Damien Trinder is an ecologist and environmental professional with over two decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, spanning continents and industries. With a BSc (Hons) in Marine Freshwater & Antarctic Biology from the University of Tasmania and an MSc in Coastal Environmental Planning & Management from the University of Western Australia, Damien has delved into the complexities of ecological processes and their interaction with human societies. His professional journey includes pivotal roles at Australia’s CSIRO, Chevron, and most recently NEOM, where he designed environmental frameworks for one of the world’s most ambitious development projects.

His proposed DPhil research at Oxford focuses on scaling Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function (BEF) Theory for effective biodiversity restoration and climate action. By developing a novel BEF framework, Damien seeks to bridge critical knowledge gaps in landscape-scale applications. He plans to leverage the unique ecological settings of NEOM, Saudi Arabia, to test his models, aiming to integrate BEF theory into practical tools for environmental planning and management. Damien’s work promises to advance our understanding of biodiversity metrics, ecosystem functions, and their synergies with climate action strategies, contributing significantly to global sustainability efforts.