Our Team

Dr. Iain Caldwell

Dr. Iain Caldwell is the lead analyst for MERMAID, a cutting-edge platform dedicated to aggregating and managing coral reef health data. As the lead analyst, he plays a pivotal role in crafting innovative tools and collaborating with platform users to conduct analyses that transform raw data into actionable insights for coral reef management and conservation initiatives.

With a background in quantitative ecology, Iain has extensive experience collecting and analyzing data across multiple ecosystems and scales. He has cultivated partnerships with numerous academic, government, and NGO organizations to facilitate data sharing and lead data analysis projects, publishing with over 100 collaborators from more than 50 organizations. His research spans fine-scale investigations into the distribution and movement patterns of individual species to broad-scale analyses of ecosystem and coastal community responses to global climate change.

Iain grew up in Canada, where he completed a BSc from Mount Allison University, an MSc from Dalhousie University, and a PhD from The University of British Columbia. Following his doctoral studies, he conducted postdoctoral research in the United States then was most recently a Research Associate in Quantitative Social-Ecological Systems at James Cook University in Australia, where he is still an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow.

Passionate about leveraging data such as the coral reef health information in MERMAID, Iain is committed to developing evidence-based solutions that enhance ecosystems and improve the well-being of communities reliant upon them.