Associate Professor Lisa Lobry de Bruyn

Biography

Associate Professor Lisa Lobry de Bruyn joined UNE in July 1993 and has been involved in teaching units of several degrees in Environmentral Science and Natural Resource Management area. In 2017 she moved to the discipline of Agronomy and Soil Science and in 2025 became Convenor of the discipline.

My research activities (over 30 years) originated from my concern over the decline in healthy and functioning soils - understanding the biophysical processes and determining the types of solutions that need to be applied to conserve and protect the soil.  In Australia I have researched the importance of soil biota (ants, termites and earthworms) in restoring the balance between soil degradation effects (accelerated soil erosion, decline in organic matter, changes in soil biodiversity) and restorative effects (alleviation of soil compaction, increase in water infiltration rate, mixing of soil organic matter).  In 2019 I co-edited a volume of Soil Use and Management that showcased research and extension activities around the world on how to improve soil knowledge sharing and raise the profile of local soil knowledge. I use both qualitative and quantitative research paradigms, with a participative, action research model for investigating landholders’ understanding of soil health, and the ramifications for monitoring land condition. My research focuses on farmers' understanding of soil health, and soil information seeking behaviours that will improve how we share soil information and build genuine partnerships with land managers to turn it into action knowledge. Into the future such research will improve the monitoring of land condition for sustainable land management and soil use. My research is recognised internationally, both through my publications (> 150 journal and peer refereed conference papers, which includes 77 refereed journal articles and 12 book chapters) and citation of my papers since 1993 is on Google scholar: Total cites 4811, h index 33, 21 June 2026).

Each year, I continue to develop my teaching further in response to both students' comments and educational theory.  Hence, my teaching has been continually evolving to reach its present state, and hopes it will continue to do so. It may be of interest to know a bit about my background and the experiences that have shaped my views of the world.  So here goes!

I originate from WA, and often my examples of land management reflect that bias.  I completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Western Australia in the Science Faculty, majoring in Physical Geography. Geography suited my desire to solve applied and relevant environmental problems and opened my eyes to the fact that environmental problems are human problems.  I read quite recently "that the problem is not the problem but our old solution to the problem".  In my Honours year, I became interested in the release of marginal agricultural land for farming, which was topical at the time. I also worked for the following year after graduation compiling coastal management reports for Cervantes and Jurien Bay, north of Perth.

After a year in the public service, I realised I wanted to have more autonomy and control over my career, and decided to start postgraduate studies in 1986. She spent the next 4 years working in the central wheatbelt of WA, at CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology's field study area north of Kellerberrin.  My PhD thesis examined the role of ants and termites in soil modification in the naturally vegetated and agricultural habitats of a semi-arid environment. The findings of the thesis have ramifications for soil degradation, reserve management, nutrient cycling, food chains, ecosystem monitoring, soil formation processes, soil classification and soil variability.  The field area also gave me the opportunity to mix with a wide variety of researchers and to talk to farmers about her research, although the intrinsic value of research was not always clear to farmers.

I submitted my PhD in October 1990 and started work in the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in Tasmania. I was employed as a Project Officer for a Dairy Research and Development Corporation project which conducted research into the effects of irrigated dairy farming practices on soil structural properties and earthworm numbers.  I again worked on farmers' properties and found the experience rewarding and insightful. The research has contributed to understanding how soil macrofauna affect soil fertility and pasture production. At present, I am involved in several projects which delve further into the role of soil fauna, particularly macrofauna, in maintaining soil health in various agricultural systems in northern NSW as well as capturing farmers' understanding of soil health and the implications for on-farm monitoring. In the future, I sees myself continuing to conduct research into soils, utilising a geographer's integrative and multi-disciplinary approach; seeking to improve understanding of the management and formation of soils in Australia; and assisting land users to make decisions that will conserve and wisely manage the soil.

I also supervise a wide range of higher degree research students examining topics from adaption tipping points in rice growing areas of Bangladesh, local knowledge on soil health and its use by smallholder farmers in Vietnam, ecotourism ventures and the role of community participation in Vietnam for conservation and livelihood development, and livestock innovation platforms and sustainable intensification in the Ethiopian highlands. Despite the obvious diversity of topics, they all have a common thread of connecting people to the landscape they live in and ensuring we can sustainably manage it under an increasingly complex social-ecological environment.

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