and was a past president of the Canberra Philharmonic Society. Greg has also served as a member of the business advisory council for World Vision, and for many years, was a Champion for the St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleep-out, raising funds for Australia’s homeless. Greg is also a Director of the Air Force Association, is the President of Canberra’s community arts 'Ovation Awards', a Crisis Supporter at Lifeline, a voluntary guide at the Australian War Memorial, and an active member of the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise.
Greg was made an Office of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2023 for his service to the transport industry and not-for-profit sector
Associate Professor Vanessa Lucieer | Member (User Community Representative)
Head of Centre; Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania
As the Head of the Centre for Ecology and Biodiversity at the Institute for Marine and Antarctica Studies, Vanessa Lucieer is leading a team dedicated to establishing a national authority on the structure and function of marine ecosystems. Engaging in pioneering research across eight diverse research groups, the Centre is actively contributing to the global body of knowledge to understand climate changes impacting temperate marine ecosystems. The Centres strives to be a leading training hub for sustainable ecosystem-based management under a changing climate through fostering new initiatives to advance approaches in carbon removal, biodiversity mapping, and ecosystem function amidst a dynamic climate.
Vanessa's specific work delves into the complexities of acoustic processing and spatial analysis, aiming to understand the uncertainties between data acquisition and representation. This exploration helps uncover the nuances that impact the derived spatial products when applied in ecological or geological modelling. The outcomes of this research influence decisions made in managing the Australian Marine Park Network and the performance of biodiversity assessments in polar regions.
Vanessa is the co-founder of SeaMap Australia, a co-investigator for the New Zealand Antarctic Science Program, the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) and the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Program. Vanessa is committed to training the next generation of scientists through supervising project specialising in new technology development and standard procedures for survey and monitoring.
Mr Jason Mundy, Member (Government Representative)
First Assistant Secretary of Parks Australia, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Jason is currently Division Head of Parks Australia. He is responsible for managing Australia’s 58 Commonwealth Marine Parks, island parks in Norfolk, Christmas and Pulu Keeling Islands and the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra as well as coordination of Parks Australia’s science functions and delivery of Parks asset and infrastructure investments.
Jason has previously worked in Environment Protection Division, where he first led a team to implement a national ban on certain waste exports and later acted as First Assistant Secretary for the Division.
Jason was Assistant Secretary of the Marine Parks Branch from 2016-2019, in which he led the finalisation and implementation of management plans for Australia’s national network of Australian Marine Parks.
Previously, Jason was General Manager, Strategies Branch at the Australian Antarctic Division from 2011 until January 2016, where he was responsible for creating the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Strategic Plan. Prior to that, he worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on overseas postings in the Philippines and Thailand, and positions in Canberra, including Director, China Political and External Section. Jason has also worked as a Senior Adviser in the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and as a senior adviser in the International Division of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Jason holds an MA (International Relations), a Graduate Diploma (Foreign Affairs and Trade) and did his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts and Law (with First Class Honours in law), at the University of Tasmania.
Prof Elanor Huntington | Ex-officio
Executive Director, Digital, National Facilities and Collections
Elanor leads the data-focused research, development and digital capability of CSIRO, and is a member of the Executive Team. She has stewardship of a range of business lines including Data61, Space and Astronomy, and National Collections and Marine Infrastructure.
She also leads major national infrastructure provided by CSIRO on behalf of the scientific community to assist with the delivery of research, some of these include the Australia Telescope National Facility, Marine National Facility, Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, National Research Collections Australia, Atlas of Living Australia. Prior to joining CSIRO in November 2021, Elanor was Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the Australian National University (ANU) where she helped bring about significant transformation within the College and sector.
Elanor is an established senior leader, with Board appointments to Industry Innovation and Science Australia, Significant Capital Ventures, Questacon, Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering, Pawsey Supercomputing, NCI Australia, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research and other government scientific advisory roles. She was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2020, and sits on the governance taskforce, diversity and inclusion committee and RAP committee for that Academy. Elanor was named an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia and led the extended Group of Eight (Go8+) Engineering Deans as first female Chair up until 2019.
Elanor holds a PhD in experimental quantum optics and a Masters in information technology. She was a Program Manager for nearly 20 years in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computing Technology and her recent research includes the control of quantum systems at the interface between theory and applications. She is a Visiting Professor at the ANU.
Elanor is committed to growing the profile of STEM in the community and is passionate about attracting a more diverse cohort of people to take up careers that draw on STEM skills. She is a prolific and sought-after public speaker and thought leader on the future of science, technology, engineering and the nature of work. In 2017, she delivered a TEDxSydney Talk on ‘Why we need Engineers now more than ever’ and later in 2019, co-founded the Engineering for Australia Taskforce to provide expert advice on addressing barriers to women’s participation in university engineering programs. Elanor has recently been selected to provide expert advice to the newly established Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.