Research

Master of Science: Ecological Research

Melanie's Masters research focused on the life history traits and ecological characteristics of Girella cyanea, a species now listed as vulnerable that has disappeared from the East Coast of Australia, where it once had a healthy distribution.

The research was conducted across six sites on Lord Howe Island, one of the few places where the species still exists and where local people continue to fish it. At each site, Melanie investigated diet, habitat use, age and growth, and the ecological interactions that shape the species' survival. The work combined fieldwork with quantitative analysis, building a detailed picture of the life history parameters needed to develop meaningful management recommendations.

The research contributed to the evidence base for protecting a vulnerable species at a critical moment in its ecological trajectory, and gave Melanie a rigorous grounding in quantitative research methods that continues to inform how she approaches evidence and analysis today.

Doctoral Research: University of Technology Sydney

Melanie's doctoral research at UTS investigated the role of Knowledge Innovation Communities in accelerating systemic climate action. Over six years, she combined organisational management coursework with deep qualitative research into how communities built around shared knowledge and collaborative innovation create, or fail to create, lasting change.

Where her Masters work was quantitative, her doctoral research was qualitative. The methods included interviews, surveys, and participatory social mapping, giving her direct access to the perspectives, relationships, and dynamics that shape how organisations and communities respond to climate challenges. This is research that gets inside the human systems, not just the data.

Melanie withdrew before submitting the final thesis, having decided that direct practice would create more meaningful change than an academic publication. The findings and frameworks live in her work through SENSiBiLiZER. She intends to publish the research as a book, written for a wider readership than a thesis allows.

Research Capabilities

Taken together, Melanie's research background spans both ends of the methodological spectrum. She is comfortable with quantitative fieldwork and statistical analysis, and equally at home with qualitative methods designed to understand human behaviour, social systems, and organisational dynamics.