Professor Bruce Clarkson was the interim Director for the Challenge and is currently the University of Waikato’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research. He leads an MBIE funded research programme People, Cities and Nature: restoring indigenous nature in urban environments.

In 2005, together with independent consultant Dr Wren Green, he carried out a review of progress on the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy for the chief executives of the sponsoring government agencies.

In 2006 he was awarded the Loder Cup, New Zealand’s premier conservation award and in 2016 he received the RSNZ Charles Fleming Award for environmental achievement.

Professor Clarkson is a board member of the Australasian chapter of the International Society for Ecological Restoration and a member of the Governance Group for the Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge.