Prof. Melissa Nursey-Bray appointed as Deputy Director Sustainability Research, ISER

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray from the School of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (ABLE), as Deputy Director Sustainability Research at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER).

Professor Nursey-Bray’s formal appointment is of strategic importance for the University and has been established to support the Director ISER, Professor Michael Goodsite to oversee the FAME Sustainability Research Strategy for the University, the Sustainability Experts and Course Portal, foster transdisciplinary research related to sustainability, generate research revenue, and nurture key partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. She will be a member of the University Research Committee (URC) as the FAME Sustainability coordinator and represent ISER when appropriate.  

Professor Nursey-Bray is Professor of Human Geography in the School of Social Sciences, and has undertaken a range of leadership roles within the University, including Interim Head of Social Sciences (2019 – 2022), Chair of the Science (Animal) Ethics Committee (2020-2023), Chair of the Sustainability Strategy Committee (2021 – 2023), Deputy Dean Research (2022), and Chair of the School Research Committee. She is an elected member of Academic Board, member of the Honorary Doctorates Committee and holds positions on three external (NSW, Victoria, Far West) Ministerial industry marine management committees. She has recently been invited to be a theme leader for governance for the One Basin CRC and Theme Leader Sustainability Governance for the University of Nottingham/Adelaide Research Alliance.

Professor Nursey-Bray leads an interdisciplinary research group ACE (Adaptation, Community, Environment) which focuses on the interface between community, governance, climate, and environment. Her research focuses on how values, perceptions, conflict, local and community knowledge, power resilience and vulnerability affect or enable community participation in and implementation of sustainable governance. She is an expert in Indigenous studies and resource management more generally. Her current Future Fellowship focuses on how different knowledge systems can work together to build more effective biodiversity and climate adaptive management. Professor Nursey-Bray’s combined skills in human geography, history, governance, and award-winning work with Indigenous peoples in resource management and climate change is leading scholarship in its field.

We look forward to work together to provide a platform for research innovation, leadership, and partnership from our experts across all Faculties and coordinate the University’s Sustainability Research Strategy.