Justin Leonard

CSIRO Ecosystem Science

Justin Leonard is a leader in bushfire urban design research in Australia focusing on investigating the behaviour of buildings during unplanned bushfire events with a view to improving their prospects.

Since joining the CSIRO in 1993, Justin has become the research leader for Bushfire Urban design after developing skills and experience in materials flammability, fire test methods, combustion science, air quality and bushfire related infrastructure impact.

Justin coordinated extensive house impact surveys since 1995 including the 2003 Canberra fires in the Australian Capital Territory, the 2005 Eyre Peninsula fires in South Australia, and the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday Fires. These bushfire building damage surveys provide invaluable real world insights for CSIRO research initiatives such as the People and Property Protection research program in the Bushfire CRC, and a variety of projects on infrastructure and town planning design for improved bushfire performance.