The CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CARE) relies on contributions from a dedicated team of scientists, postgraduate students, head office staff and partners in industry and government.

For Program Leaders, Project Leaders, students and other research staff, see our Research and Education sections.

The Head Office at Mawson Lakes in South Australia consists of the following people:

MANAGING DIRECTOR Professor Ravi Naidu

Ravi has been a research scientist in the fields of environmental contaminants, toxicology, bioavailability and remediation for over 20 years. He has co-authored over 300 technical publications and co-edited eight books in the field of soil and environmental sciences including field remediation of contaminated sites. Since 1994 Ravi has worked with scientists from USA, Europe and Asia on environmental contamination, including recent arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, India and China.

Ravi was awarded a Gold Medal in environmental science in 1998 by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, elected as a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America in 2000 and also a Fellow of Soil Science Society of New Zealand in 2004.

He is also the Chair of the Standards Australia Technical Committee on Sampling and Analyses of Contaminated Soils, Chair of the International Committee on Bioavailability and Risk Assessment, Chair of the International Union of Soil Sciences Commission for Soil Degradation Control, Remediation and Reclamation, President of the International Society on Trace Element Biogeochemistry and sitting member of the Victorian EPA Contaminated Sites Auditor Panel.

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BUSINESS MANAGER Michy Kris

Michy has tertiary qualifications in Applied Physics, and has had a broad range of leadership experiences spanning government (Rural Solutions SA, International Education Services), commercial R&D (SOLA International) and private industry (SOLA Optical). He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an Executive MBA from the University of South Australia.

Rural Solutions SA, a customer-focussed organisation, operates on a fee-for-service basis within government. As General Manager (Business Development & Marketing) there, he established clear business branding, and was proactive with websites, forums and exhibitions to promote and communicate business understanding.

Michy has collaborated with Universities and research institutions both locally and internationally to explore a range of product and service attributes leading to several new developments. In each of the business areas he has worked in, there were a vast range of stakeholders with varied expectations representing considerable complexity in terms of their respective business drivers.

He is accredited with several patented innovations whilst at SOLA International (commercial R&D), and had the good fortune of being able to be directly involved in all aspects of product development, which led to huge commercial successes.

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EXECUTIVE PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE MANAGING DIRECTOR Caryn McArthur

FINANCE MANAGER Kevin Weidenhofer

Kevin has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of roles, ranging from accountant to financial controller. He brings to CRC CARE an expanse of knowledge gained in commerce and industry, particularly in manufacturing. Kevin holds a BA in Accounting, and is a Fellow of Certified Practicing Accountants. 

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FINANCE OFFICER Sue Begley

Sue Begley is responsible for payroll, payment of accounts, issuing invoices and reconciliation of project expenses. She has more than 20 years experience in the finance industry, including private consultancy work in the areas of accounts and finance training and has extensive experience in the banking industry.

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EXECUTIVE POLICY ADVISOR Dr Bruce Kennedy

Bruce assists in the development of guidance materials for the remediation of contaminated sites.

Bruce has worked with the National Environment Protection Council and the Environment Protection and Heritage Council, with responsibility for national policy development for environmental protection matters, uncludeing the assessment of site contamination.

Bruce holds multiple qualifications in chemistry (BSc, PhD), and in management (MBA).

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PROJECT MANAGER, BEST PRACTICE POLICY PROGRAM Kerry Scott

Kerry is a geographer by profession, and has 30 years experience in project management - almost 10 of those in the area of environmental legislation.

Kerry previously worked for the National Environment Protection Council Service Corporation, and was project manager for the Assessment of Site Contamination NEPM review and variation work.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Whitehead

Reporting to the Managing Director, Susan is responsible for all aspects of the coordination of Board and Committee meetings, and facilitating consultation with project advisory groups, technical working groups and stakeholders. She provides assistance to the Executive Policy Adviser in the development of CRC CARE policy and guidelines.

Susan has over 20 years experience in the private and public sector, predominantly in administration and hospitality, and has completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) through the University of Adelaide.

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PROGRAM LEADER: EDUCATION AND TRAINING Andrew Beveridge

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Sharmin Patard

Sharmin's role involves ARIC member management, event planning and website maintenance, collating and ensuring quality in a range of reports and documents for both CRC CARE and ARIC, and assisting in a range of general communication activities.

Sharmin has worked as a journalist for a rural South Australian newspaper, as a consultant for a public relations firm in Adelaide, and as a media relations officer for Adelaide City Council. She graduated from UniSA with a Bachelor of Communications in Media and Culture.

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DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR Dr Prashant Srivastava

Prashant oversees CRC CARE’s demonstration programs for BHP Billiton Iron Ore and the Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP). He works closely with mining and oil sectors, environmental practitioners, regulatory authorities and scientific researchers from around Australia. He also coordinates Exxon Mobil’s Port Stanvac Demonstration Project and the Petroleum LNAPL Forum.

Prashant has experience working in both academia and the environmental industry. He graduated in chemistry and botany from the University of Allahabad (India), and subsequently joined the GBP University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (India) for his Masters and doctoral research in soil chemistry, fertility and plant nutrition. He later obtained another PhD degree in environmental soil chemistry from the University of Sydney.

Prashant conducted his post-doctoral research at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory of the University of Georgia (USA). His research interests include fate and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and nutrients in soil and plants.

Before joining CRC CARE, Prashant worked as an environmental scientist/consultant in Sydney, engaged on a variety of projects on contamination assessment and remediation of soil and groundwater with various clients. Prashant has also worked on a number of research projects in India, Australia and the USA.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PROGRAM COORDINATOR Dr Sreenivasulu Chadalavada

Sreenivasulu is responsible for CRC CARE's Department of Defence program.  He has a Master of Technology (M.Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), in the area of Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering, and a Bachelor of Technology( B Tech) in Civil Engineering from University of Pondicheery.

After graduation he worked in an engineering consultancy as Design Engineer, designing the surge phenomena in hydro-electric power plants.

Sreenivasulu joined CRC CARE after completing his PhD at the University of South Australia. During this time he also worked at the University as a hydrogeologist engaged in modelling groundwater flow and pollutant transport processes.

PROJECT OFFICER (CONTRACTS) Eda Niland

Eda is responsible for managing CRC CARE’s research projects at an operational level to ensure they are completed on time and on budget.

With more than 12 years experience in the business, projects and contract compliance area, Eda comes to CRC CARE from Newham College in London where she worked for nine years managing financial and contract reporting and compliance.

Eda holds both a Diploma in Management Level 5 and a Diploma in Executive Management from Chartered Management Institute in London, a Higher National Certificate in Business & Finance, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from London SouthBank University. She is also a member of the Chartered Management Institute in London.