A/Prof Melissa Parsons
Associate Professor in Physical Geography - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education; School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Phone: +61 02 6773 3527
Email: melissa.parsons@une.edu.au
Biography
Melissa Parsons is a resilience scientist with interdisciplinary research interests in disaster resilience, environmental resilience, large flood disturbances, river science and management, and environmental psychology. Melissa works at the interface between theory and practice and examines the ways that constructs such as resilience, scale and adaptive management can advance natural hazard and environmental management outcomes.
Melissa contributes to large-scale programs of national significance. She led the development of the Australian Disaster Resilience Index, and conducted the first national-level assessment of disaster resilience in Australia (www.adri.bnhcrc.com.au). Previous research has contributed to the National Carbon Accounting System, the Sustainable Rivers Audit and the AUSRIVAS river health assessment. Her post-doctoral research examined the ecological effects of the February 2000 floods across southern Africa on the rivers of Kruger National Park.
Melissa teaches courses in natural hazards and environmental management, and supervises PhD students in areas of river and floodplain science, psychology and natural hazards.
Melissa is the Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.
Qualifications
BAppSc (Hons) (University of Canberra), PhD (University of Canberra)
Teaching Areas
GEPL390/490/590 Planning Policy for Hazards
GEPL315/415 Uncertainty, Science and Policy Making
Course Coordinator, Planning and Management of Natural Hazards
PhD Student Advisor
Supervision Areas
- River science and management including riparian vegetation ecology, river landscapes, environmental monitoring and assessment, ecological resilience
- Natural hazards including assessing disaster resilience, large floods, ecological impacts of natural hazards
