Lily van Eeden

I am an interdisciplinary conservation scientist with expertise in social and ecological sciences.

I’m interested in how people interact with nature, and what factors cause them to act in ways that protect or harm the natural environment. Conservation is a cultural practice, and I want to understand how values and social norms shape our attitudes and behaviours towards nature.

I work as a lecturer in environmental sciences at RMIT University where I conduct applied research to support effective conservation policy and practice.

Before that, I was a postdoctoral researcher at Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research where I conducted research in human behaviour change, focusing on understanding and promoting behaviours that benefit biodiversity. My work contributed to the Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 objective of encouraging more Victorians to engage in and act for nature.

I completed my PhD at the University of Sydney in the human dimensions of wildlife conservation and management. You can read a summary of my PhD on learning to live with the dingo here. During that time, I was also a Fulbright scholar at the University of Washington and I’ve written some advice on writing an application for a Fulbright scholarship. Prior to my PhD, I worked in environmental research and consulting in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, and China. You can read more about my experience in my CV or on LinkedIn.

In the media

The Black Summer fires are believed to have impacted more than 3 billion native Australian animals. 💔

Not only do animals die during bushfires, they are threatened by predators and loss of food and shelter in the post-fire landscape. #auspol pic.twitter.com/BsZx5lsvoQ

— Australian Conservation Foundation (@AusConservation) November 9, 2023