DR KAREN HUSSEY

Dr Karen Hussey is Deputy Director General, Environmental Policy and Programs in the Queensland Department of Environment and Science where she leads the Government’s policy and programs relating to the Great Barrier Reef, climate change, resource recovery and waste, biodiversity conservation, historic heritage and broader environmental policy, for example relating to mine rehabilitation, wetlands and migratory birds. 

Prior to taking up the role, Karen was inaugural director of the University of Queensland’s Centre for Policy Futures. Trained as a political scientist and economist, Karen’s research focused on the policy, governance and regulatory implications of a wide range of policy challenges, including climate change, trade liberalisation, new and emerging technologies, and science, research and innovation.  

Over fifteen years, Karen held several positions at the ANU and UQ, including as the ANU Vice Chancellor’s Representative in Europe, which saw her based in Brussels managing the ANU’s relationships with European universities and research institutes, and she enjoyed collaborative research opportunities with universities including Princeton, Yale, and Oxford, and she is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Centre for Societal Resilience at the University of Auckland.  In 2019, Karen and Adam Davey and colleagues developed the Churchill-UQ Policy Impact Program, an initiative designed to further enhance the Churchill Trust’s impact in policy and investment decision-making.