About Prof Kerrie Wilson

Professor Kerrie Wilson commenced in the role of the Queensland Chief Scientist on 1 November 2023.

Her distinguished career encompasses roles at QUT, including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability and Research Integrity), and her tenure as the Executive Director of the QUT Institute for Future Environments. Previous leadership roles include Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy Australia and is currently a natural sciences expert for the Australian Heritage Council.

One of Australia’s leading researchers into the science, strategy and policy of conservation, she holds a Bachelor in Environmental Science (First Class Honours) from The University of Queensland and a PhD from The University of Melbourne, undertaken in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, based in Cambridge.

Outside the office, Professor Wilson embraces the outdoors with her family and they are regular visitors to Queensland National parks.

The Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture honours the principal founder of the National Parks Association of Queensland (NPAQ), who remained President or more than 30 years and was instrumental in convincing the Queensland Government to declare many of the state’s national parks gazetted up to the 1970s. Lahey was also co-founder of Binna Burra Lodge, located within the world heritage listed Lamington National Park.

Just one week after the Queensland Governor Sir John Goodwin opened the Brisbane City Hall the inaugural meeting of the National Parks Association of Queensland was held in the Lord Mayor’s Reception Room of the Brisbane City Hall on 15th April, 1930.In recognition of the historical link, this year the NPAQ Romeo Lahey Memorial lecture will again be held at City Hall.