Who we are

Jackie Peel, Director

Jackie is the Director of Melbourne Climate Futures and a Professor at Melbourne Law School. She is a leading, internationally-recognised expert in the field of environmental and climate change law and an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia. She has published widely in climate and environmental law, including leading monographs on Climate Litigation and Principles of International Environmental Law.

Amongst many professional roles, Jackie has served as the Treasurer of the Australian & New Zealand Society of International Law, as a Co-Chair of the American Society of International Law’s Signature Initiative on Climate Change and as a Lead Author in Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report. She is on the editorial board of Transnational Environmental Law and is a co-founder of the Women’s Energy and Climate Law Network.

Jackie was a Fulbright and Hauser Scholar at NYU and has held visiting scholar positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. In 2022, she is directing the Centre for Studies and Research Program on Climate Change and International Law at The Hague Academy of International Law.

Kathryn Bowen, Deputy Director – Knowledge Translation

Since 2021, Kathryn has served as Professor of Climate, Environment, and Global Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, as well as Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Futures at the University of Melbourne. Additionally, Kathryn leads the newly established Climate CATCH Lab (Collaborative Action for Transformative Change in Health and Healthcare) and directs the WHO Collaborating Centre on Climate Change and Human Health.

With 25 years of experience, Kathryn is a recognised global expert in sustainability science and policy, especially focusing on climate change and health. Her work includes public health research, science assessments, capacity building, and policy advising. Since 2007, she has specialized in addressing the intersection of climate change and global health, with an emphasis on governance, adaptation strategies, and policy development. Kathryn thrives in interdisciplinary, dynamic environments that prioritize implementing evidence-based, policy-relevant sustainability initiatives. She regularly collaborates with international organizations like WHO, UNEP, UNDP, ADB, World Bank, GIZ, and DFAT to design solutions for sustainable climate futures. Kathryn's efforts focus on empowering colleagues, decision-makers, and stakeholders to drive impactful change.

One of Kathryn's career highlights is her nomination by the Australian Government to serve as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Health Chapter in both the Sixth and Seventh Assessment Reports.

Ben Neville, Deputy Director – Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact

Ben is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management & Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne. Ben researches and teaches in sustainable business and society, including corporate social responsibility, business ethics, ethical consumption and social entrepreneurship. He is a Section Editor of the Corporate Responsibility (Theory and Qualitative) section of the leading international academic Journal of Business Ethics.

At the University, he serves as the Gourlay Fellow of Ethics in Business, and the Sustainability in the Curriculum Fellow for the Faculty of Business and Economics. Ben is also the Coordinator of the Governance, Policy and Markets Stream in the Master of Environment, Chair of the University's Fair Trade Steering Committee, and sits on the Executive Committee of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.

Janine Felson, Enterprise Fellow

Janine Felson is a senior level diplomat of the Government of Belize. She has served as legal counsel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Belize-United Nations. She has been and continues to be a principal advocate for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in complex international negotiations on global development policy, climate change, climate finance, law of the sea and oceans governance

She held leadership roles throughout her tenure at the United Nations including legal advisor to the President of the General Assembly (2013-2014), CARICOM lead negotiator for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015), AOSIS lead finance negotiator (2014 – present), and deputy chair and chief strategist for Belize in its role as AOSIS Chair (2019-2020).  She has served on the Board of the Green Climate Fund, on the United Nations Secretary General’s High-level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitment of Non-State Entities (2022) and recently concluded facilitation of Part II of the new treaty on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (2023).

Janine is presently an Enterprise Fellow of Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne Law School, where she is supporting the development of a research hub for the Indo-Pacific Region, as its Inaugural Head, with a focus on thought leadership and capacity building in adaptation and resilience.

Lily O'Neill, Senior Research Fellow

Dr Lily O'Neill is a Senior Research Fellow for Melbourne Climate Futures. She is a lawyer and legal researcher with a particular focus on how the legal frameworks for renewable energy, nature restoration and climate adaptation can benefit communities.  One particular focus is undertaking research that is Traditional Owner-led.

Lily is also a writer and presenter on Climate Kids, a show that answers kids’ questions about climate change.

She is a former legal practitioner at a major Australian law firm, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Commission on Environmental Law, and on the board of Protect our Winters Australia.  She lives regionally on the country of the Taungurung people in north-east Victoria.

Adam Bumpus, Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Adam is a highly accomplished executive, consultant, and educator renowned for his expertise in climate change, sustainability, and corporate development. With a distinguished career spanning two decades, he has led teams in energy innovation, carbon markets, and strategic communications at leading academic institutions and as an international consultant for prominent global organizations. Adam's contributions encompass analyzing carbon markets, developing sustainability strategies, and spearheading projects on clean energy technology and carbon abatement. He excels in blending technical knowledge with corporate development and communications experience, making him a trusted advisor to intergovernmental and private sector organizations. Additionally, Adam is an award-winning science communicator and a sought-after keynote presenter, known for his inspiring insights on creating a sustainable future.

Belle Workman, Research Fellow

Dr Annabelle (Belle) Workman is a Research Fellow at Melbourne Climate Futures. She is a qualitative researcher with research interests that include climate change, human health, policy development, air quality and just energy transitions. She completed a PhD investigating the role of health co-benefits in the development of climate change mitigation policies in 2019 at the University of Melbourne’s Climate and Energy College. Since her PhD, she has completed a Research Fellowship at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research with the environmental health group evaluating the smartphone health app, AirRater . Most recently, she has been a project officer with the University of Tasmania sustainability team and knowledge broker at the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research.

Arthur Wyns, Research Fellow

Arthur is a biologist by training (MSc from UQ) and has mainly worked on climate change and health internationally. He was the climate and health advisor to the COP28 presidency, and was a climate change advisor to the World Health Organization for the past five years. His previous roles include being the policy manager for the Climate and Health Alliance, the senior policy advisor for the Lancet Countdown, and the programme manager of Climate Tracker. He's also an editor for the Journal of Climate and Health and sits on the editorial board of the WHO-WMO ClimaHealth platform.

Stephanie Campbell, Research Fellow

Stephanie is a Research Fellow at Melbourne Climate Futures, an Affiliate Researcher in Spiritual Ecology & Planetary Health at the Contemplative Studies Centre in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, and a Lead of the Creativity & Imagination Research Stream of the Climate CATCH Lab.

She has been working in the field of climate change and energy transitions for 15 years, with expertise in just transitions and its intersections with community health, wellbeing and the care sector, and the perspective of other-than-human beings. Her research focuses on the potential for care work (whether providing emotional, psychological, spiritual, material, ecological, or other forms of care) to act as a site for politically and culturally transformative shifts towards eco-centric and relational ontologies in realising flourishing more-than-human futures, including through acts of creativity, imagination, and artistry.

She contributes to MCF’s Sustainable Finance Hub, including co-leading a multilateral project to develop a State-Owned Enterprise Transition Monitor. She is a member of the research collaboration ‘Challenging the human-nature binary and representation of non-human species’, working with experts from across science, arts, and humanities, considering how other-than-human species’ perspectives are included in decision-making. She is also a practitioner and facilitator of experiential nature connection workshops and retreats.

Rebekkah Markey-Towler, Research Fellow

Rebekkah (Bek) is a Research Fellow for Melbourne Climate Futures. She has a particular interest in environmental and climate change law, and has worked with Professor Jacqueline Peel at Melbourne Law School on a number of projects including: devising a legal blueprint for corporate energy transition, strategic climate change litigation, and legal frameworks for waste management in the Pacific and in times of pandemic. Previously, Rebekkah spent a year teaching English in Japan and spent 18 months as an associate to a judge at the Federal Court of Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland.

Dan Gysslink, Research Assistant

Dan is a Masters Student Researcher at Melbourne Climate Futures, joining us while he completes his Master of Public Policy and Management, with a focus on climate change and sustainability policy. Dan has previously worked within financial regulation and banking policy at the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and has a keen interest in the intersection between climate change, finance and funding the energy transition. Dan currently works in the Climate Change and Sustainability team at Ernst&Young when he is not studying.

Beth Barber, Communications Manager

Beth is a communication strategy specialist with a broad range of experience. After working as a book editor for a high-end small publisher, she shifted her focus to communications, managing communication and marketing for a boutique international law firm in Cairo, Egypt. She led communication for the former Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne, before commencing with Melbourne Climate Futures in 2021. She holds a Master of Arts (Writing, Editing and Publishing) and a Bachelor of Arts, both from the University of Queensland, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Journalism from Queensland University of Technology.

Philippa Garrard, Laureate Program Administrator and Special Projects Support

Philippa Garrard has a doctorate in Creative Writing from RMIT University. She has been working at the University of Melbourne since 2012 supporting interdisciplinary research across several schools and faculties. Since joining the Melbourne Climate Futures team in 2023, she has worked across projects such as the Indo-Pacific Climate Hub, Australia Awards Fellowships and the COP Universities Alliance. In 2025, she began working on the Laureate Program on Global Corporate Climate Accountability.

Joanne Burns, Administrator and Project Support Officer

Joanne is the administrator and project support officer for Melbourne Climate Futures. She has been at the University of Melbourne since 2021 where she worked as project officer for the Digital Studio in the Faculty of Arts before joining MCF. She has previously worked in a number of University and Government project support, event, and sustainability roles; including for Parks Victoria and Queen's University, Belfast. She has an interdisciplinary PhD in English and Music from Queen's University Belfast (2016).