Rate My Professor Charlie Huveneers

Professor Charlie Huveneers is the Matthew Flinders Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University. He serves as Director of the Flinders University Marine and Coastal Research Consortium and leads the Southern Shark Ecology Group. His research examines the ecology and population status of sharks and rays, their vulnerability, interactions with humans, and related public perceptions, with a focus on positive and negative shark-human interactions, wildlife tourism effects, and shark bite mitigation measures. He obtained a PhD in Environmental Science from Macquarie University in 2007, with a thesis on the ecology and biology of wobbegong sharks in relation to the commercial fishery in New South Wales, Australia. Prior to that, he completed a BSc (Hons.) in Oceanography with Marine Biology at the University of Southampton in 2002. After his PhD, he co-ran the Animal Tracking Facility of the Integrated Marine Observing System program, establishing a national network of acoustic receivers. He joined Flinders University in 2009 through a joint position with SARDI – Aquatic Sciences as a shark ecologist and has been a full-time academic at Flinders since 2014.

Professor Huveneers holds or has held roles including member of the IMOS Animal Tracking Facility Scientific Committee since 2007 and data committee chair since 2009, member of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group since 2010, and scientific member of the Shark Resource Assessment Group since 2016. He is an associate editor for Scientific Reports, Frontiers in Marine Science, Endangered Species Research, and Wildlife Research. His awards include the 2023 Flinders College of Science and Engineering Research Impact and Engagement Award, finalist positions in the South Australia Science and Innovation Excellence Awards in 2024 and 2022, the 2011 Vice-Chancellor Early Career Research Award, and the 2010 South Australian Young Tall Poppy Finalist. He has contributed to numerous committees, provided expert advice on shark-related matters, delivered public talks, and appeared in media and documentaries.