New Director for Fenner School of Environment and Society

The Fenner School is exciting because it brings together a mix of people from different disciplines, to train the next generation of problem solvers. ANU has appointed prominent ecologist Professor Saul Cunningham as the new Director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society in the College of Medicine, Biology and Environment. Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said Professor Cunningham has an outstanding record of research and leadership in the environmental area. "As an international expert in biodiversity, and in the impact of humans on the natural environment, Saul is ideally placed to lead the Fenner School, with its focus on multidisciplinary approaches to important environmental issues," Professor Schmidt said. Formerly a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Land and Water, Professor Cunningham's research focuses on how biodiversity might best be maintained in landscapes that are modified by humans. He is best known for his work on pollination ecology, from native plants to crops, and from wild pollinators to managed honeybees. Professor Cunningham will take up the role in January 2017, succeeding Professor Steve Dovers, who is stepping down after two terms as Director of the Fenner School.