Professor Gaudin obtained his PhD in soil Mechanics from the Ecole Centrale Nantes in 2002. He moved to the University of Western Australia in 2003 where he is currently a Professor and Director of the UWA Oceans Institute, a research institute that uses transdisciplinary approaches to address issues associated with climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation and restoration. After a career in developing centrifuge modelling solutions for a broad range of geotechnical problems, Christophe has shifted his interest to multidisciplinary projects in ocean renewable energy. He is currently leading the M4 wave energy project in Albany, WA and sits as Vice Chair of the Ocean Energy Systems Technical Committee within the International Energy Agency. He is passionate about all things associated with the marine environment, and notably in bringing together all stakeholders to address the scientific and social challenges currently faced by our oceans.