Gordon O'Brien

Dr Gordon Craigh O'Brien

Freshwater Ecologist

Gulbali Institute

Biography

Dr. Gordon O’Brien is a Senior Fellow in Water at the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University. Dr. O’Brien obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree from the University of Johannesburg in 2012. He is a South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals registered professional scientist and a South African National Research Foundation (C2) rated scientist with an extensive international profile. He has >60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters. Dr. Gordon O’Brien has water resource management and freshwater ecology experience from 2004. His specialisations include sustainable water resource management, freshwater ecology, fish and fisheries, ecotoxicology and ecosystem services.  Dr. O’Brien specialises in the probabilistic modelling of the effects of multiple water resource stressors affecting vulnerable socio-ecological systems, on large, holistic, regional scales. He has additional specialisation in regional scale ecological risk assessments, environmental flows, ecosystem services, ecotoxicology, ichthyology and fisheries, human capacity development and training.

Dr. O’Brien has established international collaborations and has co-publications with global scientists. He has managed- and/or led applied research projects from 2004, raising >US$2.5 million for African sustainable water resources research.  Funders or clients of Dr. O’Brien’s research includes governments and non-governmental organisations and international funding organisations. Dr. O’Brien has directly contributed to the development of policies, strategies, legislation, and their implementation for the management of African water resources.

Dr. O’Brien has an extensive undergraduate teaching profile and has supervised numerous Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D., n>12) and Masters of Science (M.Sc., n>20) students to completion. He has management experience including being an undergraduate Program Leader, Ph.D and M.Sc co-ordinator and director of research programs. Dr. O’Brien is currently a member of the Inland Freshwater Fisheries Research Group of the Gulbali Institute in Australia and heads up the applied sustainable water resources research program in South Africa called Rivers of Life (www.riversoflife.co.za).

Research
  • Water Resources Management
  • Freshwater Ecology
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Fish and fisheries
  • Ecosystem Services
Publications

Recent Publications

  • Arthington, A. H., Tickner, D., McClain, M. E., Acreman, M. C., Anderson, E. P., Babu, S., Dickens, C. WS., Horne, A. C., Kaushal, N., Monk, W. A., O'Brien, G.C., Olden, J. D., Opperman, J. J., Owusu, A. G., Poff, N. L., Richter, B. D., Salinas-Rodriguez, S. A., Shamboko Mbale, B., Tharme, R. E., & Yarnell, S. M. (2024). Accelerating environmental flow implementation to bend the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss. Environmental Reviews, 32(3), 387-413. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2022-0126
  • O'Brien, G.C., Mor, C., Buhl-Nielsen, E., Dickens, C.W.S., Olivier, A., Cullis, J., Shrestha, P., Pitts, H., Baleta, H. & Rea, D.( 2021). The nature of our mistakes, from promise to practice: Water stewardship for sustainable hydropower in Sub-Saharan Africa. River Res Applic. 2021;1–10. DOI: 10.1002/rra.3849.
  • O’Brien G.C., Wepener, W. Smit N.J. (2021). Regional scale risk to the ecological sustainability and ecosystem services of an African Floodplain system. Risk Analysis, DOI: 10.1111/risa.13689
  • Wade, M., O'Brien, G.C., Wepener, V. & Jewitt, G., (2020). Risk Assessment of Water Quantity and Quality Stressors to Balance the Use and Protection of Vulnerable Water Resources. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4356.
  • O’Brien, G.C. Dickens, C., Baker, C., Stassen, R. & van Weert, F. (2020). Sustainable Floodplains: Linking E-Flows to Floodplain Management, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa. Sustainability (2020), 12, 10578; doi:10.3390/su122410578.