The Road Ahead with Dr Karen McNamara

Coming from a regional NSW town with a population of just a few thousand, Associate Professor Karen McNamara is now making a truly global impact. As a child, Karen wrote letters to the Quirindi Advocate newspaper, on topics from animal testing to concerns about the ozone layer. Her mum would drive her to the offices so she could hand-deliver them to the editor. Though they were never published, her passion for the environment and our natural world persisted.Today, Karen’s research is at the crossroads of some truly wicked problems – how livelihoods can be enhanced to respond to the triple crises of poverty, disaster risk and climate change. A development geographer, Karen works with governments, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific to build resilient and adaptable communities. But at the heart of this big picture are individuals – real people relying on experts like Karen to build a sustainable future. Karen is passionate about working collaboratively with local communities to give voice and agency to all participants in the research process.Find out more about Karen's research: https://sees.uq.edu.au/profile/9656/karen-mcnamara