Five minutes with... Dr Mark Howden

In each PIARN newsletter we'll be profiling a PIARN member from across the broad spectrum of our membership database. This month we meet Dr Mark Howden, CSIRO Chief Research Scientist and Theme Leader, PIARN Co-convenor and Nobel Peace Prize winner!

DR MARK HOWDEN, BSc (Hons. 1), University of NSW, PhD, Griffith University
CSIRO Chief Scientist and Theme Leader

My area of expertise is... translating our understanding of agricultural, urban and other systems into pathways for action by resource managers and policymakers, especially in relation to climate issues.
In a typical day I... help get the kids to school, clear out my inbox, deal with immediate needs of people within CSIRO in relation to the Climate Adaptation Flagship, try to progress some science and – if I can – play with the kids, cook dinner and do some work in the vegie patch.
The best thing about my job is... that I get to deal with a whole range of fantastic people, in Australia and overseas, and that I’m working on something that I believe is crucially important.
The downside of my job is... there’s a whole pile of "busy" work which can take me away from doing some of the more important big picture things.
When I was growing up I wanted to... work on developing solar energy as a renewable resource, but instead I drew the short straw!
Before joining CSIRO... I worked with the Bureau of Rural Sciences on science policy linkages in relation to climate, water resources, land use and greenhouse gas emissions.
The best piece of advice I've received... was to learn how to tie your shoelaces properly!
My career highlight... was sharing the Nobel Peace Prize [Mark was a major contributor to the IPCC, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC authors and Al Gore].
One thing that most people don't know about me is... that I was blonde when I was a baby.
To me, adaptation means... enabling people to make better decisions about things that are important to them.
My key projects in primary industries adaptation... are expanding primary industries adaptation research to include the mining industry; and generating linkages internationally to translate our experience in Australia to an international context.
I became Theme Leader at CSIRO because... it allows me to raise the profile of this area of work and to develop the next generation of scientists to engage in climate adaptation.
What concerns me most about climate change adaptation in the primary industries... is that people are underestimating the risk, and so there's a real danger of under-adaptation.
Over the next 12 months in the climate change adaptation space... I'd like to see PIARN hit the ground running and through this the development of a more coherent national initiative on adaptation in the primary industries.
I'm passionate about... making science useful.
I'm always being asked... by the kids whether they can stare at the screen (any screen !!) for a while longer.
One piece of advice I would give to young researchers is... to find a good mentor.