Michaela Spencer

Michaela Spencer is a Senior Research Fellow at the Northern Institute within Charles Darwin University's Faculty of Arts and Society. Her academic background spans environmental science, sociology, geography, and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Spencer leads collaborative research with Indigenous knowledge authorities focused on developing policy frameworks from the 'Ground Up'. Her work involves engagement with government agencies, service providers, university staff, and remote Indigenous communities across northern Australia.

Research Focus: Spencer's scholarship centers on bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to address contemporary policy challenges. Her key research streams include:

• Developing participatory methodologies for disaster resilience and emergency management in remote communities
• Co-designing evaluation frameworks for Indigenous governance initiatives
• Analyzing knowledge practices in environmental policy and land/sea management
• Advancing culturally-responsive health communication and service design

Her publication portfolio (71+ outputs) demonstrates consistent focus on decolonial methodologies, with recent works emphasizing community-led evaluation, intercultural health communication, and place-based governance. Thematic analysis reveals increasing engagement with climate vulnerability, Indigenous data sovereignty, and participatory knowledge co-production.

Awards & Recognition:

• Vice Chancellor's Award for Research Impact (2023)
• STS Making and Doing Award (2020)
• CIFAS Staff Award for Exceptional Performance in Research (2020)

Research Leadership: Spencer has led 15+ funded projects including ARC grants on Indigenous language preservation ($1.2M DP210100228), sea country management, and VET delivery models. She co-founded TopEndSTS – a collaborative research network advancing situated methodologies in northern Australia. Spencer currently supervises postgraduate research and coordinates international workshops on STS practices.

Community Engagement: She maintains long-term partnerships with Yolŋu communities in East Arnhem Land, developing evaluation frameworks for the Northern Territory Government's Local Decision Making Strategy and Remote Engagement Coordination. Her 'Ground Up' approach centers Indigenous authorities in disaster management, health governance, and land stewardship initiatives.