Max Finlayson is an adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University, and Chair for the Wise Use of Wetlands at IHE Delft, Netherlands. He has held prominent roles, including Professor and Director at Charles Sturt University, Principal Researcher at the International

Water Management Institute, and Research Manager and Director at the Environmental Research Institute, and Assistant Director at the International Waterbird and Wetland Research Bureau.

An expert in wetland ecology, Finlayson has addressed issues such as water pollution, invasive species, climate change, and conservation management. He has contributed to global assessments by the IPCC and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and has advised the Ramsar Convention since the 1990s. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Marine and Freshwater Research, the book series Wetland Ecology, Conservation and Management, and editor of various books, including the encyclopaedic volumes known as The Wetland Book. Finlayson has also led global NGOs, including Wetlands International and the Society of Wetland Scientists, and currently chairs the Environmental Strategy Advisory Panel for the Winton Wetlands Committee, Australia and the Wetland Concerns Committee of the Society of Wetland Scientists.