Your enquiry has been successfully sent
Your enquiry could not be processed. Please contact us directly at www.csiro.au/Contact to make your enquiry
Biography
Dr Ben Gooden is a botanist/vegetation ecologist, specialising in the ecology and management of alien plant invaders (weeds). Ben draws on his extensive field experience in quantifying the impacts of alien plant invasion on a diverse array of agricultural and native ecosystems (including temperate and subtropical forests, desert grasslands and coastal wetlands) to facilitate better on-ground management of threatening weeds.
Ben is a Senior Research Scientist and Team Leader of the CSIRO Health and Biosecurity's Weed Management Systems team, based on Canberra. The Team co-manages Australia's national weed biocontrol research program, in collaboration with Dr Michelle Rafter who is Team Leader of the Weed Management Systems team, based on Brisbane. Together, the two teams develop, and implement on-ground, biological and other sustainable weed control solutions, to safeguard Australia's precious agricultural resources and natural ecosystems.
This is achieved through building extensive partnerships with local community stakeholders, NRM organisations and policy makers at all levels of Government. More information on the weed biocontrol program can be found here: https://research.csiro.au/weed-biocontrol/
In addition to the work on weed biocontrol, Ben also leads research on the development of decision support tools to improve management of widespread, established weeds. Key projects that Ben is currently collaborating on include:
PhyloControl - a phylogenomic tool to improve risk assessment in classical weed biocontrol (led by Alexnader Schmidt-Lebuhn and Stphanie Chen), https://research.csiro.au/temperate-botany/research-projects/phylogenetics-supporting-biocontrol-research/
eDNA detection and surveillance tools for priority weeds (led by John Roberts, Francisco Encinas-Viso, Erin Hill and Harry Eyck)
National Weed Biocontrol Prioritisation Framework (led by Michelle Rafter)
Soil microbial mutualists and pathogens underpinning Eucalyptus dieback (https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2022/november/understanding-trees-and-fungi-to-reverse-dieback)
Ben is the CSIRO representative on the Environment and Invasives Committee’s Weeds Working Group (EIC WWG) and, in this capacity, contributes to the development of the National Established Weed Priorities (NEWP) Framework and its Implementation Plan through membership of the NEWP Advisory and Steering Groups. This has included the reinvigoration of the Weeds of National Significance concept (info here: https://weeds.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/newp-framework.pdf)
Other Interests
Other research interests include: (1) plant-microbial mutualisms, such as mycorrhizae; (2) restoration ecology; (3) desert ecology; (4) coastal ecology; (5) plant-herbivore Interactions; (6) invasive plant risk assessments; (7) citizen science; (8) sustainable agriculture.
Academic Qualifications
-
2014
PhD
University of Wollongong -
2007
Biological Sciences Advanced (Honours)
University of Wollongong
Grants
-
2023-2027
Progressing fleabane weed biocontrol solutions for the Australian grains industry (GRDC, CSP2401-011RTX)
-
2023-2026
eDNA surveillance of weeds - CERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (NCMI)
-
2023-2026
Digital transformation of risk assessment in biological control research - CERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (NCMI)
-
2023-2025
National Weed Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy – initial phase (CISS, C12858)
-
2023-2025
Biocontrol Research for Weed Management (NSW Environmental Trust, 2023/MG/0001)
-
2022-2026
Biocontrol Research for Weed Management (NSW Environmental Trust, 2021/MG/0002)
-
2022-2025
Digital Solutions for Adaptive Biosecurity - Weed Management Insights (CSIRO APaIR)
-
2022-2025
eDNA Surveillance Using Honey Bees - CERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Biosecurity)
-
2021-2024
Untangling the role of mycorrhizal mutualisms in Eucalypt dieback (NSW Environment Trust, 2020/RD/0003)
-
2020-2023
Biological control of fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis) – Phase 3 (DAWE)
-
2020-2021
Assessing invasive alien species pressures on biodiversity in New South Wales, Biodiversity Indicator Program
-
2015-2018
More than a burning issue: Does grass invasion disrupt plant-animal interactions and threaten persistence and threaten persistence of semi-arid woodland communities? (The Hermon Slade Foundation)
Community and Corporate Citizenship
-
2024-Current
National Established Weed Priorities Steering Group
-
2022-2023
National Established Weed Priorities Advisory Group
-
2022-Current
CSIRO representative on the Environment and Invasives Committee's Weeds Working Group (EIC WWG)
-
2010-2014
Board Members (Ecological Society of Australia)
-
2012-2014
Bulletin Editor (Ecological Society of Australia)
Related links
We have publications by Dr Ben Gooden
Published data & software
We have published items by Dr Ben Gooden