September, 2026

Congratulations to Sarah Lawless, recipient of the 2026 Paul Bourke Award!

Working at the intersection of political ecology and environmental governance, Sarah has made significant contributions to understanding and advancing social justice across the institutions and policies that govern social-ecological systems. Her work, with a particular focus on tropical coastal regions, has developed practical frameworks to help researchers, policymakers and practitioners advance equity, rights and justice in fisheries, climate and conservation policy. Sarah is the first social scientist appointed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) as an AIMS@JCU Research Fellow, where she is also helping build social science capacity through mentoring emerging researchers and supervising postgraduate students. Her work with the AIMS Indigenous Partnership team has included leading research and policy guidance on blue carbon and marine tenure rights, while her global advisory roles with organisations including The Nature Conservancy, WorldFish and CARE International reflect more than a decade of applied research in international development and marine governance. The Paul Bourke Award, awarded by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, is a wonderful recognition of Sarah’s research, leadership and commitment to shaping more just and sustainable approaches to governing environmental change.