Meet the Team
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Dr Paul Whittock
Director & Principal Ecologist
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Adam Mitchell
Director & Principal Ecologist
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Elliott Charlton
Senior Technical Specialist
Dr Paul Whittock
Director & Principal Ecologist
Since his initial experience working with leatherback turtles in 2002, Paul has dedicated his education and professional career to the management and conservation of marine turtle species worldwide. Working as a specialist consultant in Australia since 2009, he has overseen several high-profile marine turtle monitoring programs for industry sector clients including Chevron (Gorgon and Wheatstone), Santos (Varanus Island), and Rio Tinto (Amrun Queensland). He is passionate about utilising technology to improve the safety, efficiency, design, and quality of marine turtle monitoring programs in remote and difficult to reach regions of Australia.
Paul’s academic research and publications have been instrumental in his career progression. He has a Bachelor's degree (with Honours) in Ocean Science, a Master's degree that investigated the integration of sea level rise scenarios and climate change adaptive strategies into marine turtle management plans, and a PhD that focused on assessing the threats from industry to marine turtles situated offshore in Western Australia. Paul is also a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) and a qualified UAV pilot (multi-rotor <25 kg / fixed wing powered vertical take-off and land [VTOL] <7 kg / BVLOS OCTA rating). In his spare time, he undertakes various volunteer roles, including serving as the Director of IT for the International Sea Turtle Society, Drone Officer and Surf Life Saver for the Swanbourne Surf Life Saving Club, and Dishwasher for the Ronald McDonald House Charity in Perth.
Adam Mitchell
Director & Principal Ecologist
Adam has committed the last ten years of his professional life to developing novel tools for artificial light monitoring and modelling, and understanding how to assess the impact of artificial light on marine turtle hatchlings and other wildlife. Combining his background in marine biology and software development, he is uniquely qualified to find ways of bridging the gap between science and technology in the name of conservation and protection of vulnerable wildlife. His consulting work has taken him all over Australia, undertaking behavioural monitoring surveys and measuring artificial light at sensitive habitat.
Adam regularly provides lighting advice to a wide range of clients and has managed long-term artificial light programs for various projects including Chevron, Mineral Resources, Woodside and Santos over the last 8 years. He led the development and implementation of the first major artificial light sensor network in Bundaberg in 2019 and Nocterra’s unique all-sky camera systems in 2024. He has a passion for education and devising new methods to visualise and communicate complex scientific outputs and information to a wide range of audiences.
Elliott Charlton
Senior Technical Specialist
Elliott specialises in the field of artificial light, focusing on developing and implementing advanced light modeling techniques tailored for industry use cases. He is passionate about visualising and communicating complex analysis results in a biologically meaningful way, justifying practical and effective on-the-ground control measures that minimise the pervasive impact of artificial light on wildlife. With extensive experience in creating project-specific artificial light models, Elliott has worked with a diverse range of clients both nationally and internationally, including BCI Minerals, Chevron Australia, Mineral Resources, NEOM, Rio Tinto, and TasPorts.
Elliott holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master of Research in Astrophysics from Curtin University, where his thesis focused on simulations of astrophysical phenomena. Driven by a passion for solving challenging problems and developing innovative solutions for the conservation of wildlife, Elliott leveraged the skills and experience gained during his Master's program to transition into consulting. Outside of work, he remains passionate about space, astronomy, and dark skies. He serves on the board of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (ADSA), which aims to educate the public on the importance of dark skies and assist in the reduction of artificial light emissions.
