Rob's work gives a voice to the environment

Rob is a staunch advocate for environmental preservation and lobbies for policy change on its behalf. He’s a multi-talented professional and embodies many positive qualities as an ambassador for CDU.

Since graduating from Charles Darwin University with a Masters of Tropical Environmental Management, Rob’s made significant contributions to public policy, industry and communities in Victoria and the Northern Territory. He’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Driving change

With experience spanning a decade, Rob has initiated and contributed to several projects with state and local governments in renewable energy, climate change adaptation, and community resilience.

His CDU studies provided the perfect springboard.

The CDU course was very diverse and focused on broader environmental issues which gave me a solid understanding of working across regional Australia and working with remote and indigenous communities.

“The volunteer and work experience I did through the CDU gave me real world experience while studying and so I've been able to use that as a base to get other work," he adds.

Ongoing energy

As the Executive Director of the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) Rob’s current focus is on climate change solutions in regional Victoria.

“I’ve worked with 12 local governments to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy for their operations and built a best-practice regional fast charging network for electric vehicles,” says Rob. “I’ve also assisted councils in the delivery of adaptation and resilience projects.”

But his success doesn’t stop there. Rob’s effectively advocated on behalf of local governments for stronger climate change action at both state and federal levels.

Award-winning innovations

Prior to joining CVGA, Rob worked for the Victorian State Government on the Land Carbon Project, for which he received an Innovation Award from the Victorian Government.

“My Master's degree at CDU gave me a greater understanding of how greenhouse gas emissions are managed in the landscape and I was able to apply this knowledge to the project and win the award,” says Rob.

Rob's contributions have also been recognised by his alma mater through a nomination for the CDU Alumni Awards. 

A musical master

In addition to Rob's environmental work, he’s established a successful parallel career as an award-winning music composer and sound artist.

Rob composed the full-length score to the Canadian film "the Magnitude of All Things" which won Best Documentary Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020.

Rob's score has also been recognised as "Best Music in Film" at the Mosaic International Film Festival, as well as shortlisted for both the Australian Music Prize and the HearSay International Audio Prize.

Solid advice

Empowered with his existing knowledge and experience, Rob would say one thing to his younger self.

“Be brave. Go outside your comfort zone."

Things may seem scary at times but if you don’t jump on opportunities, you may miss out on learning experiences.

Considering a career working on behalf of our environment? Explore our Science, Environmental Science and Management courses.