Dr. Javier X Leon received his master’s degree in coastal geomorphology at the University of Canterbury in 2005 and obtained his doctorate in coastal geomorphology and geospatial sciences at the University of Wollongong in 2010. He is now an Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast and a geographer with broad interests in geomorphology and is particularly interested in the study and management of coastal systems including sandy beaches and coral reefs. He has developed and collaborated in multidisciplinary research projects combining field data, geospatial techniques and modelling in study sites across the Great Barrier Reef and Eastern coast of Australia and Pacific Islands including Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. He aims to answer questions related to links between morphology, ecology and management in the current changing climate and sea-level rise context.