John Leys has a PhD from Griffith University in wind erosion processes, has published 80 papers and book chapters and holds the positions of:

• Member of the NSW Soil Knowledge Network

John started his career with the New South Wales public sector with the Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales in 1981. Since then, he has worked with various natural resource management agencies with the aim of improving agricultural land management practices that reduce soil erosion and dust storms. He was awarded the New South Wales Science and Engineering award for innovation in the public-sector science and engineering for his work on Community DustWatch.

John founded DustWatch in 2002, while working with the NSW governement, to monitor and report the causes of wind erosion and dust levels across eastern Australia. DustWatch is a collaborative project that works with universities, the CSIRO, natural resource management agencies, and the community to increase knowledge on the causes and control of wind erosion. 

The network remains managed by the NSW government, and John uses the data to report on dust storms across NSW. He maintains close ties to CSIRO, which, in collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Resource Economics, developed a free vegetation cover website, GEOGLAMM RAPP. Vegetation cover is a crucial factor in soil erosion, making RAPP an important tool in its management.