Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Lesley Hughes is a Distinguished Professor of Biology and Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering. She is an ecologist whose main research interest has been the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems, and the implications of climate change for conservation. She is a former Lead Author in the IPCC’s 4th and 5th Assessment Report, a former federal Climate Commissioner and now a Councillor and Director with the Climate Council of Australia. She is also a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
Education/Academic qualification
Ecology, PhD, Seed dispersal by ants in dry sclerophyll vegetation, Macquarie University
1987 → 1990
Award Date: 15 May 1991
External positions
• Member, Climate Science and Knowledge Management Experts Panel, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia
2020 → …
Member, Earth System Science Panel, European Research Council
2020 → …
Advisor, Royal University of Bhutan
2019 → …
• Member, Taronga Conservation Science Advisory Council , Taronga Conservation Society Australia
2019 → …
Member, Future Earth Australia Steering Committee , Future Earth Australia
2017 → 2019
Councillor, Climate Council of Australia
Sept 2013 → …
Director, Governor & Member of Eminent Scientists Advisory Group, WWF-Australia
2013 → …
Member, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
2013 → …
Chair, Tasmania Climate Action Council
2012 → 2014
Climate Commissioner, A.C.T. Climate Commission Secretariat
2011 → 2013
Director, Biodiversity Node of the NSW Adaptation Hub
2009 → 2019
Co-convenor, Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network for National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
2009 → 2013
Biological Impacts Node Leader and Co-convenor, ARC Network for Earth System Science
2005 → 2010
Lead Author, 4th & 5th Assessment Report, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
2005 → 2014
Chair, NSW Scientific Committee
2003 → 2008
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Green Cities Fund GC15002 - Which plant where, when and why database for growing green space
Leishman, M., Beaumont, L., Ellsworth, D., Gallagher, R., Hughes, L., Nipperess, D., Adams, M., Anderson, I., Dunford, S., Lee, C., Power, S., Rakhesh, N., Rymer, P., Tjoelker, M. & Staas, L.
30/06/16 → …
Project: Research
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Biosecurity Futures Research Centre
Taylor, P., Gillings, M., Raftos, D., Leishman, M., Sunna, A., Bishop, M., Barron, A., Beattie, A., Beaumont, L., Connally, R., Grech, A., Griffith, S., Guillemin, G., Hughes, L., Inglis, D., Jamie, I., Jamie, J., Lu, Y., Morelli De andrade, R., Nevalainen, H., Park, S. J., Perez, J., Power, M., Ranjan, R. & Vickery, K.
1/07/15 → …
Project: Research
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Biodiversity Node of the NSW Adaptation Research Hub
Hughes, L. & Staas, L.
30/06/13 → …
Project: Research
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The second domestication of dairy and beef: Food 2.0 proteins without the animals
Hughes, L., 2025, Innovation pathways to sustainability: conversations towards complex systems of governance. Lester, M. & dela Rama, M. (eds.). Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, p. 185-194 10 p. (Routledge Frontiers of Business Management).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Australia's biodiversity crisis and the need for the Biodiversity Council
Dielenberg, J., Bekessy, S., Cumming, G. S., Dean, A. J., Fitzsimons, J. A., Garnett, S., Goolmeer, T., Hughes, L., Kingsford, R. T., Legge, S., Lindenmayer, D. B., Lovelock, C. E., Lowry, R., Maron, M., Marsh, J., McDonald, J., Mitchell, N. J., Moggridge, B. J., Morgain, R., O'Connor, P. J., & 11 others , May 2023, In: Ecological Management and Restoration. 24, 2-3, p. 69-74 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)103 Downloads (Pure) -
The costs and benefits of restoring a continent's terrestrial ecosystems
Mappin, B., Ward, A., Hughes, L., Watson, J. E. M., Cosier, P. & Possingham, H. P., Feb 2022, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 59, 2, p. 408-419 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
32 Citations (Scopus) -
World population milestone: the impact of 8 billion people explained
Atwell, B., McGregor, A., Hughes, L., Braithwaite, J., Bagnall, D. & Davies, P., 15 Nov 2022, Australian Geographic.Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Website › Website contribution
Open Access -
World population milestone: the impact of 8 billion people explained
Atwell, B., McGregor, A., Hughes, L., Braithwaite, J., Bagnall, D. & Davies, P., 14 Nov 2022, The Lighthouse.Research output: Contribution to Newspaper/Magazine/Website › Website contribution
Open Access
Prizes
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2017 BHERT Award for Outstanding Collaboration for National (non-economic) Benefit
Hughes, Lesley (Recipient), Leishman, Michelle (Recipient), Staas, Leigh (Recipient), Gallagher, Rachael (Recipient), Hancock, Nola (Recipient), Beaumont, Linda (Recipient), Graham, Victoria (Recipient), Ralph, Tim (Recipient), Chang, Michael (Recipient), Tomkins, Kerrie (Recipient), Ens, Emilie (Recipient) & Bishop, Melanie (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Honorary award
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Eureka Prize, Promoting Understanding of Australian Science Research
Hughes, Lesley (Recipient), 2014
Prize
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Faculty of Science and Engineering Award for Excellence in Research
Leishman, Michelle (Recipient), Hughes, Lesley (Recipient), Graham, Victoria (Recipient), Beaumont, Linda (Recipient), Bishop, Melanie (Recipient), Gallagher, Rachael (Recipient), Hancock, Nola (Recipient), Tomkins, Kerrie (Recipient), Chang, Michael (Recipient), Ens, Emilie (Recipient), Staas, Leigh (Recipient) & Ralph, Tim (Recipient), 24 Nov 2017
Prize
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Professor Lesley Hughes asks: Climate change: how worried should we be?
Lesley Hughes (Speaker) & Jeffrey Braithwaite (Speaker)
10 Aug 2021Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
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