Dr Tom Measham is a human geographer working on the social dimensions of environmental challenges.

Dr Tom Measham: understanding social dimensions of environmental management

Dr Tom Measham’s research aims to understand the social dimensions of complex environmental challenges and building adaptive capacity through participatory and learning processes.

• 6 November 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

As a human geographer working in natural resource management, Dr Tom Measham focuses his research on identifying and addressing social dimensions of environmental challenges. His areas of research interest include:

• understanding and overcoming constraints for climate adaptation
• developing capacity to manage complex problems
• understanding how people learn about environments
• social learning through evaluation.

Dr Measham's current research includes:

• systems approach to climate adaptation in Sydney working with local councils and the Sydney Coastal Council Group. Project website [external link]. 
• facilitating social learning through an evaluation of participatory trials to improve dryland salinity management in Western Australia
• determining success factors for community engagement in regional natural resource management  through a case study of the Lake Eyre Basin
• Analysing Rural Transition (ART) – social science to support community development in regional Victoria.

Background

Dr Measham joined CSIRO in Townsville, North Queensland, in 1998. 

In 2004 he moved to Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), to join the Resource Futures program at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Division. 

Before joining CSIRO, Dr Measham was a research officer and tutor at the School of Tropical Environmental Studies and Geography at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Academic qualifications

Dr Measham holds the following qualifications:

• Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1994
• Master of Science from James Cook University, Queensland, 1998
• Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2004.

Achievements

Dr Measham has the following awards and association memberships:

• Eureka 'Innovative Solutions To Climate Change' Award for Sydney Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, 2009
• CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Divisional partnerships Award, 2008.

He has also a member of:

• Geography National Curriculum Reference Panel (Professional Advisor), Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
• Institute of Australian Geographers, 2003–present.

Read about working with rural communities in Farm water futures.