COMMUNICATING AND SHARING DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
Projects
What I'm working on — research projects, collaborations, and recent activities.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Post-event bushfire communication research
2026–present
Contributing to post-event social research on community communication during the Montrose bushfire, 2026.
ACT Disaster Resilience Policy and Research Forum
University of Canberra / ACT Government / Susan Atkinson Consulting
2025–present
In August 2025 I organised the inaugural ACT Disaster Resilience Policy and Research Forum, bringing together over 65 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community organisations. Co-hosted with the ACT Government, the Centre for Environmental Governance, and the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra. The forum supported implementation of the ACT Disaster Resilience Strategy 2024–2030, generated valuable cross-sector conversations, and established new relationships across research, policy, and practice. Planning is underway for the next forum, which will focus on systemic barriers to community disaster resilience and the role of social capital and social cohesion.
Recent activities
CEG Sustainability Seminar Series
Centre for Environmental Governance, University of Canberra, 2026
Presented research findings on community-constructed disaster communication infrastructure to an interdisciplinary audience of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners at the University of Canberra's Centre for Environmental Governance Sustainability Seminar Series.
You can watch the presentation here.
AFAC25 Conference
Perth, August 2025
Presented PhD research findings at the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services and Australian Disaster Research Conference. Paper: Building community communication networks during disasters: Lessons from recent bushfires and floods. Published in the AFAC25 Conference Proceedings.
IAMCR Conference
Singapore, July 2025
Presented PhD research to the International Association of Media and Communication Research conference, introducing the concept of information intermediaries to an international communication studies audience.
Conference Posters
Natural Hazards Research Australia Forum and AFAC/ADRC Conferences, 2023–2026
Presented research posters at the Natural Hazards Research Australia Forum and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Conference across multiple years, sharing PhD research findings with practitioner, policy, and research audiences. The most recent poster, summarising the completed research, is available to download on the [Research] page.
IAMCR Conference
Christchurch, New Zealand, 2024
Presented initial PhD research findings at the International Association for Media and Communication Research conference, engaging with scholars from across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Post-event bushfire communication research
2026–present
Contributing to post-event social research on community communication during the Montrose bushfire, 2026.