Melissa Neave

Dr. Melissa Neave is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies (GUSS) at RMIT University, Australia. She specializes in environmental geography, focusing on natural resource management and water resources. Her teaching includes undergraduate and postgraduate courses such as Sustainable Futures, Environmental Systems Analysis, and Natural Resource Management. Dr. Neave’s research bridges physical and social sciences, addressing environmental challenges at local to international scales. Notable projects include a RIRDC-funded study on rural land ownership changes and investigations into invasive native scrub impacts in semi-arid regions.

Her academic journey includes roles as an Assistant Professor at Frostburg State University (USA) and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney’s Department of Geosciences. She has also contributed to the New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change. Active in professional societies, she served on the NSW Geographical Society Council and the Australian Academy of Sciences’ National Committee for Geography. Dr. Neave’s awards include the 2008 Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award (University of Sydney) and the 1997 Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award (SUNY Buffalo).

Research interests span urban and regional planning, environmental policy, and geomorphology. She supervises projects on land ownership transitions, invasive species effects, and sustainable agricultural practices. Collaborative work includes studies on hydropower policies, urban heat islands, and biodiversity-amenity links in Melbourne’s river corridors.