Meet The Team
Alisa Starkey
Founder and Director – Applied Science and Solution Design Lead
Alisa Starkey is the founder and Applied Science Solutions lead at Ozius. With a background in Marine Ecology Alisa learned the benefits of utilising Earth Observation data during when completing her Honours at the University of Wollongong.
Over the next 16 years Alisa dedicated her career to fusing artificial intelligence, remote sensing data and environmental science to solve some of our most complex environmental questions for public and private sectors.
Alisa has been involved in numerous publications on using remote sensing to assess environmental impacts of natural and made-made change including monitoring gully erosion and change, vegetation trend analysis, and more recently collaborated with aquatic ecologists from government authorities in NSW and QLD to integrate remote sensing with Water Resource Planning projects. Alisa has recently commenced her PhD studying “Water dynamics in the landscape from Earth Observation analytics” at the University of Queensland.
Alisa is a Member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. Alisa is also an active participant in Earth Observation Australia www.eoa.org.au.
Over the next 16 years Alisa dedicated her career to fusing artificial intelligence, remote sensing data and environmental science to solve some of our most complex environmental questions for public and private sectors.
Alisa has been involved in numerous publications on using remote sensing to assess environmental impacts of natural and made-made change including monitoring gully erosion and change, vegetation trend analysis, and more recently collaborated with aquatic ecologists from government authorities in NSW and QLD to integrate remote sensing with Water Resource Planning projects.
Alisa is a Member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. Alisa is also an active participant in Earth Observation Australia www.eoa.org.au.
Dr Peter Scarth
Director – System Architecture and Artificial Intelligence Lead
Dr Peter Scarth is a Director and Big Data and AI lead at Ozius. Peter works across disciplines to develop rigorous data management systems and validated mathematical models that measure and map both major and more subtle changes in global vegetation systems using large earth observation data sets linked to field and social survey systems
By engaging with stakeholders across academia, government and industry he aims to build and extend data systems and build “long science” to address wicked problems in the land management space through the application of time series biophysical image analysis.
As an application developer he has a particular interest in synthesising difficult-to-use data to provide answers to challenging problems.
By engaging with stakeholders across academia, government and industry he aims to build and extend data systems and build “long science” to address wicked problems in the land management space through the application of time series biophysical image analysis.
As an application developer he has a particular interest in synthesising difficult-to-use data to provide answers to challenging problems.
Ben Starkey
Managing Director
Ben Starkey is the Managing Director at Ozius. Ben has a background in Urban Planning and Development within both public and private sectors where he developed a passion for stakeholder engagement and business improvement. During this time Ben was leader and project manager of multiple award-winning project teams
Ben has been nationally recognised and respected for his contribution to the design, implementation and adoption of risk management and digital engagement platforms within in the planning and development industry. At Ozius Ben is able to bring his passions for stakeholder engagement, busines improvement and space technology together to help customers transform their decision making and business processes.
Ben is also an active participant in Earth Observation Australia www.eoa.org.au.
Ben has been nationally recognised and respected for his contribution to the design, implementation and adoption of risk management and digital engagement platforms within in the planning and development industry. At Ozius Ben is able to bring his passions for stakeholder engagement, busines improvement and space technology together to help customers transform their decision making and business processes.
Ben is also an active participant in Earth Observation Australia www.eoa.org.au.
Wayne Schulz
Non-Executive Director and Chairperson
Wayne is a Director of Ozius. Wayne is a qualified chartered accountant and has more than twenty years commercial and professional services experience across a variety of sectors and industries.
Wayne has over 15 years of professional corporate finance experience focussing on valuations, due diligences, strategic reviews and mergers and acquisitions. He has worked and lived in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa. Wayne previously worked for the largest listed private equity group in South Africa, Brait South Africa Limited, and was the Group’s Corporate Finance Manager as well as being a director for several investee companies.
He has commercial experience in the financial services and retail sectors and owned and managed his own retail business.
Wayne has over 15 years of professional corporate finance experience focussing on valuations, due diligences, strategic reviews and mergers and acquisitions. He has worked and lived in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa. Wayne previously worked for the largest listed private equity group in South Africa, Brait South Africa Limited, and was the Group’s Corporate Finance Manager as well as being a director for several investee companies.
He has commercial experience in the financial services and retail sectors and owned and managed his own retail business.
Dr Stuart Phinn
Advisor - Earth Observation Science and Research
Dr Stuart Phinn is a Director and the Earth Observation and Space Technology lead at Ozius. Stuart is also a Professor of Geography at the University of Queensland where he teaches remote sensing and directs the Remote Sensing Research Centre, where he is committed to training the next generation of scientists and managers who effectively use remote sensing or earth observation and has graduated 42 PhD students.
Stuart’s input to Ozius is through his applied science interests, extensive skills and experience in designing and delivering projects using satellite, airborne and field data for environmental monitoring in terrestrial, marine and coastal environments across Australia and globally. His previous industry work and applied research has been in collaboration with environmental scientists, government environmental management agencies, NGO’s and private companies.
Stuart is extensively involved in national coordination of industry-government-research activities in Earth Observation across Australia. He is the founding Director and current President of Earth Observation Australia and chaired the Committee that produced Australia’s first Earth Observation Community Plan – 2026 www.eoa.org.au.
Stuart’s input to Ozius is through his applied science interests, extensive skills and experience in designing and delivering projects using satellite, airborne and field data for environmental monitoring in terrestrial, marine and coastal environments across Australia and globally. His previous industry work and applied research has been in collaboration with environmental scientists, government environmental management agencies, NGO’s and private companies.
Stuart is extensively involved in national coordination of industry-government-research activities in Earth Observation across Australia. He is the founding Director and current President of Earth Observation Australia and chaired the Committee that produced Australia’s first Earth Observation Community Plan – 2026 www.eoa.org.au.