Dr Brent Henderson

Brent Henderson is currently Group Leader of the Quantitative Risk Group within the Analytics and Decision Sciences (A&DS) Program in CSIRO Data61.

The group is focussed on improving robust and risk-based decision making in high consequence and high uncertainty settings through cutting edge data-driven analytics. This include a focus on adaptive sampling and surveillance, quantitative and probabilistic risk assessment frameworks and decision making under uncertainty.

Application domains include environment and ecology, agriculture, biosecurity, climate resilience and critical infrastructure.

Brent has a background in statistical science and has been working at the interface of data analytics, risk analysis and environmental and agricultural challenges within Australia for over 20 years. He has deep interest in a wide range of analytics - statistical, data science, machine learning - and in delivering integrated science and solutions. He has specific technical interests in spatio-temporal modelling, monitoring and survey design, reconciling data with modelled observations, and risk and cumulative impact analyses. He has extensive experience in project management and working on complex collaborative projects, harnessing the range of capability available to deliver outcomes.

Some of his recent projects and roles include:

• Co-project lead. Digital Water and landscapes (2022- 2024). A CSIRO initiative that sought to transform how water and landscapes are managed in Australia through the adoption of cutting edge digital technologies and methods. https://research.csiro.au/dwl/

• Co-project lead. Risk Intelligence (2022- 2025) as part of CSIRO APaIR initiative on Future Technologies for Biosecurity. Seeking to digitally transform how trade related risks are managed through the improved application of cold treatment for pest management.

• Geological Bioregional Assessments: 2018-2020. A follow on from the Bioregional Assessment Program that assessed the potential impacts of shale and tight gas development in several major basins in Australia. https://www.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/gba

• CSIRO Science Director of Bioregional Assessments (http://www.bioregionalassessments.gov.au ) which delivered science based assessments of the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts and risks of coal mining and coal seam gas on water resources and water related assets; including ecological, economic and sociocultural assets in key regions in Eastern Australia.

• Leading work in the area of on-farm experimentation through the Digiscape future science platform within CSIRO. The broad challenge in this area is help ensure that the explosion of digital data in agriculture is actively used in farmer-led decision making through a much stronger focus and coupling of the design and analysis.

• Undertaking an ecological risk assessment for potential release of a carp virus in Australian waters to manage carp abundance and improve aquatic ecosystem health as part of the National Carp Control Plan https://www.carp.gov.au/

• As a member of the leadership group for the Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Future Science Platform https://research.csiro.au/mlai-fsp/