The project team is comprised of Professor Tim Smith, Associate Professor Dana Thomsen and Dr Carmen Elrick-Barr. The project is also undertaken in collaboration with Professor Ryan Plummer and Dr Jessica Blythe (Brock University) and Professor Iain White (University of Waikato). Four PhD researchers – Miguel Frohlich, Jonathan Raikes, Angela Mallette, and Pippa Huddleston – also contribute to the project.

Professor Tim Smith is the overall project lead.

Associate Professor Dana Thomsen is an expert in sustainability communication and advocacy and is leading work on coastal governance innovations.

Dr Carmen Elrick-Barr has applied and theoretical expertise in climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning and is leading work on existing coastal governance arrangements and coastal vulnerability.

Professor Ryan Plummer is Director of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) Brock University, where his program of research concerns the governance of social-ecological systems.

Assistant Professor Jessica Blythe is a human geographer with research expertise in ocean governance, sustainable transformations and climate change adaptation.

Professor Iain White is an environmental planner whose interdisciplinary research explores institutional change with regard to new forms of spatial development and climate change adaptation

Associate Professor Daniel Henstra is a political scientist who studies the governance of complex policy areas such as climate change adaptation, emergency management and flood risk management.

Dr Miguel Frohlich is an environmental planner and lawyer whose research explores how legal frameworks for coastal management can influence the adoption of adaptive management.

Dr Jonathan Raikes is applying his experience working on international disaster risk reduction strategies to investigate the intersection of governance for disaster risk reduction and sustainable development goals in Australia and Canada.

Pippa Huddleston is an environmental planner who will draw on her practical experience in infrastructure planning to compare governance tools in coastal infrastructure retreat in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Angela Mallette will apply her experience working in municipal climate change adaptation planning to explore opportunities for learning through Canadian and Australian case studies.