A number of high-achieving James Cook University (JCU) alumni were honoured at a special ceremony in Townsville, Australia on 7 September 2015. Dr Donna Kwan, Programme Manager of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Dugong Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Secretariat, received JCU 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award in Marine and Environmental Sciences category.

Dr Kwan holds a PhD in dugong reproductive biology and has spent her career working in research, conservation and management of marine turtles and dugongs. Her areas of expertise include dugong population biology, collaborative research, conservation and management with local communities, as well as policy development and implementation at local, national and international levels.

Based in CMS Office - Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Dr Kwan is considered a world-leading researcher of marine turtles and dugongs.

The annual JCU Outstanding Alumni Awards recognize graduates of the University and its predecessor institutions who have made an outstanding contribution in their field of endeavor at a local, state, national or international level.

Dr Donna Kwan was awarded a Bachelor of Science at JCU in 1986, a Master of Science in 1992 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2002. She is currently overseeing implementation of the CMS Dugong MOU under United Nations Environment Programme. Previously Dr Kwan held post in the Marine Division of the Federal Environment Department in Canberra, Australia.