DoctorCalum Cunningham

Dr Calum Cunningham is a Research Fellow in pyrogeography at the University of Tasmania, where he investigates how climate change is reshaping fire regimes and the consequences for ecosystems and society. His research draws on diverse methods—including field research, remote sensing, statistical modelling, and geospatial analysis—to understand the drivers of extreme fire events and inform how we can manage ecosystems in the face of a more fire-prone future.

Calum’s work is rooted in a cross-disciplinary approach, bridging ecology, climatology, and environmental management. He collaborates widely with scientists, land managers, and private industry to ensure that research outputs can inform real-world decisions. His current projects include evaluating long-term changes in the many ways that fire can be extreme, developing predictive models of future fire, and analysing the socio-environmental impacts of major wildfire disasters. Calum is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pyrogeography. 

Alongside his fire research, Calum maintains a strong interest in wildlife ecology, particularly the interactions between animals, climate, and landscape change. He completed his PhD in 2020 on the ecological consequences of Tasmanian devil decline. He has since held a Fulbright Fellowship, during which he investigated the ecological effects of recovering wolf populations in Washington state, and a NASA-funded postdoc investigating climate impacts on snow-wildlife interactions.