Kim de Rijke

Dr Kim de Rijke is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Higher Degree Research (HDR) Students at the School of Social Science, The University of Queensland. With a PhD in Anthropology from UQ, their work bridges Environmental Anthropology and Indigenous Studies, focusing on energy extraction, land/water rights, and human-environment relations.

• Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Their research explores coal seam gas (CSG) and unconventional gas development in Australia, examining social responses through frameworks like energy justice, climate change, and cultural heritage. Recent publications analyze contested resource environments, including the Great Artesian Basin and the Beetaloo Basin, while advising on native title claims and cultural water values for Indigenous communities.

Key projects include grants from the Centre for Native Title Anthropology (2025-2028) and the UQ Early Career Researcher fund (2019-2021). They have supervised PhD students on topics such as "Liquid Heritage: The Birth and Evolution of Tulou Society" and "The Symbolic Politics of Belonging", emphasizing applied anthropology in policy and community engagement.

Kim leads the SocioHealthLab at UQ and contributes to the UQ Bioarchaeology and Osteology Network (BONE). They are a key figure in indigenous agreement-making and social impact assessment for resource developments, with expertise in traditional connections to land and water and legal anthropology.