Alexandra Knight

Environmental Science

Dr Alexandra Knight

PhD CSU, M Env Man UNE, Grad Dip Env Stud (Hons) UTAS, BA USYD

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management
Port Macquarie
Building 801

Alexandra is an environmental scientist who works closely with community groups and natural resource managers to build new knowledge and transformative management of Australian nature.  Alex focusses on socio-ecological research and her work with Australian frogs in freshwater wetlands and mangroves in tidal wetlands explores systems and processes that lead to better management. Prior to becoming an academic, Alexandra worked as a threatened species manager.  She developed catchment wide biodiversity programmes and led a team developing and implementing collaborative actions with farmers and agencies to conserve Australian birds, mammals and frogs. Alexandra started her career as a national park and marine ranger working on diverse issues from fire to ferals and was privileged to work closely with Ngyampaa, Githabul and Wiradjuri Elders.

Having grown up on oyster farms and amidst mangroves, Alex loves estuaries and living and working in east coast Australia.

Honorary Research Associate, Oxford University

Member, Sydney Environment Institute

Member, Ecological Society of Australia

Member, Australian Historical Association

Member, Homeward Bound 8 and The Convergence

Google Scholar

Homeward Bound

Alexandra’s teaching and research encompasses a wide spectrum of subjects within the environmental policy and management discipline. Her expertise has been built through her considerable professional experience working in national parks and conservation on private land in eastern Australia.  She draws on case study material from her own experience to deepen her students’ knowledge of environmental policy, wildlife management and urban green space management, as well as her considerable experience in environmental planning.  Teaching for over 15 years with Charles Sturt University, Alexandra uses approaches that build knowledge while facilitating peer-to-peer learning.  The wider community also benefit from Alexandra’s teaching and facilitation skills as she often leads community talks, field-based events and workshops.

Alexandra enjoys supervising Honours and Higher Degree Research students, and is available for supervision.

Alexandra focusses on transdisciplinary processes that underpin evidence-informed environmental change and regeneration. She is increasingly applying right-way science in her work and actively exploring decolonising methodologies. Her PhD in environmental management, which modelled habitat used by endangered frogs and applied environmental sociology approaches to explore constraints and enablers to applying new environmental knowledge has been impactful in changing management and policy. Her past work in green space management in regional Australia has also led to changes in management approaches.

As her research is focussed on connections, processes, systems and transformation, she is currently leading a number of diverse interdisciplinary research teams building research into burrowing frog ecology, intertidal vegetation and climate anxiety and eco-grief.