Dr Christopher Doropoulos
Senior Research Scientist
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Contact details:
ST. LUCIA QLD 4067 AUSTRALIA
Biography
Dr. Christopher Doropoulos is a Senior Research Scientist in the Sustainable Marine Futures Program at CSIRO Environment, based in Brisbane, Queensland. With over 15 years of experience in temperate and tropical marine ecosystems, he specialises in recruitment and population ecology, focussing on how environmental interactions and demographic processes influence the recovery trajectories of coral reefs following disturbance. Leveraging his expertise, Christopher leads the development of scalable and effective strategies for coral reef restoration. His work is multidisciplinary, bringing together ecologists, biological and physical oceanographers, marine engineers, and community stakeholders to design and implement innovative restoration solutions. His contributions to research, science communication, and policy engagement are recognised nationally through a Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award, internationally as a Coral Reef Hero, and within CSIRO through his Julius Career Award.
In Australia, Christopher is leading and collaborating on several large-scale, multi-institutional projects. These include EcoRRAP, which advances ecological intelligence for reef restoration; RRAP Moving Corals, which focuses on scaling larval-based coral restoration techniques; and RECRUIT, which applies industrial-scale methods to support reef recovery. Internationally, he is engaged in a number of impactful projects, including From Larvae to Livelihoods, a program that trains stakeholders in coral reef restoration in the Maldives; CORDAP Empowering Community-led Coral Reef Restoration and Prioritisation, which supports local restoration capacity in the Maldives; and CORDAP ReefSeed, which is developing a portable aquaculture system to enable rapid, large-scale coral production and deployment for reef restoration.
Christopher has worked extensively in Australia (Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef), Palau and the Maldives. He has served as a mentor at the Palau International Coral Reef Center and an advisor to Maldives Marine Research Institute’s coral restoration program. He has supervised nine PhD students and three Master’s students to completion and is committed to transferring knowledge from research and development to operational application. This includes working closely with industry, as well as Indigenous stakeholders in Australia and community groups in Palau and the Maldives to build local capacity and ensure long-term restoration success.
Achievements and Awards
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2020-2024
Julius Career Award
CSIRO -
2021-2021
Coral Reef Hero
Environment Coastal & Offshore Magazine Special Edition with ICRS 2021 -
2017-2017
Queensland Young Tall Poppy Award
Australian Institute of Policy and Science -
2013-2013
Australian Endeavour Award. Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research in Palau.
Australian Government -
2013-2013
Virginia Chadwick Award. Best student paper.
ARC Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies -
2010 -2010
Danielle Simmons Award. PhD field work related costs.
Australian Coral Reef Society -
2009-2012
PhD Top-up Scholarship
QLD State Government Smart Futures
Professional Areas
Current Roles
-
Senior Research Scientist
Impacts, Processes and Management of Coastal Biodiversity -
EcoRRAP Subprogram Co-lead
Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program -
RRAP Moving Corals Subprogram Co-lead
Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program -
Dive Advisory Committee QLD Research Scientist Representative
CSIRO
Academic Qualifications
-
2009-12
PhD (Marine Ecology)
The University of Queensland -
2004-07
BSc (Biology) Honours (1st Class)
Edith Cowan University
Professional Experiences
-
2022-current
Domain Co-Lead: Nature-based Solutions and Restoration
CSIRO -
2020-current
Senior Research Scientist
CSIRO -
2019-current
Subprogram Co-Lead (EcoRRAP, Moving Corals)
Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program -
2022-2023
Committee Member
O&A EMCR Committee -
2018-2020
Research Scientist
CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere -
2015-2018
OCE Postdoctoral Fellow
CSIRO Oceans and Atmoshpere -
2018-2018
Co-Chair
CSIRO National Postdoctoral Fellow Committee -
2013-2015
Postdoctoral Fellow
Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland -
2009-2012
Teaching Assistant and Student Project Supervisor
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland -
2008-2008
Research Assistant
Edith Cowan University
Community and Corporate Citizenship
-
2019-present
Advising Maldives Marine Research Institute for 5-year Coral Restoration Program
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2018-2019
Contributing Author. IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Chapter 2.1 Status and trends-Drivers of Change
-
2013-2015
Mentoring researchers and conducting workshops in data analysis at the Palau International Coral Reef Center
Related links
- Coral recruits: critical for coral reefs
- RECRUIT: RECovery of Coral Reefs Using Industrial Techniques
- Tall Poppies and healthy coral reefs
- Presentation: Recovery of reefs using industrial coral spawn slick harvesting
- Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program
- Maldives Marine Research Institute
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab
- Palau International Coral Reef Center
Publications
We have publications by Dr Christopher Doropoulos
Published data & software
We have published items by Dr Christopher Doropoulos