Jessica K Weir

Jessica K Weir is an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture & Society, Western Sydney University. She is a non-Indigenous scholar with over two decades of collaboration with Indigenous leaders in Australia, focusing on environmental issues and natural hazard risk through a lens that holds environment and society in intimate relation.

Her educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian National University. Prior to her academic career, she built extensive experience through 20 years in the public, private and community sectors, including ten years with the Native Title Research Unit at the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Weir's research re-thinks nature and what counts as evidence about nature, innovating in areas traditionally investigated by the natural sciences. Her internationally recognized book Murray River Country (Aboriginal Studies Press, 2009) examines how Indigenous leaders critique the public sector's either/or hyper-separation of nature and society. Her scholarship is in dialogue with human geography, Indigenous studies, decolonial studies, political science, the environmental humanities, and science and technology studies. She prioritizes non-traditional research outputs such as training for public servants and collaborations with artists, including the "So you care about Indigenous scholars?" poster series and "At risk in the climate crisis" podcast series.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on centering Indigenous knowledge systems within environmental management, natural hazard risk mitigation, and academic structures. Her work increasingly emphasizes relational approaches to knowledge exchange, challenging colonial frameworks in environmental research and advocating for more equitable partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems. A significant portion of her recent work addresses cultural burning practices and their integration into public sector fire management.

Her notable scientific awards include:

• Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Award 'Excellence in Indigenous Research' (2023)
• Dorothy R Taylor Award – Best Paper (2021)
• Emergency Communication – Research, overall category winner (2022)

Weir serves as a node leader in the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre and has led multiple significant research projects, including "Aboriginal relief and recovery - Inquiry into Victoria's Bushfires 2019-2020" (2021), "Cultural hazards: knowledge, practice and risk management with Aboriginal communities in southern Australia" (2017-2021), and "Scientific Diversity, Scientific Uncertainty and Risk Mitigation Policy and Planning" (2014-2022). She is available to supervise PhD students in her areas of expertise and is an editorial board member of the Routledge Environmental Humanities Book Series.

She actively collaborates with natural scientists and is deeply engaged with Indigenous communities, particularly through her work with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre which focuses on integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into natural hazard management frameworks.