ProfSimon Mitrovic

Simon Mitrovic has collaborated extensively with Australian and international governments to inform water resource management decisions aimed at improving the ecological health of waterways for over 20 years. His work, supported by over $6M in funding from over 12 different partners has directly influenced federal, state and local government water management strategies. A central focus of his research has been the causes and control of algal blooms in rivers and lakes, particularly using hydraulics to enhance ecosystem health. His research uses field and laboratory studies to understand cyanobacterial growth and ecological processes and have enabled practical applications for the water industry. Notably, he developed a flow velocity target for suppressing persistent stratification and the development of cyanobacterial blooms in rivers (Mitrovic et al. 2003), algal bloom prediction models to estimate the effects of environmental flows (Mitrovic et al. 2006) and a range of other management options to reduce blooms (Mitrovic et al. 2011, Facey et al. 2022). His research and recommendations on managing algal blooms have been widely adapted and used. For example, his research has been used to set environmental flows across the Murray-Darling Basin as documented in the ARC Impact and Engagement Assessment with his case study “Optimising environmental flows to improve river health” for Environmental Science which was rated as high impact.  In Australia, his expertise was essential to understanding the 2018-2019 Darling River Menindee fish kill events, leading to his appointment to the Federal Governments independent expert panel to examine the causes and recommend management actions (Vertessy et al. 2019; Sheldon et al. 2022). The panel’s report, which included 24 findings and 27 actionable recommendations, has informed over $35M in implemented mitigation measures. CI Mitrovic is now engaged by the NSW Government to develop models that will be directly used by government to make decisions to predict thermal stratification, algal blooms and consequent fish kill risk from low oxygen concentrations.

His applied and impact driven research is evidenced in over 110 publications, with a H-index of 39 and over 4500 citations. The strength of the research is highlighted by approximately 50% being in Q1 and 40% in Q2 journals despite practical management focus for most publications. Many publications (31 in last 10 years) also have industry or government collaborators as co-authors facilitating transfer of knowledge to management staff. CI Mitrovic’s primary supervision of 11 PhD and 4 Research Masters students in partnership with government and industry co-supervisors, ensures research is aligned with end-user needs and delivers immediate impact. Eight of these graduates now hold government or industry positions, embedding the research into ongoing policy and practice.

The research produced has received national recognition such as a high-impact rating in the ARC Impact and Engagement Assessment, and his case study ‘Improving water quality in NSW Rivers’, was selected for the 2022 Research Impact Showcase in the Parliament of NSW highlighting successful collaborations between universities and government agencies. Simon translates his research findings through membership of multiple advisory and stakeholder groups that apply and share the outcomes of his research. These include the NSW State Algal Advisory Committee, NSW Cold Water Pollution Groups, expert panel for the Snowy Mountains and Jindabyne release strategies. He has also been asked to provide expert advice to government through various UTS projects such as for the National Resources Commission, GHD, Hunter Water Corporation, MDBA and many more.