Elizabeth Lester

Elizabeth Lester is Professor (Research) in the Department of Communications within the Faculty of Arts at Monash University, where she also serves as Director of the Monash Climate Change Communications Hub. She joined Monash in 2024 after a distinguished career at the University of Tasmania, where she held the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Environment and Heritage and led the Institute for Social Change. Her work bridges academia, policy, and public engagement, focusing on the critical role of media and communication in shaping responses to climate change and environmental challenges.

Her academic background includes a BA in Physical Geography and Prehistory from the Australian National University (ANU) and a PhD in Media and Communications from the University of Melbourne. These educational foundations underpin her interdisciplinary approach to environmental communication, integrating insights from geography, media studies, and social sciences.

Professor Lester’s research centers on environmental communications, climate change, and the role of media in public understanding and policy formation. She investigates how communities, industries, and governments adapt to environmental stress, with a regional focus on the Australia-Asia area. Her work explores social licence in sectors such as mining and aquaculture, climate reporting in Indonesian media, and the use of sport as a platform for environmental advocacy. She has led numerous Australian Research Council (ARC)-funded projects and currently oversees active research initiatives on youth climate action, electric vehicle adoption, and public understanding of energy transition.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on climate communication, public perception, and environmental justice. Articles from 2024–2025 examine food insecurity, diet quality, climate understanding in Malaysia, and media engagement with Antarctica and biodiversity loss. These works reflect a broad yet cohesive research agenda that combines empirical social research with critical media analysis.

• United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award (1997)
• UNESCO Chair in Communication, Environment and Heritage (2020)
• Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in Response to COVID-19 (2020)
• Anne Dunn Scholar Award (2022)
• Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women, 2025 (for service to education, arts, and media)

Professor Lester has supervised over 25 PhD students and continues to mentor graduate researchers in environmental communication and related fields. Her research is supported by multi-disciplinary partnerships with government, scientific institutions, community organizations, and industry. She is actively involved in translating research into public policy and media engagement, exemplified by her ongoing journalism for Radio National and major Australian publications. She coordinates large-scale collaborative projects that aim to provide timely, evidence-based information for decision-making in times of environmental crisis.

She leads the Monash Climate Change Communications Hub, a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to advancing knowledge on climate communication. The Hub fosters collaboration across Monash and with external partners to support both immediate and long-term societal responses to climate change. Her work is deeply connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate action, sustainable cities, and reduced inequalities.