Sustainability experts

Professor Glenn Albrecht

Sustainability, environmental history and environmental politics.

Director of Murdoch’s Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Professor Glen Albrecht specialises in the incidence of mental health issues caused by climate change.

He investigates the complexity of human and ecosystem health, and is credited for his “solastalgia” concept - a form of human distress created by negatively perceived environmental change resulting from industrial development, mining, drought and climate change.

Professor Albrecht is also examining the resilience of various regions in Western Australia.

John Davis

Sustainability, community development and natural resource management

John Davis is a Lecturer at the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University, and an expert in community-based natural resource management and the implementation and evaluation of international development projects.

He is currently researching coastal and marine policy and the adoption of pasture legumes by Western Australian farmers.

In addition to his teaching and research at Murdoch University, Mr Davis consults in community development, specialising in project evaluation and monitoring.

Peter Devereux

International sustainability development, policy and practice

Peter Devereux specialises in Australian and international development cooperation policy and practice, international volunteering for development and sustainability, environment and development, and non-government development organisations (NGOs).

Mr Devereux’s extensive field experience includes work as a lecturer and NGO environmental advisor in Nicaragua, with Australian Volunteers International, and with the United Nations Development Program’s multi-country office in Fijias as a UN Volunteers Program Officer.

He is a lecturer with the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University, and an elected member of the national board of Oxfam Australia.

Nicole Hodgson

Sustainability policy and planning; sustainability assessment

Nicole Hodgson is an experienced practitioner in the field of sustainability policy and planning, working with local government, state government and non-government sectors on various projects.

Ms Hodgson is currently researching the social and behavioural dimensions of making lifestyle changes for sustainability, and the social dimension of sustainability.

She is also examining how communities work with decision-makers to achieve sustainability outcomes, and the use of policy instruments such as sustainability assessment and sustainability indicators in decision-making.

Dr Peter McMahon

Green business and sustainable development; relationships between technology, organisation and globalisation

Dr Peter McMahon says Australian businesses can benefit by adopting sustainable practices.

He specialises in researching the relationship between technology, organisation and globalisation. His current focus is on the role of information flows in transforming socio-economic matters to achieve more sustainable development.

Dr McMahon is a lecturer for Murdoch’s School of Sustainability on sustainable development and futures studies.

Sally Paulin

Natural resource management; rural and urban community participation

Sally Paulin investigates how community involvement in natural resource management is affected by government funding mechanisms.

The lecturer for Murdoch’s Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy specialises in social sustainability including community engagement and participation, sustainable waste management and resource recovery, sustainable agriculture and the philosophy of “self and sustainability”.

Ms Paulin is the Deputy Chairperson of the Waste Management Community Reference Group for the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, and a member of the Australian Facilitators Network of Western Australia.

Associate Professor Brad Pettitt

Sustainable development and planning; international aid

Associate Professor Brad Pettitt is Dean of Murdoch’s School of Sustainability at Murdoch University.

He specialises in sustainable development, international aid and development, and local sustainability planning.

Associate Professor Pettitt is also a Councillor at the City of Fremantle where he chairs the Urban Development Advisory Committee.