Rate My Professor Alana Grech

Alana Grech is Professor of Environmental Science and Head of Earth and Environmental Science in the College of Science and Engineering at James Cook University. She holds a PhD from James Cook University (2010) and a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) from the University of Adelaide (2003). Previously, she was Assistant Director and Associate Dean of Research Education at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (2017–2022), Senior Lecturer in Spatial Information Science at Macquarie University (2013–2016), and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (2010–2013). Grech is also an elected member of the JCU Council (2022–2026), JCU Equity Contact Officer, and serves on the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Scientific Expert Panel (2023–2027) and previously the Queensland Species Technical Committee (2022–2024).

Her research applies conservation biogeography and spatial technologies—such as geographic information systems (GIS), network analysis, biophysical models, and reserve design software—to guide decisions on tropical coasts facing multiple threats. She develops methodologies for cumulative impact assessment (CIA) and delivers tools supporting environmental policy, planning, and management via partnerships with governments, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, and communities. As a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF), and Associate Editor for Diversity and Distributions, Grech has authored over 80 refereed publications, with more than 5,573 citations on Google Scholar. Notable works include the book "Dugongs" (Marsh et al., 2012), "A comparison of threats, vulnerabilities and management implications for tropical seagrass ecosystems" (Grech et al., 2012), "Coal, Cumulative Impacts, and the Great Barrier Reef" (Grech et al., 2016), "Predicting the cumulative effect of multiple disturbances on seagrass connectivity" (Grech et al., 2018), and "RapidBenthos: Automated segmentation and multi‐view classification of coral reef communities from photogrammetric reconstruction" (Remmers et al., 2025). Awards include Queensland Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year (2018), Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Leadership (2019), Churchill Fellowship (2012), Asem Duo Fellowship (2015), and JCU Awards for Excellence: Leadership (2024). Her contributions enhance coastal resilience in northern Australia and inform global conservation strategies.