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Professor Kristen Lyons
Professor

Kristen Lyons

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52020

Overview

Background

Professor Kristen Lyons is a public intellectual with over twenty years experience in research, teaching and service that delivers national and international impacts on issues that sit at the intersection of sustainability and development, as well as the future of higher education. Trained as a sociologist, Kristen is comfortable working in transdisciplinary teams to deliver socially just outcomes, including for some of the world's most vulnerable communities. Kristen works regularly in Uganda, Solomon Islands and Australia, and her work is grounded in a rights-based approach. In practice, this means centring the rights and interests of local communities, including Indigenous peoples, in her approach to research design, collaboration, and impacts and outcomes. Kristen is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Oakland Institute.

Availability

Professor Kristen Lyons is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Griffith University
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), Griffith University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Central Queensland University

Research interests

  • Climate Change and Human Rights

    Responses to climate change deliver significant impacts at the local level. I lead cross country research that examines the impacts of carbon trading initiatives - one response to climate change - for local communities.

  • Transdisciplinary and Indigenous Rights

    I am engaged in research that examines the social, legal and policy frameworks to support Australia to meet its Indigenous rights obligations, especially in the context of a climate changing world.

  • Transforming Universities for the Public Good

    Today’s university system is increasingly market driven, with institutional requirements that constrain options for public good research and learning. This system stands at odds with the primary and historical role of universities. Higher education movements – including free universities, progressive colleges and civic forums – offer important critical alternatives to this current system. I am engaged in research to analyse a selection of movements, delivering outcomes that will increase knowledge of how alliances and campaigns organise, what their change agenda entails, and how they are transforming universities for the public good.

Research impacts

My recognised role as public intellectual enhances my national and international academic, policy and industry impacts on issues related to the environment, development and human rights. Over the last five years I have led research teams to deliver socially just outcomes for some of the world's most vulnerable communities. For example, I have led research to identify human rights abuses that underpin international carbon offset projects in Uganda. The outcome of this has changed practices of one of the worlds largest plantation forestry and carbon offset companies, and shaped public debates related to global carbon trade projects. Collaborative research with Traditional Owners in Australia has also also delivered outcomes that have impacted public and policy understandings of Australia's indigenous rights obligations in the context of resource development.

To maximise research impact, I regularly work with funding bodies that support collaborative engagement with key partners, and build enduring relations between academic, industry and community groups.

In my role as advisor on a number of government advisory bodies, I have played a part in changing guidelines and policies related to emerging technologies. I was part of a team that provided recommendations to the Department of Industry Science and Resources to ensure Australia's compliance with international organic agriculture and food standards, with outcomes that ensure Australia maintains international market access.

I am committed to publishing broadly in non academic outlets, including in The Conversation (over 126,000 readers, and ranked #3 at UQ in 2018), ABC, New Matilda), and my research regularly features in international and national media.

Works

Search Professor Kristen Lyons’s works on UQ eSpace

174 works between 1995 and 2024

21 - 40 of 174 works

2022

Journal Article

Gender and conservation science: men continue to out‐publish women at the world's largest environmental conservation non‐profit organization

James, Robyn, Ariunbaatar, Javkhlan, Bresnahan, Meaghan, Carlos‐Grotjahn, Chelsea, Fisher, Jonathan R. B., Gibbs, Bridget, Hausheer, Justine E., Nakozoete, Cynthia, Nomura, Sarah‐Kate, Possingham, Hugh and Lyons, Kristen (2022). Gender and conservation science: men continue to out‐publish women at the world's largest environmental conservation non‐profit organization. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (8) e12748. doi: 10.1111/csp2.12748

Gender and conservation science: men continue to out‐publish women at the world's largest environmental conservation non‐profit organization

2022

Other Outputs

6 Books about the climate crisis that offer hope, recommended by experts

RItchie, E. , O'Donnell, E. , Moore, G., Lyons, K. , Christoff, P. and Kaufman, S. (2022, 05 18). 6 Books about the climate crisis that offer hope, recommended by experts The Conversation

6 Books about the climate crisis that offer hope, recommended by experts

2022

Book Chapter

Not seeing the forest for the trees: how plantation forestry for carbon offset fails people and the climate

Lyons, Kristen and Ssemwogerere, David (2022). Not seeing the forest for the trees: how plantation forestry for carbon offset fails people and the climate. Offsetted. (pp. 110-115) edited by Cooking Sections and Jesse Connuck. Berlin, Germany: Hatje Cantz.

Not seeing the forest for the trees: how plantation forestry for carbon offset fails people and the climate

2022

Other Outputs

A gutful of lunchbox hype – has selling ‘good bugs not drugs’ for kids’ health gone too far?

Mayes, Christopher, Leahy, Deana and Lyons, Kristen (2022, 02 09). A gutful of lunchbox hype – has selling ‘good bugs not drugs’ for kids’ health gone too far? The Conversation

A gutful of lunchbox hype – has selling ‘good bugs not drugs’ for kids’ health gone too far?

2022

Book

Transforming universities in the midst of global crisis: a university for the common good

Hil, Richard, Lyons, Kristen and Thompsett, Fern (2022). Transforming universities in the midst of global crisis: a university for the common good. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003021117

Transforming universities in the midst of global crisis: a university for the common good

2021

Other Outputs

Amid global crisis, how can universities be regenerated to serve the common good?

Lyons, Kristen, Thompsett, Fern and Hil, Richard (2021, 12 17). Amid global crisis, how can universities be regenerated to serve the common good? The Conversation

Amid global crisis, how can universities be regenerated to serve the common good?

2021

Other Outputs

Indigenous knowledge systems are vital to the design of solutions to climate change - so why are Indigenous voices so rarely included in deliberations?

Rashidi, Pedram , Lyons, Kristen and Walker, K. J. (2021, 11 15). Indigenous knowledge systems are vital to the design of solutions to climate change - so why are Indigenous voices so rarely included in deliberations?

Indigenous knowledge systems are vital to the design of solutions to climate change - so why are Indigenous voices so rarely included in deliberations?

2021

Journal Article

Nano white food and the reproduction of whiteness. Impacts for Indigenous health and relationships with food

Lyons, Kristen, Fredericks, Bronwyn, Bradfield, Abraham, Mayes, Christopher and Koerner, Catherine (2021). Nano white food and the reproduction of whiteness. Impacts for Indigenous health and relationships with food. Borderlands, 20 (1), 207-235. doi: 10.21307/borderlands-2021-008

Nano white food and the reproduction of whiteness. Impacts for Indigenous health and relationships with food

2021

Journal Article

Democratizing global climate governance? The case of indigenous representation in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Rashidi, Pedram and Lyons, Kristen (2021). Democratizing global climate governance? The case of indigenous representation in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Globalizations, 20 (8), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/14747731.2021.1979718

Democratizing global climate governance? The case of indigenous representation in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

2021

Other Outputs

Global demand for cashews is booming. How Ghana can take advantage to create jobs

Boafo, James and Lyons, Kristen (2021, 09 20). Global demand for cashews is booming. How Ghana can take advantage to create jobs The Conversation

Global demand for cashews is booming. How Ghana can take advantage to create jobs

2021

Journal Article

Ghana's farmers aren't all seeing the fruits of a Green Revolution

Boafo, James and Lyons, Kristen (2021, 06 15). Ghana's farmers aren't all seeing the fruits of a Green Revolution The Conversation

Ghana's farmers aren't all seeing the fruits of a Green Revolution

2021

Journal Article

Security for the big polluters: plantation forestry for carbon offset delays action on climate

Lyons, Kristen (2021). Security for the big polluters: plantation forestry for carbon offset delays action on climate. Green Agenda, Autumn.

Security for the big polluters: plantation forestry for carbon offset delays action on climate

2021

Other Outputs

Universities' relevance hinges on academic freedom

Lyons, Kristen (2021, 06 03). Universities' relevance hinges on academic freedom The Conversation

Universities' relevance hinges on academic freedom

2021

Journal Article

The rhetoric and farmers' lived realities of the Green Revolution in Africa: case study of the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana

Boafo, James and Lyons, Kristen (2021). The rhetoric and farmers' lived realities of the Green Revolution in Africa: case study of the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 57 (3), 002190962110190-423. doi: 10.1177/00219096211019063

The rhetoric and farmers' lived realities of the Green Revolution in Africa: case study of the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana

2021

Journal Article

Academic freedom's precarious future. Why it matters and what's at stake

Lyons, Kristen (2021). Academic freedom's precarious future. Why it matters and what's at stake. Australian Universities' Review , 63 (1), 4-7.

Academic freedom's precarious future. Why it matters and what's at stake

2021

Journal Article

Over the horizon: Is there an alternative to neoliberal university governance?

Hil, Richard, Thompsett, Fern and Lyons, Kristen (2021). Over the horizon: Is there an alternative to neoliberal university governance?. Social Alternatives, 41 (1), 63-69.

Over the horizon: Is there an alternative to neoliberal university governance?

2021

Journal Article

The pangolin and the coal mine: challenging the forces of extractivism, human rights abuse, and planetary calamity

Lyons, Kristen, Esposito, Anthony and Johnson, Murrawah (2021). The pangolin and the coal mine: challenging the forces of extractivism, human rights abuse, and planetary calamity. Antipode: Intervention.

The pangolin and the coal mine: challenging the forces of extractivism, human rights abuse, and planetary calamity

2021

Journal Article

Letter from the guest editor

Lyons, Kristen (2021). Letter from the guest editor. Australian Universities Review, 63 (1).

Letter from the guest editor

2021

Book Chapter

Policy and planning responses to climate change in Solomon Islands: a place for forest-based carbon offset initiatives in building just and resilient territories?

Lyons, Kristen and Walters, Peter (2021). Policy and planning responses to climate change in Solomon Islands: a place for forest-based carbon offset initiatives in building just and resilient territories?. Towards a just climate change resilience: developing resilient, anticipatory and inclusive communities response. (pp. 47-64) edited by Pedro Henrique Campello Torres and Pedro Roberto Jacobi. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan . doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-81622-3_4

Policy and planning responses to climate change in Solomon Islands: a place for forest-based carbon offset initiatives in building just and resilient territories?

2020

Journal Article

Education for a vocation or society ? The dialectic of modern and customary epistemologies in Solomon Islands

Walters, Peter, Benavides, Adrian and Lyons, Kristen (2020). Education for a vocation or society ? The dialectic of modern and customary epistemologies in Solomon Islands. Pacific Dynamics: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 4 (1), 1-16. doi: 10.18124/hgmr-7603

Education for a vocation or society ? The dialectic of modern and customary epistemologies in Solomon Islands

Funding

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2024
    Building Climate-Resilient Agri-Food Futures: Reducing Emissions and Improving FoodSecurity Through Agroecology (Monash administered Australia Awards Fellowship)
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Centring Community-based planning and participation alongside low carbon transition: a global south-north comparative study
    UQ-FAPESP Strategic Research Fund SPRINT
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2020
    ''We are the people from that land'': Beyond big coal by centering Indigenous peoples' rights in the transition to a sustainable low carbon future (GCI Flagships)
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Enhancing Economic Opportunities offered by Community and Smallholder Forestry in Solomon Islands (ACIAR Project Administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2012
    UQ Category 2 Travel Award - Kristen Lyons
    UQ Travel Awards for International Collaborative Research (Category 2)
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change (administered by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    The New Farm Owners: Finance Companies and the Restructuring of Australian and Global Agriculture
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    The politics of food security in a global age: Community impacts and responses to biofuel production in Ghana, West Africa
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor Kristen Lyons is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Gender, Conservation and Natural Resource Management in Solomon Islands

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Postapocalyptic environmental practices: the narratives and political possibilities of the Dark Mountain Project

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Heloise Weber

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Digital and Agricultural Innovation, and Alternative Agriculture Practices in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kiah Smith

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Digital and Agricultural Innovation, and Alternative Agriculture Practices in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kiah Smith

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Breaking the bias: delivering gender equality in conservation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Hugh Possingham

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Political and Environmental Contributions of Agro-Forestry and Permaculture to Build Resilience to Climate Change

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Roitman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Postapocalyptic environmental practices: the narratives and political possibilities of the Dark Mountain Project

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Heloise Weber

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Green extractivism, environmental justice and Indigenous Rights: The case of lithium mining in Chile

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Babidge

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor Kristen Lyons directly for media enquiries about:

  • carbon markets and human rights
  • development and environment
  • East Africa
  • nanotechnology in food and agriculture
  • privatised university
  • Solomon Islands and logging

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au