I am a Lecturer in Environmental Planning and Management at the University of Liverpool, and my research focuses on environmental governance.

In 2016, I received my PhD at Murdoch University (Australia) in the Department of Environment and Conservation Sciences. My doctoral research is focused on understanding biodiversity governance. Using the mountainous Australian Alps protected areas and the privately owned agricultural valley of the Tasmanian Midlands as case studies, I have analysed both current institutional arrangements and identified pathways to change that will enable more effective biodiversity conservation at a landscape scale. My supervisors were Prof Susan A. Moore and Assoc Prof Michael Lockwood. My research was part of the Landscapes and Policy Hub, and our research can be found at lifeatlarge.edu.au. My publications can be found at the links below and above.

Before entering academia, I worked as an applied researcher and consultant. My education and work experience span both the biophysical (e.g. monitoring, site investigation, remediation) and social (e.g. social science research, policy, planning, behaviour change) aspects of environmental problems. However, I have always been more interested in how humans interact with their environment than in studying "the environment" as a separate entity. I spend much of my time thinking about why we behave in the ways we do, and how we can stimulate collective action to address so-called "wicked problems".

I am particularly interested in what the transformation of our environment and democracy means for governance, and how governance as a process can help us navigate such radical change. I integrate philosophical pragmatism with adaptive governance to inform a pragmatic approach to reforming governance in the Anthropocene. I am particularly interested in biodiversity, novel ecosystems, and climate change - and especially how good governance can make a difference.