Associate Professor Rebekah Brown - Program Leader

Rebekah leads the National Urban Water Governance Program at Monash University, and is an Associate Professor within the School of Geography and Environmental Science. Rebekah has specialised in environmental and sustainability issues, as a civil engineer and social scientist over the last 15 years, and in 2007 was the recipient of the Monash University Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher of the Year Award. Over the last five years she has advised governments across NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland on institutional development and policy application in the water sector.

Upon graduating at the top of her year in civil engineering, she was awarded the Australian Ove Arup & Partners Fellowship for Excellence in Engineering Studies. The first eight years of her career was spent as an industry consultant focusing on improving water quality and water conservation in major infrastructure projects such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (UK) and the Bangkok Yannawa Wastewater Scheme (Thailand). Deciding to pursue her social science research interests, in 2003 she was awarded a doctorate across the social and physical sciences by the University of New South Wales. 

Her research involves working closely with industry to provide a credible knowledge base for developing institutional capacity, improving water governance and ultimately delivering more sustainable forms of water management. Rebekah’s research spans methods for interdisciplinary data collection techniques, socio-technical transition processes relating to adaptive governance and organisational leadership, and operational frameworks for institutional capacity building at different levels of environmental governance.

Rebekah has been a Keynote Speaker at a number of conferences including the: The 3rd International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design: Cities as Catchments in Adelaide 2004; The Planning Institute of Australia: Queensland State Conference in Brisbane 2005; The 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage in Copenhagen 2005, The 5th South Pacific Stormwater Conference, 2007, in Auckland; and the Urban Drainage Summit: Shifting Towards a Water Sensitive City, (2007), Perth.

Dr Megan Farrelly is a Research Fellow with the National Urban Water Governance Program, located in the School of Geography and Environmental Science, based at Monash University. Over the last eight years, Megan has developed a strong background in applied social science research, examining complex governance issues in urban and rural environments. Following the successful completion of her PhD in Geography from The University of Western Australia in 2006, which focused on evaluating integrated environmental planning and management across Australia, she has focused on applying her understanding of the institutional and social complexities faced in rural, regional areas to policy fields in an urban context.

Megan currently leads a national research project investigating the role and importance of demonstration projects in the urban water sector for promoting institutional learning. Through extensive engagement with urban water practitioners and detailed reviews of eleven ‘demonstration projects’ (e.g. Inkerman Oasis, Melbourne; Wungong Urban Water Project, Perth; Payne Road, Brisbane), Megan has gained a deeper understanding of the institutional complexities faced in pursuing different approaches (alternative technologies and practices) to traditional practices. Megan is also actively engaged in other NUWGP research projects including a project funded by CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship funding to investigate institutional impediments to advancing the implementation of decentralised urban water management regimes.

Drawing on her varied experience, Megan has provided policy advice to governments around the need  for advancing more sustainable urban water management practices, has participated in a national workshop series aimed at promoting the development of ‘Water Sensitive Cities’ and has presented key research findings at numerous national and international forums and published in relevant academic journals.

Megan has broad professional experience and interest in sustainable urban water management, sustainable cities, integrated environmental planning and management, policy formulation, integration and evaluation, institutional capacity building and community engagement and participation. She is a member of the Australian Water Association, the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, and the Institute of Australian Geographers.

Peter Morison joined the National Urban Water Governance Program in September 2006 as a postdoctoral researcher. Peter's PhD considers the application of urban stormwater policy within the typical state-local intergovernmental context and the refinement of program interventions that are sympathetic to the relative capacities of the local councils involved. This is a new area for policy research where policy instruments are devised and mixed according to institutional capacity. The research involves a case study of the $20 million stormwater quality programs led by Melbourne Water. Peter comes to the Program with over 10 years experience in catchment management in NSW working for a number of local councils, state agencies and as a consultant. His passion for local government and the management of the waterways environment provides a solid foundation for this research project.

2. Post-graduate Students

Ms Annette Bos - PhD Candidate
Annette joined the program in January 2008 as a PhD researcher.
Although an engineer by education, her main area of interest concerns governance of the water services sector and organisational development of water organisations. Her PhD research investigates the characteristics and processes of past and current sustainable urban water management (SUWM) idea translation in the context of the Cooks River Catchment in Sydney, Australia. Based on its findings, this research seeks to strengthen the link between idea translation and system innovation. The research aims will be achieved primarily through an in-depth case study analysis of a ‘governance experiment’ aimed at translating the SUWM idea.

Prior to joining the program, Annette was a Lecturer in Water Services Management at UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands. She has been extensively involved in research, consultancy and educational activities in Africa and Europe. She also attended a number of international water conferences and platforms. Before joining UNESCO- IHE in 2000, Annette obtained a Masters of Science from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

Annette views her research project in the National Urban Water Governance Program as a unique opportunity to study at the interface of technical and social facets of sustainable water management in an urban environment.

Mr Andre Taylor - PhD Candidate
André Taylor is a PhD student within the Program. Previously a part-time Research Fellow with the Program, André is undertaking a PhD research project titled “Sustainable Urban Water Management: The Champion Phenomenon” (2006-09).
André has 17 years of experience in the fields of environmental management and specifically urban water and waterway management. His expertise has been gained through working in Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria for consultancies, State government, local government and academia.
His areas of expertise are:

1. Leadership research and development.
2. Urban water cycle policy, strategic planning and governance.
3. Urban stormwater and water quality management.
4. Non-structural urban stormwater management measures.
5. Life cycle costing and triple-bottom-line assessment.
6. Communication training and group facilitation.
7. Environmental management.
8. Monitoring and evaluation.

Ms Susan van de Meene - PhD Candidate
Susan van de Meene is a PhD student with the National Urban Water Governance Program, exploring sustainable urban water governance. Susan has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Geography) and Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) at the University of Melbourne. Since graduating, Susan has worked in engineering and environmental consulting on a variety of projects relating to urban water management and design of water management systems. She has developed a particular interest in the social aspects of engineering and is working on a PhD project that aims to develop an institutional capacity assessment framework. The project will explore the attributes of 'good institutional capacity' for a sustainable urban water management system, institutional arrangements and operation for a future sustainable urban water management system, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It is expected that the framework will inform the strategic design and implementation of capacity building interventions to advance sustainable urban water management.

Ms Katie Brookes – MA Candidate
Katie Brookes is a chemical engineer, graduating from the University of Sydney in 2003. Since graduating, Katie has worked in a variety of job roles: risk and safety management of oil and gas developments, the commissioning of a water treatment facility and within the last two years, technical and policy development of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) strategies. Her recent consulting work in WSUD highlighted the inertia of land developers in adopting the new principles of urban water management espoused through WSUD.  Katie’s masters of research aims to address this problem by  investigating the receptivity of the private residential land development sector in adopting WSUD and the governance framework / tools required to improve adoption.

Ms Yvette Bettini – PhD Candidate
Yvette joined the National Urban Water Governance Program in May 2009 as a PhD Candidate. Her PhD will place theory and international experience within the case study city of Perth, to offer insights into how this multidisciplinary body of knowledge might be harnessed to help shift current practice to more coordinated, adaptive and inclusive water management. The research will develop planning tools to help decision-makers and practitioners working at a strategic level to map and strategise routes toward a more sustainable urban water management system. Yvette’s previous experience with the Victorian State Government and her background in resource and environmental management has allowed her to develop an interest in the interface between western society’s sustainable use and management of natural resources. Yvette is keen to apply this knowledge and experience to the problem of enabling sustainable use and management of water in the urban landscape through this research.

3. Former Post-graduate Students

Ms Lara Werbeloff - Honours Candidate
Lara Werbeloff is currently completing a combined Arts/Law degree at Monash University with an Arts major in Geography and Environmental Science.  Lara has recently commenced an Honours project as part of her Arts degree that explores issues of water conservation and urban water governance. More specifically, the project is exploring the different institutional responses to drought that have been implemented in Melbourne and Perth; in particular the research focuses on water restrictions and desalination. This research aims to explore whether the introduction of desalination will undermine the positive behaviour change that the restrictions have achieved in terms of water conservation. The project will also evaluate the extent to which desalination and water restrictions are consistent in the messages they send to urban consumers about water use and conservation. Through this Honours project, Lara hopes to gain a better understanding of institutional responses to water shortages and methods to encourage water conservation in urban settings.