Dr Theresa Ashford is a Lecturer in Geography and Sustainability at UniSC whose passion is exploring human-nature relations through a geo-ethical lens. Key research areas include climate change education, more-than-human geographies and the ethics of living in the Anthropocene.
Dr Ashford is part of the Sustainability Research Cluster, and the K’gari Research Cluster and is currently collaborating with the Sunshine Coast Council on community climate resilience.
Dr Ashford is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and is keenly interested in ethical and socially just pedagogies, and nurturing future-oriented thinking.
Professional memberships
- Institute of Australian Geographers Inc.
Awards and fellowships
- Vice Chancellor and President’s Award for Excellence in Service in Diversity and Inclusion, 2023
- Senior Fellow HEA
Current PhD Students
- Name withheld (2026-) Eco-relational cultural theory: how connection to nature influences interpersonal relationships
Recent PhD Graduates
- Dr Marianne (Ria) Jago (2026) Song about Feeling: River-led relational practice for belonging with Country
- Name withheld (2026) Devising National Infrastructure Strategy in Disruptive Futures
Research areas
- Applications of Science and Technology Studies (Actor Network Theory and New Materialisms)
- Ethics and Technology
- Critical thinking in Geography
- Teaching in the Anthropocene
Teaching areas
- Geography and more-than-human geographies
- Sustainability and ethics
- Climate change
Dr Theresa Ashford is a human geographer and lectures in the School of Law and Society. Her main areas of research are human-environment relations and currently span youth – tech relations in public parks using Pokémon Go; rethinking mapping extinction following the EPBCA and the Planning Act; better understanding student experiences during COVID; working from home; and Education for Sustainability approaches. Her main focus is thinking through ethical and responsible relations. She is interested in working with community, thinking about transformation, and collaborations.