Adjunct Professor

Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray is the Head of Department, Geography, Environment and Population at the University of Adelaide, and the Director of ACE (Adaption, Community and Environment) Research Group. Melissa is currently also Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of Environmental Management and on the Editional Boards of the journals 'Ocean and Coastal Management' and 'PLOS Climate'. Professor Nursey-Bray also contributed to the National Academy of Sciences (2021) report on The Risks to Australia of a 3˚C Warmer World and to the Future Earth (2021) Sustainable Oceans and Coasts National Strategy 2021-2030.

Qualifications

Graduate Certificate (Teaching and Learning), Tas; Doctor of Philosophy (Geography), James Cook; Master of Environmental Science, Adel.; Bachelor of Arts (History) (Honours).

Teaching areas

• Geography and environment
• Geography of globalisation
• Environmental ethics
• Urbanisation
• Community engagement
• Coastal development
• Indigenous environmental issues

Research areas

• Indigenous climate adaptation
• Community engagement and environmental change
• Urban ecology
• Fisheries and marine management

Memberships

• Institute of Australian Geographers
• Regional Studies Association
• Australian Political Studies Association
• Royal Geographical Society, SA
• Member AMSA (Australian Marine Science Association)
• Member, State of Victoria Marine and Coastal Expert Committee (2019 – current)
• Member South West Marine Park Advisory Committee (national committee) (2019 – current)
• Member Marine Biosecurity Taskforce (Australia) (2018 – current)
• Member, Steering Group for National Indigenous Dialogue on Climate Change (2017 – current)
• Member Marine Biosecurity Forum (SA) (2015 – current)
• Member World Commission Protected Areas (Oceania Division) (2010 – current)
• Member OECM Taskforce (Other Environmental Conservation measures) (2016 – current)
• Member Conference Committee, National EIA A NZ Conference Adelaide (2019 – current)
• Member Australian Marine Science Association Indigenous Workshop committee (2018 – current)

Awards

• Winner Elder Cole Prize for Excellence in Supervision (2018)
• Erasmus Teaching Fellow, University of Iasi, Romania (2018)
• Appointed Ambassador for Australia, Regional Studies Association (2017)
• Winner, Beacon Teaching Award for Excellence in HDR Supervision (2017)
• Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, Tyndall centre for Climate Change Research (2010)

Key Research Publications

Atampugre, G, Nursey-Bray, M & Adade, R 2019, ‘Using geospatial techniques to assess climate risks in savannah agroecological systems’, Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, vol. 14, pp. 100-107.

Nursey-Bray, M 2019, ‘Uncoupling binaries, unsettling narratives and enriching pedagogical practice: lessons from a trial to Indigenize geography curricula at the University of Adelaide, Australia’, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, vol. 43(3), pp. 323-342.

Nursey-Bray, M., Palmer, R., Stuart, A., Arbon, V., & Rigney, L. (2020). Scale, colonisation and adapting to climate change: Insights from the Arabana people, South Australia. Geoforum, 114, 138-150.

Nursey-Bray, M., & Muecke, S. (2021). Paying attention to the spaces in between: the social production of space and Indigenous presence in cities. In R. Bartel, & J. Carter (Eds.), Handbook on Space, Place and Law (1 ed., pp. 196-207). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Nursey-Bray, M., Gillanders, B., & Maher, J. A. (2021). Developing indicators for adaptive capacity for multiple use coastal regions: Insights from the Spencer Gulf, South Australia. Ocean and Coastal Management, 211, 105727.

Nursey-Bray, M, Palmer, R, Smith, T & Rist, P 2019 ‘Old ways for new days: Australian Indigenous peoples and climate change’, Local Environment, vol. 24(5), pp. 473-486.

Contact Associate Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray via email mellisa.nursey-bray@adelaide.edu.au