Professor Sarah Bekessy
Professor
Details
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College: School of GUSS
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Department: School of GUSS
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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sarah.bekessy@rmit.edu.au
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
About
Professor Sarah Bekessy leads the ICON Science research group (www.icon-science.org) which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of human behaviour in conservation, in designing cities to encourage ‘every day nature’ experiences and in defining and measuring ‘nature positive’ development. She co-developed the Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design protocol that has now been used by numerous developers, governments and non-government organisations to design innovative urban biodiversity strategies. Sarah is a Lead Councillor with The Biodiversity Council, a Board member of Bush Heritage Australia, a member of the WWF Eminent Scientists Group and an advisor to ELM Responsible Investment, the Living Building Challenge and Wood for Good.
Professional Summary:
- Chief investigator of 3 ARC Linkage projects and 2 ARC Discovery projects and Ian Potter Foundation project ‘Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design’
- Chief Investigator of two European Commission funded projects: Urban GREENUP (Action research for urban nature-based solutions), RECETAS (Testing actions for nature based social prescribing) and UN Habitat project: Enhancing urban resilience to climate change impacts and natural disasters
- ARC Future Fellow (completed 2020) (Socio-ecological models for environmental decision making)
- Theme leader, ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (2012-2018)
- Project leader, Commonwealth Environment Science Program: Threatened Species Recovery Hub (completed 2021) and Theme leader, Commonwealth Environment Science Program: Clean Air & Urban Landscapes Hub (completed 2021)
- Urban Scholar, UN Global Compact; Advisor to the UN Cities with Nature program (with whom I co-developed a city-wide methodology
- Over 12 million dollars in research funding
- Highly cited international journal publications (H index 50), editorial board of 2 journals: Conservation Letters and Natural Resources Modelling, several guest editing positions
- Currently supervising 8 postdoctoral and 8 postgraduate researcher fellows. Engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
1999 Australian Bicentennial Award for postgraduate research
2001 John S. Turner award for Botany postgraduate students
2004 & 2005 RMIT Research Prize
2005 RMIT Collaborative Research Prize
2005 Brian Robinson Fellowship for Environmental Sustainability
2006 RMIT Emerging Researcher Award
2015 RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award
2016 Banksia Award Finalist, Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design
2020 Winner of the City of Melbourne Design Challenge
2020 Totemic species in Schools project nominated for HART Award for Indigenous Reconciliation
2022/3 RMIT Media Star Award
2023 Best eLearning Design and Best eLearning Design for Industry for ‘Bringing Urban Nature into the Cities of Tomorrow’
Professional Summary:
- Chief investigator of 3 ARC Linkage projects and 2 ARC Discovery projects and Ian Potter Foundation project ‘Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design’
- Chief Investigator of two European Commission funded projects: Urban GREENUP (Action research for urban nature-based solutions), RECETAS (Testing actions for nature based social prescribing) and UN Habitat project: Enhancing urban resilience to climate change impacts and natural disasters
- ARC Future Fellow (completed 2020) (Socio-ecological models for environmental decision making)
- Theme leader, ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (2012-2018)
- Project leader, Commonwealth Environment Science Program: Threatened Species Recovery Hub (completed 2021) and Theme leader, Commonwealth Environment Science Program: Clean Air & Urban Landscapes Hub (completed 2021)
- Urban Scholar, UN Global Compact; Advisor to the UN Cities with Nature program (with whom I co-developed a city-wide methodology
- Over 12 million dollars in research funding
- Highly cited international journal publications (H index 50), editorial board of 2 journals: Conservation Letters and Natural Resources Modelling, several guest editing positions
- Currently supervising 8 postdoctoral and 8 postgraduate researcher fellows. Engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
1999 Australian Bicentennial Award for postgraduate research
2001 John S. Turner award for Botany postgraduate students
2004 & 2005 RMIT Research Prize
2005 RMIT Collaborative Research Prize
2005 Brian Robinson Fellowship for Environmental Sustainability
2006 RMIT Emerging Researcher Award
2015 RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award
2016 Banksia Award Finalist, Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design
2020 Winner of the City of Melbourne Design Challenge
2020 Totemic species in Schools project nominated for HART Award for Indigenous Reconciliation
2022/3 RMIT Media Star Award
2023 Best eLearning Design and Best eLearning Design for Industry for ‘Bringing Urban Nature into the Cities of Tomorrow’
Supervisor projects
- Integrating ecology, design and architecture to address profound urban challenges
- 14 Dec 2023
- Exploring the characteristics of nature-dose that lead to positive impacts on well-being in diverse global contexts.
- 15 Nov 2023
- Beyond green facades: integrating ecology and architecture
- 22 Feb 2023
- Onsets in the City Through Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design.
- 25 Jan 2022
- Investigating Biophilic and Ecological Design in Architectural Practice
- 10 Dec 2021
- Unlocking sustainable agriculture for conservation
- 27 Apr 2021
- Messaging Matters: Improving Conservation Outcomes through Strategic Communication
- 9 Feb 2021
- A Strategic Communication Approach to Biodiversity Conservation
- 25 Jan 2021
- Biodiversity Inclusive Design: Non-human Participation Within Design Practice
- 15 Apr 2020
- Measuring and Predicting the Impact of Private Protected Areas
- 13 Dec 2018
- Strategic Planning for Urban Nature-based Solutions
- 24 Oct 2018
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Strategic Environmental Assessment: Evaluating Outcomes, Challenges, and Opportunities
- 2 Jul 2018
- Greenspace Design for Plant-Insect Interactions in the City
- 1 Nov 2017
- Governing Development, Governing Conservation: A Genealogy of Biodiversity Offset Politics Across Scales and Time
- 29 Feb 2016
- Advancing the Integration of Human Behaviour into Biodiversity Decision-making
- 20 Jul 2015
- Super Wicked Problems, Practice and Transition Theory Solutions
- 16 Feb 2014
Teaching interests
ENVI1043 Ecological Foundations of Planning
ARCH1287 Green Cities
ENVI1058 Environmental Work Practice
ARCH1287 Green Cities
ENVI1058 Environmental Work Practice
Research interests
I am a leading interdisciplinary conservation scientist who established the successful Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), which engages in high-impact research to find solutions to applied biodiversity conservation problems. My research combines sophisticated ecological modelling techniques with an understanding of social and political processes. My most significant contributions cover three key areas. My advances at the intersection of urban planning, design and biodiversity conservation (including development of the biodiversity-sensitive urban design (BSUD) protocol) have substantially shifted industry standards (e.g. Nature Credit of the Green Building Council Green rating system; BSUD legislated by Green Adelaide). I have been a leader in conservation psychology, including in prioritising biodiversity behaviours and developing effective message framing, producing influential publications with direct impact on government policy and practice. I received an ARC Future Fellowship in 2014, which focused on socio-ecological modelling for improved environmental decision making.
I have a strong track record in research leadership, nurturing a group of 8 postdocs and 8 PhD students, and having led themes in a previous Centre of Excellence (for Environmental Decisions) and two National Environment Science Program Hubs (Threatened Species Recovery, and Clean Air and Urban Landscapes). I have produced influential outputs in biodiversity sensitive urban design (BSUD), spatial conservation planning in cities, conservation psychology, message framing, optimal monitoring, population modelling, and the social dimensions of private land conservation. My work is highly cited in my field, with an H-index of 48 and m-index of 3.1 (adjusting for maternity leave and part-time status), placing me in the ‘stellar category’ (Hirsch 2005). My international links through Urban Greenup and RECETAS (both EU Horizon 2020 projects in which I am a CI), the UN Cities with Nature program (with whom I co-developed a city-wide methodology) and through my role as an urban scholar with the UN Global Compact, have provided significant opportunities for international collaboration and to apply my research on an international scale.
Broad Research Interests:
- The role of science in environmental policy
- Urban ecology
- Threatened species management
- Environmental decision analysis
- Population and landscape modelling
- Education for sustainability
I have a strong track record in research leadership, nurturing a group of 8 postdocs and 8 PhD students, and having led themes in a previous Centre of Excellence (for Environmental Decisions) and two National Environment Science Program Hubs (Threatened Species Recovery, and Clean Air and Urban Landscapes). I have produced influential outputs in biodiversity sensitive urban design (BSUD), spatial conservation planning in cities, conservation psychology, message framing, optimal monitoring, population modelling, and the social dimensions of private land conservation. My work is highly cited in my field, with an H-index of 48 and m-index of 3.1 (adjusting for maternity leave and part-time status), placing me in the ‘stellar category’ (Hirsch 2005). My international links through Urban Greenup and RECETAS (both EU Horizon 2020 projects in which I am a CI), the UN Cities with Nature program (with whom I co-developed a city-wide methodology) and through my role as an urban scholar with the UN Global Compact, have provided significant opportunities for international collaboration and to apply my research on an international scale.
Broad Research Interests:
- The role of science in environmental policy
- Urban ecology
- Threatened species management
- Environmental decision analysis
- Population and landscape modelling
- Education for sustainability
