Our Team | Care of Our Environment | Environmental Consultants

Our Team

Our team of environmental consultants bring expertise from a wide range of experiences and disciplines to enable your projects to be managed in a professional and safe manner, while developing novel solutions to unique situations.

Why Choose Us

COOE is an internationally experienced Australian-based company providing support to clients in the form of strategic environmental planning and advice and project management assistance from project conception to implementation and evaluation, working closely with clients to ensure a smooth and cost-effective process.

COOE’s personnel have technical scientific expertise and detailed working knowledge of Commonwealth and State legislation, enabling efficient and effective guidance of projects through approvals, licensing and compliance requirements. Our team of environmental consultants offers the required skills and experience to meet clients’ needs and offers competitive delivery based on personnel experience and commitment to achieving project success.

Joe is a certified environmental practitioner with over 30 years of experience in environmental science across multiple continents. He specializes in mine remediation and deep-sea tailings placement. Joe advises the World Bank on mine closure and environmental protection projects globally. Known for resolving complex technical issues, Joe excels in marine impact assessment, site rehabilitation, and environmental chemistry. He holds a BSc (Hons) and advanced certifications in environmental management.

Joe Mifsud

Managing Director | Principal Scientist
South Australia

Dr Stephen Clarke provides leadership to our Research & Development team. He oversees our ongoing in research in sustainable chemistry and product development.
Stephen and his team helped us develop a bisphenol free epoxy resin based on renewable glycerol. Stephen is Chair of the Australian chapter of the American Chemical Society, on the International Advisory Board of the Asian Silicon Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Dr Stephen Clarke

Research Team Manager
South Australia

Carol is an environmental scientist and a land use planner with a sound understanding of legislative frameworks across State and Local Government boundaries.

Carol brings extensive experience in environmental impact assessment, planning assessment, regulation and compliance requirements of licences, permits and approvals.

Carol MuzyK

Associate Environmental Approvals Consultant
South Australia & Northern Territory

Kate is an environmental scientist, majoring in ecology. With a decade of experience in project management and environmental approvals.
Kate has prepared EPBC Referrals, Environmental Impact Assessments and conducted regulatory compliance reviews, ecological surveys, monitoring and reporting.

Kate Grundy

Associate Environmental Consultant
Queensland

James Brook

James is a marine biologist and SCUBA diver specialising in marine fauna. He has conducted numerous reef and marine park surveys in South Australia and worked on various impact assessment projects with COOE, including the Rex Hillside Project, Robe Marina study, Port Pirie Boat Ramp dredging, BHP Billiton Whyalla desalination project, and Nyrstar's 5-year marine monitoring program.

Associate Marine Ecologist
South Austraia

With over 21 years of expertise in ecology and conservation, Sharon is a dedicated professional specialising in marine, estuarine, and terrestrial ecosystems. Her impressive background includes research, impact assessments, and species management. A passionate educator and team leader, Sharon thrives on inspiring others to protect our natural world.

Sharon Drabsch

Senior Environmental Scientist
South Australia

Nathan holds a PhD in Marine Ecology and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Management. With over 10 years of experience in marine research and monitoring, he specialises in nearshore, intertidal, and marine monitoring, impact/compliance assessments, experimental design, statistical analysis, data interpretation, report writing, and presentations.

Dr Nathan Janetzki

Senior Environmental Scientist
South Australia

Greg brings over 25 years of experience as a marine scientist and project manager, focusing on marine biology, fisheries, and environmental assessments. He has developed international guidelines for environmental impact assessments, recognized by the World Bank. Key projects include Cape Hardy and Haypoint Port Expansion. Greg excels in strategic project advice, marine monitoring, and environmental management, serving clients such as AGL, BHP Billiton, and various government agencies across Australia and the Pacific.

Dr Greg Barbara

Associate Marine Consultant
South Australia

Pancho is a marine sciences researcher with over three decades experience in freshwater, estuarine, and coastal to offshore habitats in temperate and sub-tropical Australia, and in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Pancho led the COOE team in a three year larvae plankton monitoring program undertaken by COOE to evaluate the potential impacts on fisheries of the proposed desalination plant for the BHP Olympic Dam Expansion Project.

Dr Francis (Pancho) Neira

Associate Fisheries Consultant
Tasmania

Lindy has extensive experience in project management, site surveys and reporting. Lindy has extensive field experience throughout South Australia and western Victoria in both local and remote areas, such as Prominent Hill and Peculiar Knob in the far north of SA, Port Paterson near Port Augusta, throughout the Adelaide Hills, the Lower Lakes, Eyre Peninsula, Hawker in the Flinders Ranges, Paringa-Loxton DrBypass, Renmark, Murray Bridge and urban locations.

Dr Lindy Scott

Associate Flora Ecologist
South Australia

David has extensive consulting experience, particularly in the environmental management of marine environments. David has considerable expertise in assessing and monitoring the marine ecological impacts of industrial developments.
David has worked with COOE on numerous projects including the Olympic Dam Mine Expansion EIS, the Rex Hillside Project in the Upper Gulf St Vincent, marine monitoring programs at Port Pirie for Nyrstar, and Port Bonython for Santos Ltd.

David Wilshire

Associate Marine Consultant

South Australia

Rick has over 30 years of work experience in:

hydrogeological assessments for water supply and dewatering.

Installation of water supply and monitoring wells.

Environmental permitting.

Site compliance auditing.

Site rehabilitation and closure assessments.

Design and documentation of environmental monitoring.

Rick Aldam

Associate Hydrogeologist
South Australia

Homayoun has a PhD in Mining and Metallurgy Engineering from Curtin University and Master's degree in Soil and Water Management from Swedish Agricultural University. With experience in mine closure and sustainable technology specializing in natural and synthesized compounds, environmental, and operational quality (critical minerals, carbon, minerals, soil, water, sediment, tailings).

Dr Homayoun Fathollahzadeh

Associate Mine Environmental Engineer
Western Australia

David has an extensive employment history in State Government environmental departments (WA, SA, NT and Tas) since 1980, including the positions of Senior Ranger, Senior Field Officer, Biologist, Survey and Research Coordinator and Technical Supervisor. He has experience in land management, animal care, revegetation, fauna survey design, logistics, data assessment and reporting, integrated pest management, field team management, and threatened fauna management.

David Armstrong

Associate Fauna Ecologist
South Australia

Terry has over 30 years of experience from a range of environments throughout Australia and PNG. He provides expert environmental advice to industry and non‐government organisations.
Terry’s expertise includes description of ecological values, baseline fauna survey, species-specific fauna survey, fauna habitat value assessment, natural resource management, impact and, disturbance regimes assessment, identification of mitigation measures, project management and design, and technical review.

Terry Reis

Associate Fauna Ecologist
Queensland

Damian has extensive experience in ecology and environmental management. He has a sound understanding of environmental legislation, and a reputation for delivering pragmatic, innovative, and uncompromising biodiversity management solutions. Damian’s ecological knowledge and extensive professional networks place him in good stead to solve the most complex of environmental challenges. Damian has delivered environmental projects for a range of clients including the Department of Defence.

Dr Damian Morrant

Associate Fauna Ecologist
Queensland