Nancy Cushing

Associate Professor Nancy Cushing is an environmental history specialist at the University of Newcastle, serving in the School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci (History department). She holds leadership roles including Director of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Deputy President of Academic Senate (Research). Currently, she is the Coral Thomas Fellow at the State Library of New South Wales (2024–25), researching a history of animals in Sydney.

Education:

• PhD, University of Newcastle
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History, Dalhousie University, Canada
• Master of Museum Studies, University of Toronto

Her research focuses on human-animal relations, environmental history, urban memorialisation, and energy transitions. She explores how species coexist in changing ecosystems and critiques colonial monuments through frameworks like the Anthropocene. Her work integrates Australian history with global environmental challenges.

Publications emphasize interdisciplinary themes: environmental anxiety, criminology pedagogy, colonial resource extraction, and industrial gender dynamics. Trends include leveraging historical narratives to address climate justice and public memory.

Awards:

• Coral Thomas Fellowship (2024–25)
• Merewether Scholarship (2013)

She supervises multiple PhD and Master’s students in history and sociology, with projects ranging from convict mobility to Indigenous iconoclasm. Grants include $110,000 for animal history research and $15,000 for digital reimagining of monuments.

She directs the Centre for the Study of Violence, coordinating events on genocide and gendered violence. She also co-leads the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Environmental History Network and the Australian Historical Association.