Dr Arjuna Dibley receives Paul Bourke Award for early-career social sciences research

Dr Arjuna Dibley, Melbourne Climate Futures Senior Research Fellow and head of the Sustainable Finance Hub, has been awarded the Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Research by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Dr Dibley is a law and economics expert whose research focuses on global sustainability issues, including climate change policy, sustainable finance, and energy innovation.

Academy of Social Sciences President Professor Richard Holden extended his congratulations to Dr Dibley, acknowledging his dedication to advancing knowledge through social science research.

‘The Academy takes great pride in nurturing the next generation of social scientists and highlighting their invaluable contributions. These awards recognise the most exceptional early- and mid-career researchers in Australia,’ Professor Holden said.

On 5 September, Melbourne Climate Futures launched its Sustainable Finance Hub, with Dr Dibley as its lead researcher. ‘Dr Dibley is a gifted and dedicated researcher, whose commitment to leveraging the finance sector to urgently address the global climate crisis is matched only by his insight, immense work ethic and value as a colleague,’ said Melbourne Climate Futures Director Professor Jacqueline Peel.

‘He is greatly deserving of this recognition.’

The Academy will recognise Dr Dibley at its annual dinner on 23 November 2023, and he will give a public lecture on his research during Social Sciences Week 2024, offering an opportunity for the broader community to engage with his research and work.

Previously a corporate lawyer, strategy adviser and policy analyst at leading private and public sector organisations in Australia, Asia and the US, Dr Dibley is also a Board Member and Company Secretary of Environmental Justice Australia, a Board Member of CarbonPlan and a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Development.

The award honours researchers in the early part of their career who have achieved excellence in scholarship in one or more fields of the social sciences.