Georgina Gurney

Georgina Gurney is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University's College of Arts, Education & Social Sciences, affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Her research focuses on environmental social science, examining governance of coral reef conservation and sustainability in the Asia-Pacific. She holds a PhD and BSc (1st Class Honours) from James Cook University.

Research Interests: Her work integrates geography, sociology, and psychology to study collaborative governance, equity in conservation, and social-ecological systems. Key areas include coral reef co-management, justice perceptions, and transdisciplinary knowledge co-production with practitioners.

Awards: APEC ASPIRE Prize (2022), International Coral Reef Society Early Career Award (2022), DECRA Fellowship (2021–), Fulbright Fellowship (2019), and multiple conservation leadership roles.

Grants & Leadership: Leads the NCEAS Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) Coastal Outcomes Working Group. Co-founded the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee at the ARC Centre. Serves on editorial boards for Sustainability Science and People and Nature.

Key Projects: Advanced frameworks for fairness in conservation, social-ecological monitoring tools, and global justice in marine management. Active in promoting equity in science and policy through initiatives like the Marine Social Science Network.