Bushfire researcher Dr Hamish Clarke awarded Westpac Research Fellowship

Dr Hamish Clarke’s research into the impact of climate change on the critical drivers of bushfire will be supported by a Westpac Research Fellowship.

The $451,000 Fellowship will support Dr Clarke’s work as he joins the University’s School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences and works closely with fire managers and community members to deliver significant new capacities to predict and manage fire.

The Fellowship will also support Dr Clarke’s research work into enabling necessary positive changes for communities to coexist with bushfires in a warming world.

“My career goal is to bring science and society closer together. Studying bushfire and climate change has given me plenty of opportunities to work across disciplines and with industry, government and the public,” Dr Clarke said.

“I believe it is by tapping into this collective expertise and providing a holistic perspective on the nature of bushfire risk that we can collectively take sustainable and effective action.”

The Fellowship will provide leadership development opportunities and diverse global networks that Dr Clarke says will aid in catalysing important advances in bushfire risk management and the public understanding of risk.

Established in partnership with leading research universities in 2016, the Westpac Research Fellowship supports early career researchers to cover their salary and professional development experiences.

This year’s Fellowships are co-funded in partnership with the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney.