Building on a long history of research, education and practice
Building on a long-established history of sustainability and climate change education and practice, the Climate Action Beacon was launched in 2020 as part of Griffith University's research beacons Initiative. Learn more about the history and the people that make up the Climate Action Beacon.
Director's Message
“The challenges of the 21st century are many and complex, with climate change undoubtedly one of humankind’s most pressing issues. Griffith has been a longstanding leader in the climate change space, with a proven track record in bringing about climate action.
The next 10 years offers a critical window for Australia, and indeed all countries, to accelerate the transition to a net zero emissions economy and build capacity for a climate resilient future. Driven by this imperative, the Griffith Climate Action Beacon was established–a focal point bringing together a team of experts and partners that cross disciplinary boundaries to address this critical societal problem.”
Professor Brendan Mackey
Director, Griffith Climate Action Beacon
Leadership team
Director
Prof Brendan Mackey
Head of Research - Motivation
Assoc Prof Kerrie Foxwell-Norton
Head of Research- Transition
Assoc Prof Shannon Rutherford
Head of Research- Justice
Prof Susan Harris Rimmer
Head of Innovative and Disruptive Learning
Dr Alison Sammel
Director - Big Data and Smart Analytics
Prof Bela Stantic
Program Manager - Climate Ready Initiative
Amy Lomax
Education Lead
Kate Galloway
Transdisciplinary Research Fellow
Dr Melissa Jackson
Our researchers
Prof Al Gabric
School of Environment & Science
Research project
Dr Alireza Ahmadvand
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Clinical Medicine
Research project
Assoc Prof Andreas Chai
Dept of Accounting, Finance & Economics
Research project
Prof Andrew Brown
Queensland College of Art
Research project
Dr Andrew Buckwell
Griffith Institute for Tourism
Research projects
Anne Leitch
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
Prof Anne Roiko
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Environmental Health
Research projects
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities
Prof Bela Stantic
School of Information & Communication Technology
Research project
Dr Bianca Finn
Indigenous Research Unit - Director
Research project
Prof Brendan Mackey
Climate Action Beacon - Director
Research projects
Whales in a changing climate (Co-director)
Dr Bridget Backhaus
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
Prof Caitlin Byrne
Pro Vice Chancellor (Business)
Research project
Assoc Prof Cara Beal
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Environmental Health
Research project
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities (Lead)
Cheryl Briars
Climate Action Beacon, Climate Ready Initiative - Project Manager
Research project
Prof Chris Fleming
Griffith Business School Dean (Research)
Research projects
Prof Cliff Goddard
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
Prof Dian Tjondronegoro
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Clinical Medicine
Research project
Dr Erika Borkoles
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Public Health
Research project
Dr Jasper De Bie
Coastal and Marine Research Centre
Research project
Dr Olaf Meynecke
Coastal and Marine Research Centre
Research project
Dr Serena Lee
Coastal and Marine Research Centre
Research project
Dr Dung Phung
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Public Health
Research project
Dr Elise Stephenson
Policy Innovation Hub & Griffith Asia Institute
Research projects
Dr Emma Whittlesea
Climate Action Beacon, Climate Ready Initiative - Program Manager
Research project
Qld Climate Ready and Climate Ready Australia - Climate Ready Initiative projects
Dr Fan Zhang
School of Engineering & Built Environment - Architecture & Design
Research project
Assoc Prof Graham Bradley
School of Applied Psychology
Research project
Dr Heather Keith
Climate Action Beacon - Senior Research Fellow
Research projects
Dr Helen Bromhead
Griffith Centre for Social & Cultural Research
Research project
Helen Elliott
Climate Action Beacon, Climate Ready Initiative - Project Manager
Research project
Ian Edwards
Climate Action Beacon - Research Fellow
Research project
Assoc Prof Jennifer Boddy
School of Health Sciences & Social Work
Research projects
Dr Jinyan (Emily) Chen
School of Information & Communication Technology
Research project
Kaya Barry
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
Assoc Prof Kerrie Foxwell-Norton
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research projects
Assoc Prof Laurie Grealish
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Research project
Prof Lynley Wallis
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
PhD Scholar Madelaine Hohenhaus
School of Medicine & Dentistry
Research project
Dr Melissa Jackson
Climate Action Beacon - Transdisciplinary Research Fellow
Research project
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities
Assoc Prof Michael Howes
School of Environment and Science
Program Director - Graduate Certificate and Master of Climate Change Adaptation
Graduate Certificate in Climate Change Adaptation
Dr Natalie Osborne
School of Engineering & Built Environment - Architecture & Design
Research project
Natasha Hennessey
Climate Action Beacon - Senior Research Assistant
Research projects
Prof Norman Morris
School of Health Sciences & Social Work - Allied Health Science
Research project
Dr Patrick Norman
Climate Action Beacon - Research Fellow
Research projects
Prof Paulo De Souza
School of Information & Communication Technology
Research projects
Prof Robert Bianchi
Dept of Accounting, Finance & Economics
Research project
Prof Rodney Stewart
School of Engineering & Built Environment
Research project
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities
Dr Samid Suliman
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research projects
Dr Sandy MacQuarrie
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Paramedicine
Research project
PhD Scholar Sarah Smith
School of Medicine & Dentistry
Research project
Assoc Prof Sayed Iftekhar
Griffith Business School
Research project
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities
Dr Sebastian Binnewies
School of Information & Communication Technology
Research project
Assoc Prof Shannon Rutherford
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Public Health
Research projects
Dr Son Nghiem
School of Medicine & Dentistry - Medicine
Research project
Dr Stuart Cooke
School of Humanities, Languages & Social Science
Research project
Sue Cooke
School of Medicine & Dentistry
Research projects
Prof Susan Harris Rimmer
Policy Innovation Hub - Director
Research projects
Difficult conversations (Lead)
Prof Vanessa Tomlinson
Creative Arts Research Institute - Director
Research project
Dr Wade Hadwen
School of Environment & Science Ecology and Evolution
Research project
Water, energy & waste - remote, regional & isolated communities
Short Course Leader - Climate Change and Water
Higher Degree Research (HDR) Scholars
| Name | Type of HDR | Title | Supervisors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi Ploos van Amstel | Doctoral | How to make community-based nature conservation resilient to crisis | Principal - Assoc Prof Kerrie Foxwell-Norton Associate - Prof Brendan Mackey |
| Patrick Woletzk | Masters | Assessment of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance in the Gold Coast | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey |
| Kate Kingston | Doctoral | Enhancing soil carbon and nitrogen to achieve production and environmental benefits in horticulture | Principal - Prof Zhihong Xu; Associate - Dr Chris Pratt; Associate - Prof Brendan Mackey |
| Sarah McCulloch | Doctoral | Supplementary feeding patterns of east Australian humpback whales on their southern migration | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey and Dr Olaf Meynecke; Associate - Dr Jasper De Bie |
| Carrie Deutsch | Doctoral | Conservation of forest ecosystems: a systems theory approach to ecological integrity and evolution | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey; Associate - Assoc Prof Ali Chauvenet |
| Salvador Cantellano | Doctoral | Documentary filmmaking in an age of crisis and the potential of community-engaged practice | Principal - Assoc Prof Kerrie Foxwell-Norton; Associate - Prof Brendan Mackey |
| Maggie Muurmans | Doctoral | Supporting local communities towards effective governance and engagement for climate change response | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey, Prof Christopher Fleming and Prof Caitlin Byrne |
| Kalara McGregor | Doctoral | The conundrum for tourism dependent SIDS - net zero emissions and sustainable development | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey; Associate - Prof Susanne Becken; Associate - Prof Tapan Sarker |
| Gaelle Faivre | Doctoral | Understanding the role of the reef for coastal hazard assessment given climate change and development in SIDs in the South Pacific Islands | Principal - Prof Rodger Tomlinson; Associate - Prof Brendan Mackey |
| Samuel Mackay | Doctoral | Fundamentals in the effective management of climate change risks in Government: Lessons and Insights | Principal - Prof Brendan Mackey; Associate - Dr Robert Hales |
| Eugene Madsokere | Doctoral | The Current Status, Evolution and Spread of Arboviruses Circulating in Australia | Principal - Dr Lara Herrero; Associate - Prof Brendan Mackey |
Learn more about applying for a research degree at Griffith University.
The Griffith Graduate Research School also offers a range of opportunities to enhance your graduate experience.
Adjunct Members
Mr Bernard Mercer - Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, Climate Action Beacon
Dr Sarah Boulter - Adjunct Associate Professor, Climate Action Beacon; Associate Professor in Climate Adaptation, University of Tasmania
Prof Jean Palutikof - Adjunct Professor, Climate Action Beacon
Ms Kate Morioka - Adjunct Industry Fellow, Climate Action Beacon; Climate Change and Energy Policy, ACT Government; Pacific Islands expertise
Dr Susan Gould - Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Climate Action Beacon
Hub staff
Prof Brendan Mackey
Director, Climate Action Beacon
Dr Melissa Jackson
Interdisciplinary Research Fellow, Climate Action Beacon
Dr Emma Whittlesea
Program Manager, Climate Ready Initiative
Cheryl Briars
Project Manager, Climate Ready Initiative
Helen Elliott
Project Manager, Climate Ready Initiative
Natasha Hennessey
Senior Research Assistant, Climate Action Beacon
Amirah Kullack
Research Hub Coordinator, Climate Action Beacon and Climate Ready Initiative
Charu Maini
Research Hub Coordinator, Climate Action Beacon and Climate Ready Initiative
Contact us
