Roger Bradbury, BSc(Hons) (Qld), PhD (Qld)
Adjunct Professor, Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program

Email: roger.bradbury[at]anu.edu.au

Biographical Statement

I trained as an ecologist specialising in coral reefs. I became interested in complex systems as a graduate student in the early 70s on reading Richard Levins' classic 1970 paper of that name. It has informed my thinking ever since. My first published efforts in community ecology in the late 70s reflected this interest, and even included the phrase 'complex systems' in their titles, much to the confusion of my colleagues.

Since then, I've worked on the use in ecology of numerical classification (1977), adaptive algorithms (1978), fractals (1983), learning algorithms (1983), catastrophe theory (1985), chaos theory (1985), formal grammars (1986), nonlinear non-Euclidean modelling (1988) and cellular automata (1990).

In recent years, I've led multi-disciplinary research teams using genetic algorithms, neural networks and agent-based models to understand the complex interactions between social, economic and natural systems.

Research Interests

My main research interest is on how to use the ideas and methods of complex systems to better manage the world's coral reef ecosystems for the benefit of the people and other organisms that depend on them. Pascal Perez and I together lead a World-Bank-funded working group on modelling and decision support within the Coral Reef Targeted Research Project (www.gefcoral.org).

Key Publications

• Lotze, Heike K., Hunter S. Lenihan, Bruce J. Bourque, Roger H. Bradbury, Richard G. Cooke, Matthew C. Kay, Susan M. Kidwell, Michael X. Kirby, Charles H. Peterson, and Jeremy B. C. Jackson (2006) Depletion, degradation, and recovery potential of estuaries and coastal seas. Science 312, 1806-1809.
• Pandolfi, J. M., J. B. C. Jackson, N. Baron, R. H. Bradbury, H. M. Guzman, T. P. Hughes, C. V. Kappel, F. Micheli, J. C. Ogden, H. P. Possingham and E. Sala (2005) Are U.S. coral reefs on the slippery slope to slime? Science 307, 1725-1726.
• Pandolfi, J. M., R. H. Bradbury, E. Sala, T. P. Hughes, K. A. Bjorndal, R. G. Cooke, D. McArdle, L. McClenachan, M. J. H. Newman, G. Paredes, R. R. Warner and J. B. C. Jackson (2003) Global trajectories of the long-term decline of coral reef ecosystems. Science 301, 955-958.
• Bradbury, R.H. (2002) Futures, predictions and other foolishness. In: M. A. Janssen (ed) Complexity and ecosystem management: The theory and practice of multi-agent systems (Cheltenham, Edward Elgar) pp 48 – 62
• Jackson. J.B.C., M.X. Kirby, W.H. Berger, K.A. Bjorndal, L.W. Botsford, B.J. Bourque, R.H. Bradbury, R. Cooke, J. Erlandson, J.A. Estes, T.P. Hughes, S. Kidwell, C.B. Lange, H.S. Lenihan, J.M. Pandolfi, C.H. Peterson, R.S. Steneck, M.J. Tegner, R.W. Warner (2001) Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293, 629-638.

Career Highlights

Fellow, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra, 2003 – 2005; Visiting Fellow, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University, 2000 – 2004; Chief, Fisheries & Forestry Sciences Division, Bureau of Rural Sciences, 1999 - 2000; Chief, Advanced R&D Centres, Bureau of Resource Sciences, 1998; Director, National Resource Information Centre, 1990 - 1997; Program Leader, Marine Systems, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 1985 - 1990.