Sustainability experts
Murdoch University’s sustainability experts are active in research projects and community work on critical issues such as sustainable resource use, population growth, poverty alleviation, technology development, ecological awareness, environmental protection, economic growth, inequality and trade.
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Dr Martin BruecknerSustainable development , WA mining boom, Indigenous social enterprise Martin Brueckner is a social ecologist with an interest in the politics of sustainable development, sustainable communities as well as the sustainability of development using a social and environmental justice lens. His work addresses questions surrounding industry-community relations, corporate social responsibility and environmental policy-making.At present, Dr Brueckner's research focuses on Western Australia's mining boom, resource development based industry-comunity conflicts and Indigenous social enterprise as an alternative pathway to economic mainstreaming. Dr Brueckner is a researcher with, and board member of, the Institute for Social Sustainability. |
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Dr Diane LeeSustainable development of tourism, wildlife tourism Currently she is focussing on how appropriate current approaches to tourism policy and education are for developing nations such as Cambodia and Indonesia. Previously Dr Lee has worked extensively in wildlife tourism, evaluating human/wildlife interactions with dolphins (Bunbury DDC and Monkey Mia) and turtles (Ningaloo) and the conservation nexus between, wildlife, natural areas and community partnerships. In 2011 Diane was awarded a Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife award. Dr Lee has also investigated tourism infrastructure development opportunities in China and India and conducted an examination of users of WA ‘Top Trails’ throughout the wider WA region. |
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Professor Richard HarperSustainable water use, salinity Professor Richard Harper is the Alcoa Chair in Sustainable Water Management at Murdoch University. His current focus is on developing land-use systems that ensure water sustainability in the Peel, a rapidly growing region in Western Australia. His research interests revolve around improving water yields and protecting water quality through improved land management, and developing policies and land-use systems that will achieve change over large areas. He has worked on using reforestation and carbon mitigation to overcome salinity, a major issue in inland Australia, and was recently selected as a lead author in the next IPCC Assessment Report. |
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Professor John HowiesonSustainable agriculture, nitrogen fixation in legumes Professor John Howieson is an internationally recognised expert in sustainable agriculture, specialising in the nitrogen fixation of legume crops. Professor Howieson was the Foundation Director of the Centre for Rhizobium Studies at Murdoch University and he has led the discovery program for several new pasture and forage legumes in Australian agriculture. Currently he is on the steering committee for the project “N2Africa: Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa”. This US$20 million program is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. |
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Associate Professor Brad PettittSustainable development and planning; international aid Dr Brad Pettitt is a Senior Lecturer in sustainable development. He specialises in sustainable development, international aid and development, climate change policy, sustainable transport and local sustainability planning. Dr Pettitt is also the Mayor of the City of Fremantle. |
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John DavisSustainable rural development and natural resource management He is currently researching community-based coastal management in Australia, land use innovations in traditional communal lands, and effective ways to help smallholder farmers in southern Africa develop their capacity to engage with markets. John Davis is a Lecturer in Sustainability and a member of the Institute for Social Sustainability at Murdoch University. He has over 30 years experience as a “pracademic” in international development in Asia and Africa. John is an expert in participatory development, natural resources management, and international aid. In addition to his teaching and research at Murdoch University, Mr Davis provides consulting services in southern Africa and Asia. |
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Nicole HodgsonSustainability 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. |
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Sally PaulinNatural 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. |
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Professor Glenn AlbrechtSustainability, environmental history and environmental politics Glenn Albrecht is an environmental philosopher with both theoretical and applied interests in the relationship between ecosystem and human health. He has pioneered the research domain of ‘psychoterratic’ or earth related mental health conditions with his concept of ‘solastalgia’ or the lived experience of negative environmental change. Professor Albrecht is the Director of the Institute for Social Sustainability. |
To reach these experts for media enquiries, contact:
| Rob Payne Media & Communications Coordinator Phone: 08 9360 2491 r.payne@murdoch.edu.au |
Candice Barnes Media & Communications Coordinator Phone: 08 9360 2474 c.barnes@murdoch.edu.au |
Pepi Smyth Media & Communications Coordinator Phone: 08 9360 1289 p.smyth@murdoch.edu.au |
For all other enquiries, please ring reception on 08 9360 6000.
