Director's Note

5 December 2023

2023 has been an incredibly productive year at SEI. Our membership has continued to grow and diversify and we were thrilled to welcome 100 new members in 2023, from across campus and beyond. It has also been another great year for new research collaborations with 13 new collaborative research grant recipients, the Beyond Bios and Critical Minerals symposia, a partnered workshop on energy transition, our University-wide climate research inventory, and much more.

For the first half of next year, I have been invited to be the Erkko Visiting Professor of Studies in Contemporary Society at the Collegium for Advanced Studies at the University of Helsinki. I am excited to use this time to build on existing relationships with colleagues across Europe and enjoy a semester with ‘freedom to think’ -  the Collegium’s motto.

In my absence, Prof Danielle Celermajer will be Acting Director of SEI, and I deeply appreciate her creativity, time, and effort. We are currently developing our strategy for next year, and we will have many exciting things coming in 2024, including the 2024 Iain McCalman Lecture which will be presented by Dr Sophie Chao.

From the whole SEI team, we wish our community a safe, rejuvenating and reflective summer (or, in my case, winter).

Sincerely,

David Schlosberg
Director, Sydney Environment Institute

2024 Iain McCalman Lecture announced

As climate change intensifies and resource extraction erodes complex ecosystems, many people are experiencing profound grief over the loss of species, landscapes and their cultural connections. Join us for the 2024 Iain McCalman Lecture to hear from environmental anthropologist, Dr Sophie Chao, as she reflects on what we can learn from the Indigenous Marind People’s practice of ‘multispecies mourning’ as an act of resistance to ongoing ecological upheaval.

Monday 11 March 2024, 6.00 - 7.30pm

Other news

New research by SEI and partners considers the many potentials of virtual conferences beyond carbon and financial cost reduction.

As the country braces for a record hot summer, SEI research highlights the importance of integrating community networks and knowledge, with formal disaster planning.

Prof David Schlosberg was interviewed by the Washington Post for this piece on the findings from a recent report: World’s richest 1% pollute more than the poorest two-thirds.

SEI member Dr Blanche Verlie's Multispecies justice article wins Environmental Politics Article of the Year.

In case you missed it

Read the Sydney Environment Institute's top articles of 2023:

• The politics of an unsettled energy transition

• A future of political theory, when justice is multispecies

• Building resilience to the mental health impacts of climate change in rural Australia

• Climate change and social capital: Professor Daniel Aldrich visits SEI

• Empowering marginalised communities through food: the impact of FoodLab Sydney

Become a member

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