Dr Melanie Harris is an Adjunct Fellow at the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, engaging in interdisciplinary research to support sustainable development in Pacific communities. Additionally, she is currently contributing to several multi-disciplinary projects, including work at the Forest Research Institute’s National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life on end-of-life opportunities for preservative-treated timber and engineered wood products to support a circular economy. She is also involved in a co-funded TMR project on low-carbon transport infrastructure, focusing on sustainable pavement solutions, as well as a food waste minimisation project in the Pacific Islands aimed at enhancing food security. Melanie also currently works for Department of Primary Industries on the Resilient Rivers Project, aimed at reducing nitrogen runoff into key waterways.
Melanie earned her PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2024, with a focus on ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and mangrove reforestation in coastal Fijian communities.
She has taught Environmental Management and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation courses at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Her diverse career spans secondary education, outdoor and environmental education, tourism, and marine tourism.
She holds a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from UniSC, majoring in geography with a biology minor, and is a certified diving instructor and wildlife carer.
For further information, contact Melanie on Mharris3@usc.edu.au
Professional memberships
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
- Sustainability Research Cluster
Teaching areas
- Environmental Management
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Khan, A., Sohel, M.S.I., Saimun, M.S.R., Khan, M.A.S.A., Uddin, M.S., Harris, M.L. and Rana, P., 2025. Estimation of tree attributes in mixed tropical hill forests using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-1 data. Discover Environment, 3(1), pp.1-13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44274-025-00256-0
- Harris, M., Opportunities for ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in coastal Pacific Island communities: Case studies of mangrove reforestation on Vanua Levu Island, Fiji (Doctoral dissertation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland).
https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Opportunities-for-ecosystem-based-adaptation-to-climate/991050398702621 - Timber Circularity Project Update, December 2024
https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/outputs/other/Timber-Circularity-Project-Update-December-2024/991103244202621?institution=61USC_INST - Vozzo, M.L., Christofidis, M., Griffiths, L., Kelly, R., Manion, M.L., Barmand, S., Bolin, J.A., Fuenzalida-Miralles, P.A., Harris, M.L., Issell, A. and Kuempel, C.D., 2025. Advancing ocean sustainability through better science integration: perspectives of Early Career Ocean Professionals. Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability, 2, p.1526776.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ocean-sustainability/articles/10.3389/focsu.2024.1526776/full