Dr Jacquomo Monk is a quantitative marine spatial ecologist with joint appointments with Austral Research and Consulting and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. For over a decade Jac has worked in the private and university sectors applying his advanced skills in spatial and quantitative statistics to a range of applied aquatic and terrestrial monitoring projects with direct policy implications at local, state and federal government levels. He has a google scholar H-index of 15 with a total sum of cites of 733 from 25 peer-reviewed journal publications and > 45 contract reports. His publications citation rate has shown an upward trajectory since 2008, with 25 % of these publications in the top 10 % most cited publications worldwide. His SciVal Field-weighted Citation Impact is 1.75 indicating that a research impact that is 75 % above the world average. He collaborates widely, publishing with > 70 co-authors from > 30 different national and international institutes.

His research background is centred around understanding how spatio-temporal heterogeneity of epi-benthic assemblages respond to different human-induced and natural stressors. Of interest, is quantifying how the scale (extent and resolution), and the way we choose to monitor, affects our ability to detect change in marine epi-benthic assemblages (e.g. fishes, macroalgae, sessile invertebrates). He has been involved in the collection and analysis of monitoring datasets from a wide variety of organisms and ecosystems using techniques ranging from electrofishing to diver based visual surveys to towed video, baited remote underwater video (BRUV), remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles (ROV and AUV). He currently forms part of an interdisciplinary and interagency national team within the Australian Government funded National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub program. This group are investigating the logistical and statistical challenges associated with developing a blueprint for the sustained monitoring of Australia’s recently established Marine Park Network.

Dr Monk has a growing national and international reputation in the marine monitoring field acting as an expert reviewer for the Fisheries Research and Development Council (Aus), California Sea Grant and Maine Sea Grant programs (both USA) and the Joint Nature Conservation Councils’ AUV guidelines (UK). Dr Monk has also served on national (AMSA Geelong 2015) and international (GeoHab Lorne 2014) conference organising committees. He currently co-coordinates the IMOS Understanding of Marine Imagery initiative as well as sitting on the governance boards for GlobalArchive, the IMOS AUV facility and the national BRUVs steering group.

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