Dr. Simon West

Biography

Simon West is an environmental social scientist at the Australian National University, working within the Resources, Environment & Development (READ) Department of the Crawford School of Public Policy. His research centers on the social and political dimensions of environmental management and policy, examining the effects of various framings, lived experiences, and knowledge systems on management processes. Simon adopts collaborative, community-centered approaches in his research. He has contributed to the monitoring and evaluation of Indigenous Land and Sea Management in northern Australia, adaptive management in Australian national parks, and participation in learning initiatives within UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in both South Africa and Australia. He also works on contested knowledge systems in small-scale fisheries in the Philippines and everyday climate adaptation in Alaska, USA. Simon's particular interests lie in relational philosophies and transformations in sustainability, as well as transdisciplinary research and knowledge co-production. He is a co-lead investigator on a Swedish Research Council-funded project that explores the effects of gender on conservation practices in Australia and South Africa, and he leads a project focusing on contested knowledge around the Xylella fastidiosa plant pathogen in southern Europe. In academia, Simon teaches courses on Australian Environmental Policy and Impact Assessment at the Crawford School of Public Policy and serves on the editorial board of the journal PLOS Sustainability Transformation.

Research Interests

Experience