Karen McNamara

Karen’s research has influenced climate change policy, adaptation planning, and community resilience initiatives across the Asia-Pacific. Through more than 30 research and capacity‑building grants totalling over $11.5 million, her work has generated new evidence, frameworks, and practical tools now used by governments, NGOs, regional bodies, and international organisations.

Her pioneering work on non‑economic loss and damage, developed through an ARC Future Fellowship, produced the first conceptualisation of loss and damage grounded in Pacific perspectives. This work has been used by island governments, NGOs, and Pacific regional institutions to shape policy submissions and negotiations under the UNFCCC.

Her research on climate‑related human rights violations has informed advocacy and international legal processes led by the Government of Vanuatu, while her work with UN Women has guided gender-responsive recovery programming in disaster‑affected communities. Through an ARC Linkage project, she helped identify optimisation points for adaptation outcomes, now informing how agencies design and evaluate adaptation investments.

Karen’s current ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship (2026–2031) deepens these contributions by working with frontline communities across the Pacific, DFAT, and regional partners to co-develop new approaches to climate‑driven non‑economic losses. This fellowship aims to reshape how Australia and the region understand, measure, and respond to the emotional, cultural, spiritual, and relational dimensions of climate change.