Janet Rhona Stephenson (born 1955) is a New Zealand social scientist, and is a research professor at the University of Otago, where she is Director of the Centre for Sustainability. Her research focuses on climate change and societal transition.

Janet Stephenson
Born1955
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Otago, Massey University
Theses
Doctoral advisorClaire Freeman, Ian W.G. Smith, Michael Patrick Joseph Reilly
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Otago

Academic career

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Stephenson's father was farmer Gordon Stephenson, founder of the QEII National Trust.[1] The family moved to New Zealand from the UK in 1958 when Janet Stephenson was a young child.[1] Stephenson completed a Master's thesis titled The planning framework for Maori land at Massey University.[2] She followed this with a PhD at the University of Otago in 2005, studying cultural values and the links between society, values and sustainability outcomes.[3] From 2002 Stephenson taught in the geography department at Otago, before joining the Centre for Sustainability in 2008.[4] She has been Director of the Centre for Sustainability since 2011.[4] Stephenson was appointed associate professor in 2018 and research professor in 2021.[5][6]

Stephenson has been a member of the Advisory Board of INCLUDE, a Norwegian research centre for socially inclusive energy transitions.[4] She is also involved in the Built Environment and Active Transport to School research programme, and the BRANZ Transition to Zero Carbon Programme.[4] She is also a involved with the Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence and both the Deep South National Science Challenge and the Science for Technological Innovation science challenge.[4][7][8]

Stephenson's research focuses on climate change, and how to achieve societal transition to a sustainable future. She works in multidisciplinary teams, and has developed cultural frameworks as a new theoretical way to explore societal change. She has commented on issues such as New Zealand's electricity infrastructure, and how the economy could be redesigned .[9][10][11][12][13]

Stephenson has received research funding from the MBIE Endeavour fund, the Norwegian Research Council, and was a principal investigator on a Marsden grants in 2008, with Henrik Moller, titled Tirohia He Huarahi: Co-management of environment by indigenous people.[14][4]

Selected works

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Edited and authored books

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  • Stephenson, Janet; Abbott, Mick; Ruru, Jacinta, eds. (2010). Landscape and identity in Aotearoa New Zealand. University of Otago Press. ISBN 978-1-877372-81-0.
  • Stephenson, Janet (March 2023). Culture and Sustainability: Exploring Stability and Transformation with the Cultures Framework. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-25515-1. ISBN 978-3-031-25515-1.
  • Ruru, Jacinta; Stephenson, Janet; Abbott, Mick, eds. (2013). Exploring land-use tensions in Aotearoa New Zealand. University of Otago Press. ISBN 978-1-877372-88-9.

Journal articles

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References

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  1. ^ a b Leaman, Aaron (30 December 2015). "Celebrated environmentalist Gordon Stephenson dies, aged 91". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  2. ^ Stephenson, Janet Rhona (2000). The planning framework for Maori land (Master's thesis). Massey Research Online, Massey University. hdl:10179/16437.
  3. ^ Stephenson, Janet Rhona (2005). Values in space and time: A framework for understanding and linking multiple cultural values in landscapes (PhD thesis). OUR Archive, University of Otago. hdl:10523/123.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sustainability, Centre for (5 May 2023). "Research Professor Janet Stephenson". www.otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. ^ University of Otago (15 December 2017). "University of Otago announces academic promotions". Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  6. ^ Board, Otago Bulletin (8 December 2020). "Otago announces 26 new professors". www.otago.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Climate adaptation, vulnerability and community well-being | Deep South Challenge". Deep South Challenge | Climate Change Tools & Information. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Dr Janet Stephenson". Science for Technological Innovation. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ^ Stephenson, Janet (19 April 2020). "Covid-19 has nothing on what's coming". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ^ Stephenson, Janet (30 April 2020). "Six new approaches in a world beyond lockdown". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. ^ Stephenson, Janet (30 July 2020). "New Zealand wants to build a 100% renewable electricity grid, but massive infrastructure is not the best option". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  12. ^ Lewis, John (14 September 2022). "Study prompted by climate change impacts". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  13. ^ "A powerful tool for change". Otago Daily Times Online News. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Marsden awards 2008–2017". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
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