TERN Australia, the national capability for monitoring change in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, is pleased to announce the membership of its newly appointed Advisory Board, effective August 2026. The Board is chaired by Dr Les Trudzik and includes Professor Paul Bonnington, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure) at the University of Queensland, as the nominee of TERN’s Lead Agent, together with four new Members appointed following a national expression of interest process: Professor Margaret Byrne PSM, Mr Glenn Cockerton, Mr Michael Grundy and Professor Graciela Metternicht.
The appointments mark TERN’s transition to a skills-based Advisory Board, replacing its previous representative structure. This change follows recommendations from an independent governance review conducted in 2025 by Emeritus Professor Ian Smith, together with the Commonwealth Department of Education’s broader review of governance arrangements across all NCRIS capabilities. Both reviews recommended that TERN adopt a governance model built around a defined skills matrix, so that Members collectively bring the strategic, governance and sector expertise TERN needs as it delivers its 2023 to 2028 Strategic Plan and continues to develop Australia’s national ecosystem monitoring capability.
“This is an important milestone for TERN,” said Dr Beryl Morris, TERN Director. “A skills-based Board gives us the strategic depth, governance experience and national and international connections we need as TERN moves into its next phase. I am delighted to welcome Margaret, Glenn, Mike and Graciela, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with Les and Paul as they lead the Advisory Board through this transition.”
TERN thanks all those who took part in the expression of interest and interview process for their interest in supporting TERN’s mission. Further information on TERN’s governance and Advisory Board is available at tern.org.au.
Meet the TERN Advisory Board
Dr Les Trudzik, Chair
Dr Trudzik was appointed Chair of the TERN Advisory Board in early 2026, bringing more than three decades of experience across research, innovation, governance and national infrastructure, including seventeen years on the Bioplatforms Australia Board, ten of them as Chair. His deep knowledge of NCRIS and his commitment to collaborative leadership make him well placed to guide TERN through this next chapter. Dr Trudzik succeeds Professor Hugh Possingham, whose five years of service as Chair strengthened TERN’s national profile and championed the role of environmental data in biodiversity conservation.
Professor Paul Bonnington
Professor Bonnington has been the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure) at the University of Queensland since 2022. In addition to his university governance expertise, he has decades of experience within research infrastructure in the tertiary sector, providing researchers with access to major computing, software, and analytics.
Professor Margaret Byrne PSM
Professor Byrne is an executive leader currently heading a medical research infrastructure organisation, following fourteen years leading a large science research and policy function in Western Australian state government, recognised through a Public Sector Medal in 2023. She brings a long history of service on TERN and NCRIS governance bodies, together with deep experience across state and national environmental science and policy.
Mr Glenn Cockerton
Mr Cockerton brings more than thirty years of board experience across private sector, advisory and not-for-profit organisations, together with direct industry experience in the spatial technology sector through his leadership of Spatial Vision. He offers strong governance credentials alongside practical knowledge of the technology and data systems that underpin national research infrastructure.
Mr Michael Grundy
Mr Grundy is a soil, landscape and systems scientist with a long association with TERN, having contributed to the strategic reimagining of TERN and to the development of the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia during his career at CSIRO, where he served as Research Director, Soil and Landscapes. He brings extensive national and international research governance experience, including with the Global Soil Partnership and the Group on Earth Observations.
Professor Graciela Metternicht
Professor Metternicht is Dean of Science at Western Sydney University and brings extensive international science-policy experience, including prior service with the United Nations Environment Programme and membership of numerous international scientific advisory bodies. A TERN Regional Ambassador since 2015, she offers deep expertise in geospatial science, Earth observation and the translation of environmental data into policy and management outcomes.