Ask Me Anything Panel: Climate Leadership

As part of Sustainability Week, we invite you to join our Ask Me Anything panel — an open and inclusive forum designed to spark meaningful dialogue around pressing sustainability issues.

This session will be centred around Climate Leadership and brings together a diverse group of experts and practitioners working across this sector at the University.

Anyone is welcome as this is your opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and gain insights from those driving change across the sector.

Meet the panellists:

Jacqueline Peel, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of Climate Law, The University of Melbourne

Jacqueline is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at Melbourne Law School and the 2024 Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow undertaking a 5-year program on global corporate climate accountability. She has published more than a dozen books on climate and environmental law topics and served in numerous professional leadership roles, including as the inaugural Director of the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Climate Futures initiative, as a co-chair of the American Society of International Law’s Signature Initiative on Climate Change and International Law and as a lead author in Working Group III (Mitigation Policy) for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report. Professor Peel is chair of the COP Universities Alliance - a collaboration of Australian and Pacific Universities supporting the Australian government’s proposed hosting of the UN Climate Summit, COP31, in Australia in 2026 and will serve as a Coordinating Lead Author in the IPCC for its Seventh Assessment Report.

Ben Neville, Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne

Ben is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Business in the Faculty of Business & Economics, where he is the Assistant Dean of Sustainability, leading the Faculty’s integration of sustainability throughout its activities. He is also the Deputy Director of Melbourne Climate Futures, the University’s initiative to accelerate climate research, leadership and impact.

Chris Dixon, Sustainability Strategy Analyst, The University of Melbourne

Chris is the lead analyst within the Sustainability Strategy Team within Corporate Development. In this role, his work is focused on managing the University’s greenhouse gas inventory, supporting progress towards the University’s Climate Leadership targets, supporting sustainable procurement outcomes, and data analytics. Prior to working for the University, Chris was a Senior Consultant at ERM where he supported clients in developing Net Zero strategies, developing Science-Based Targets, achieving carbon neutrality certification, and various other carbon services.

Sarah-Kay Coulter, Lecturer in Indigenous Studes, The University of Melbourne

Sarah-Kay is an indigenous scholar of Ngāti Porou, Waikato-Tainui descent. She holds a continuing lecturing position in Indigenous Studies at the University focused on developing engaging learning programs. Her current research is interdisciplinary focused on environmental sustainability, socio-legal studies, indigenous internationalisation, and indigenous approaches to land use. Sarah-Kay’s research has attracted over half a million dollars in funding for projects she has led (or co-designed) in indigenous development and she has received numerous accolades for her work including being recognised as a Prime Ministers Scholar, a Blues Award recipient and shortlisted for most outstanding leadership and service by a student at the University of Auckland 2023.

Participating in Green Impact? Complete these toolkit actions by attending (teams/individuals):

Sustainability Week 2025: You have attended an event as part of Sustainability Week (30 points!)
UOM016/UOM-I08: You have attended an event run by the Sustainability Team
UOM011 & S019/UOM-I02 & UOM-I03: You have shared your involvement in Sustainability Week via social media and/or interacted with one of the Sustainability Delivery Team's communication channels
UOM018/UOM-I07: You have written an article for the Green Impact newsletter based on your participation in Sustainability Week.