Steve is the Executive Director of ABARES, the research bureau in the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. Steve has worked for three decades at the intersection of research and public policy, including as a policy advisor and research leader.

He has particular interests and expertise in natural resource management, integrated assessment, sustainability and global change, adaptive governance, and the science-policy interface. His also a recognised for his work and expertise in megatrends, identifying long-term strategic insights and their implications for maintaining profitable and competitive agricultural and rural industries.

His previous career includes senior roles in Australian Government agencies including Treasury, Environment and Heritage, and Climate Change. He has also worked in CSIRO, where he led the integrated modelling for the Australian National Outlook 2015, and ANU. He is an honorary professor of public policy at ANU, and an expert member of the UN International Resource Panel. Steve has more than 120 papers and reports, including articles in journals including Nature, Science, Agricultural Systems, Ecological Economics, and Ecology and Society.