Researcher biography

Gwen Iacona is an applied conservation scientist who uses quantitative and empirical approaches to understand how biodiversity outcomes can be improved by better decision-making. Her current work uses theoretical tools to study how the costs of conservation interventions influence the choice of actions and the resulting outcomes. Gwen has also worked closely with several conservation organisations on projects that include predicting invasive plant cover, modelling protected area effectiveness, and prioritising conservation action. Gwen currently is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at The University of Queensland, where she is advised by Professors Hugh Possingham, Kerrie Wilson and Jonathan Rhodes. She earned her PhD in 2014 from the University of Tennessee, under the tutelage of Professor Paul Armsworth, and has a MS from the University of Florida.