Dean joined Nature Advisory in 2021, and has been building his field-based and research skills since 2018, when he started his formal training in ecology. Dean is enamoured of the botanical and of Victoria’s diverse ecosystems, and since joining Nature Advisory has developed a keen interest in the local, state, and federal legislation that informs outcomes concerning native vegetation, threatened species monitoring and management, bushfire planning and weed management. 

Dean commenced a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne in 2018, majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a Botany focus and completing the degree in 2020 with first class honours. Dean has volunteered on a range of research and conservation projects from post-fire predation monitoring in Cobboboonee National Park to mycological diversity sampling in far east Gippsland, and continues to volunteer in seed production for grassland restoration at Melbourne University as well as with Gardens for Wildlife in the City of Melbourne. 

When not lovingly crawling through grasslands, Dean spends his time guerrilla gardening in urban Melbourne, listening to live music at his local dive bar and boxing with his friends.