Professor Eve McDonald-Madden

Professorial ARC Research Fellow

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
e.mcdonaldmadden@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56525

Overview

Dr McDonald-Madden is an ARC Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Queensland and a Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, NESP Threatened Species Hub and is a founding member of UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. Her research is focused on improving environmental decision-making in complex systems.

To resolve questions in environmental decision-making her team uses a suite of analysis techniques that are largely novel to ecology and conservation. The foundation of our work is ‘Decision Theory’, a concept initially used to maximise the effectiveness of scarce military resources while dealing with the uncertainties always present in war. By investigating the use of techniques from fields such as manufacturing sciences, artificial intelligence research and economic theory her group hope to improve decision-making in the face of complexity that is inherent, but often ignored, in environmental problems, incorporating the social context of decisions, the complexity of interacting species and the uncertainty faced by decisions makers.

Eve’s groups work spans all forms of conservation decision-making including population management, organisational and government reporting, the management of interacting species, ecosystem services and conservation planning.

Dr McDonald-Madden completed her PhD at the University of Queensland (2009), prior to that she worked for the Victorian Government on biodiversity research and management whist completing a graduate diploma in Mathematics. She has two young children.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Publications

  • Hudgins, Emma J., Hanson, Jeffrey O., MacQuarrie, Chris J. K., Yemshanov, Denys, Baker, Christopher M., Chadès, Iadine, Holden, Matthew H., McDonald‐Madden, Eve and Bennett, Joseph R. (2024). Spread management priorities to limit emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) impacts on United States street trees. Conservation Science and Practice, 6 (3) e13087. doi: 10.1111/csp2.13087

  • Ward, Michelle, Rout, Tracy M., Possingham, Hugh P., Stewart, Romola, McDonald-Madden, Eve, Clark, Thomas G., Kindler, Gareth S., Valentine, Leonie E., Macmillan, Ellen, Maitz, Natalya, Haskin, Elouise and Watson, James E. M. (2024). A report card to effectively communicate threatened species recovery. One Earth, 7 (2), 186-198. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.12.009

  • Spillias, Scott, Cottrell, Richard S., Layton, Cayne, O’Brien, Katherine R. and McDonald-Madden, Eve (2024). Having our kelp and eating it too: Minimising trade-offs from seaweed farming. Journal of Cleaner Production, 448 141150, 141150. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141150

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Supervision

View all Supervision

Publications

Book Chapter

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • McDonald-Madden, E., Baxter, P. W. J. and Possingham, H. P. (2011). Robust conservation decision-making. First International Symposium on Uncertainty Modeling and Analysis and Management (ICVRAM 2011); and Fifth International Symposium on Uncertainty Modeling and Anaylsis (ISUMA), Hyattsville, Maryland, United States, 11-13 April 2011. Reston, VA United States: ASCE. doi: 10.1061/41170(400)115

  • Probert, W.J.M., McDonald-Madden, E., Hauser, C.E., Baxter, P.W.J. and Possingham, H.P. (2009). Knowledge gain or system benefit in environmental decision making?. 18 World IMACS / MODSIM Congress, Cairns, Australia, 13-17July 2009. Canberra, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand and International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation.

  • Cordwell, S. A. W., McDonald-Madden, E., Baxter, P. W. J. and Possingham, H. P. (2007). Predator management in a two-patch system. International Congress on Modelling and Simulation Land, Water & Environmental Management: Integrated Systems for Sustainability, Christchurch, 10-13 Dec 2007. New Zealand: The modelling and simulation society of Australia and New Zealand Inc..

  • McDonald-Madden, E., Chades, I, McCarthy, M. A., Wintle, B. and Possingham, H. P. (2007). Should I spread my risk or concentrate my efforts: Is triage of a subpopulation ever the best decision?. International Congress on Modelling and Simulation Land, Water & Environmental Management: Integrated Systems for Sustainability, Christchurch, 10-13 Dec 2007. ACT, Camberra: The modelling and simulation society of Australia and New Zealand Inc..

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision