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Lead councillor

Professor Liam Smith

Monash University

Expertise:

  • Application of behavioural science to biodiversity issues
  • Measurement and understanding of community biodiversity knowledge, attitudes and behaviours
  • Design and evaluation of behaviour change interventions
  • Connection between behaviour and systemic change

Affiliations:

  • Board Member of Inclusive Australia
  • Member of the Customer Engagement Committee for South East Water
  • MSDI Executive

Professor Liam Smith is director and co-founder of BehaviourWorks Australia - an initiative of Monash University and Australia's leading authority on behaviour change.

Liam's work aims to understand human behaviour and how to influence it in order to shape policies and programs that achieve results on the ground. BehaviourWorks has a portfolio of over 700 projects and Liam has personally been involved in more than 300 behaviour of these. As part of his role, he has led the development of a unique research methodology (The Method), which is used to inform, develop and design behaviour change interventions and improve their efficacy.

Liam's specific research interests include spillover (how engaging in one positive behaviour affects the probability of engagement - or disengagement - in a second behaviour), breaking and forming habits and the nexus between behaviour and systemic change. He has applied these interests across a range of environmental, social and health public policy areas.

“I was trained as an ecologist but switched to the social sciences about 20 years ago because of frustration about the influence of the natural sciences on decision making. I wanted to be part of the Biodiversity Council because of its commitment to drawing on the social sciences, in collaboration with traditional natural sciences, to try to make a difference." - Professor Liam Smith

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Acknowledgements

The Biodiversity Council acknowledges the First Peoples of the lands and waters of Australia, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and future and expresses gratitude for long and ongoing custodianship of Country.

The Biodiversity Council is an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. It is hosted by The University of Melbourne. It receives funding from 11 university partners and The Ian Potter Foundation, The Ross Trust, Trawalla Foundation, The Rendere Trust, Isaacson Davis Foundation, Coniston Charitable Trust and Angela Whitbread.



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Contact

Biodiversity Council

(c/o University of Melbourne)

Faculty of Science, SAFES (Building 122)

Victoria 3010 Australia


Enquiries

Email the Biodiversity Council

Media Manager

Jaana Dielenberg

Email Jaana

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