I am a Research Fellow at the Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, in Melbourne, Australia. My research is focused on computational and participatory approaches for modelling coupled human–natural systems under deep uncertainty. It is applied to a range of areas — including renewable energy systems, sustainable mobility systems, and the Sustainable Development Goals — for informing robust decision making. I obtained my PhD from the University of Melbourne (2013-2017), where I worked on model-based energy policy analysis. In my PhD, I developed a transition-theoretical framework and an exploratory system dynamics model for investigating future energy transition pathways under uncertainty. I was a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, TU Delft in May-July 2016 and a visiting researcher at Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, Germany in April-July 2018.
My motivation to join the 4TU.DeSIRE program is to initiate a research with Dr.ir. Kwakkel’s team at TU Delft on the topic of ‘Connecting sustainability knowledge and local actions for resilient cities and communities’. This research aims to develop a decision support framework that enables cities and communities to make adaptation decisions from the bottom-up to better cope with their vulnerabilities to future uncertain weather and climate related events. The framework integrates state-of-the-art exploratory modelling techniques with practice-based action research to perform a deeper assessment of environmental decisions under uncertainty, tailored to specific socio-economic-ecological characteristics of local contexts. This research will be based on a philanthropic Australian research program — which I am currently co-leading (https://www.localsdgs.org) — for charting robust pathways to local sustainability in two Australian community case studies, each facing unique environmental challenges such as drought, bushfire risk, and land use change.
I believe this research is well aligned with the particular interests of the 4TU Centre for Resilience Engineering and the leading expertise of its research groups across 4 Dutch universities. Given the above, I cannot be more thrilled to join the centre and benefit from its diverse research experience.
I was a Youn Fellow in the 4TU.DeSIRE programme.