Our People
Earth Systems has offices in Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane in Australia. Internationally, Earth Systems has a network of offices in Shanghai, China; Vientiane, Lao PDR; Dakar, Senegal; and Bristol, United Kingdom.
Our Team
Earth Systems’ professional staff and associates possess a broad range of environmental skills that enable us to build teams capable of tackling diverse and complex environmental assignments. Some of our key staff members are listed below. International staff members can be found on the appropriate country pages. We believe that the success of the company is largely due to the high calibre people that we employ, and are always looking for such people who are interested in joining us.
Our Associates
In addition to our wide range of internal expertise, Earth Systems has developed a network of Associates that we can draw upon, as required. Our Associates are independent specialist consultants that together cover a wide range of specialist disciplines (e.g. surface and groundwater management; hydrological modelling; air quality and noise management; archaeology and physical cultural resources).
Earth Systems Personnel
Listed below are some of our key personnel.
Mr Nigel Murphy
Director, Senior Principal Environmental Scientist
Nigel is a Director of Earth Systems. He has more than 25 years’ experience as an environmental and earth scientist. In addition to specialist technical skills in environmental science, Mr Murphy has extensive experience in interdisciplinary environmental assessments and project management for private sector, government, aid and development projects. Nigel is a leading practitioner in environmental and social impact assessment having led and participated in numerous projects in Australia, Asia, the Pacific and Africa.
Dr Jeff Taylor
Director, Senior Principal Environmental Geochemist
Dr. Taylor is one of the founding directors of Earth Systems. He has more than 30 years’ experience as an environmental and earth scientist and has managed and directed a broad variety of multi-disciplinary environmental projects, both in Australia and overseas. He is regarded as leading expert on issues related to acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), and has specialist knowledge in the fields of water quality, environmental geochemistry, minesite remediation and nutrient pollution.
Dr John Waters
Principal Environmental Chemist
Dr Waters has more than 25 years’ professional experience as an environmental and earth scientist. He has specialist expertise in acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) management (mining and acid sulfate soils), mineral waste and tailings management, ground and surface water chemistry, water treatment and environmental geochemistry. He also provides expertise in geochemical modelling for the assessment of water quality and other environmental issues.
Ms Sophie Pape
Principal Environmental Engineer
Sophie is an environmental engineer with over 10 years’ experience and expertise in closure and rehabilitation planning, environmental management and monitoring, impact assessment and water and waste management. She has specific experience in the assessment and management and acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) and related issues for mine sites throughout Australia and internationally.
Dr John Sanderson
Principal Environmental Engineer
John Sanderson holds the position of Principal Environmental Engineer with Earth Systems. In this role, John conducts greenhouse gas and energy audits to comply with the relevant regulations and standards, and provides specialist technical and engineering consulting on biomass and bioenergy technologies and projects, including the emerging field of biochar.
Dr Adrian Morphett
Principal Environmental Engineer
Adrian Morphett is an environmental engineer with over 17 years experience in energy and carbon sector. He is specialised in conducting greenhouse gas and energy audits to comply with the relevant regulations and standards; and providing specialist technical, engineering and commercialisation consulting on biomass and bioenergy technologies, and industrial and commercial building energy efficiency projects. Adrian has had a varied career spanning several industries including petrochemical, government, academia, energy design and mechanical drafting.
Mr David Dettrick
Principal Environmental Engineer/Hydrogeologist
David has over 20 years’ experience as an environmental engineer and hydrogeologist, with expertise in surface and groundwater quality and quantity, mine water management, site contamination assessment, groundwater modelling, river and coastal hydrodynamics, ecotoxicity assessment, salt and solutes management, and soil sustainability. He has experience in mine pit dewatering, contamination assessments and rehabilitation programs for mining and industrial sites.
Mr Chris Smithies
Principal Environmental Scientist and Country Manager, Lao PDR
Chris has a varied professional background, having worked predominantly in project management roles in the horticultural and construction industries. He has also worked as a home sustainability assessor for the Australian Government. Chris is Earth Systems’ Country Manager for Lao PDR, where he has lived for many years. He has key experience in the social and environmental due diligence, corporate responsibility, and environmental and social impact assessment.
Mr Mamadou Samba
Principal Environmental Engineer and Country Manager, Senegal
Mamadou is an experienced environmental and social impact assessment consultant with specialist skills in socio-economic studies and surface and groundwater quality management. In addition to specialist technical skills in environmental science, he has extensive experience as an irrigation engineer and project manager for numerous projects for the agriculture sector in Senegal.
