Welcome to my page and thank you taking an interest in my work. I’m Dr. Shaneel Chandra – a scientist, strategist, and systems thinker committed to protecting the Great Barrier Reef and the systems that support it. As the Chief Scientific Officer (Water Quality) in the Queensland Government, I lead with a focus on evidence, curiosity, and outcomes that make a real difference.

My career spans research, government leadership, and deep engagement with industry and community stakeholders. I’ve worked on everything from fixing nutrient modeling overestimations to tracking down the source of persistent environmental issues – even building a lab climate simulator when existing tools weren’t enough.

At my core, I’m driven by science and grounded in integrity. I don’t chase recognition – I chase understanding. For me, real solutions come from going beyond the surface and into the systems that shape our environment.

An electrochemist by training, I originate from the beautiful island nation of Fiji, located in the South Pacific. I completed my early education in Western Viti Levu and pursued tertiary studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, where I obtained my Master’s degree.

In 2007, I was awarded the prestigious Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (MQRES), enabling me to undertake doctoral studies at Macquarie University. Under the supervision of Dr. Danny K. Y. Wong, my research focused on the development of microsensors for in vivo dopamine detection in rat brains. This formative period afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers in Australia and fostered my enduring commitment to advancing electrochemical detection technologies.

Following the successful completion of my PhD thesis in February 2011, I returned to USP as a Lecturer within the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences. There, I developed new curriculum content in electrochemistry for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students, emphasizing biosensing and voltammetric techniques. I also established the University’s Nanosensing Facility, which has since produced a significant body of research on custom-designed nanoscale probes (refer to Publications. It is rewarding to know that the teaching materials I developed continue to support student learning today.

In 2015, I joined Central Queensland University (CQU) in Queensland, Australia. This transition has enabled me to collaborate with a dynamic team of researchers whose interests complement my own, resulting in a robust and ongoing program of research and publication since 2016. In 2024, I joined the Queensland Government’s Office of the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage as the Chief Scientific Office (Water Quality).

I invite you to explore this website to learn more about my research interests and activities. Should you have any suggestions or feedback to improve this site, I welcome your input.