Lauren Rickards

Lauren Rickards is a Professor of Climate Change Adaptation at La Trobe University and Director of the La Trobe Climate Change Adaptation Lab. Her research focuses on climate impacts across sectors like agriculture, health, and emergency management, emphasizing systemic adaptation and work-related challenges. With a background in Human Geography (University of Oxford, Rhodes Scholar), she co-authored the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report and explores university roles in societal change.

Education: BSc (Hons) in Ecology (Melbourne), MSc in Environmental Change & Management (Oxford), DPhil in Human Geography (Oxford). Previous roles include Director at RMIT's Urban Futures Platform and Research Fellow at Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.

Research interests span climate justice, organizational resilience, and the Anthropocene. Recent grants include projects on rural adaptation and worker education. Awards include Rhodes Scholarship and IPCC Lead Authorship. She supervises students in climate adaptation and related fields.

Labs/Teams: La Trobe Climate Change Adaptation Lab. Grants: Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund (2024-2025), Victorian Trades Hall Council (2024-2025). Awards highlighted include her Rhodes Scholarship and IPCC contributions.