Dr. Christine Eriksen

Supervision

I find supervision of higher degree research students and post-doctoral researchers an immense privilege. In my experience, they bring depth, insight, care, and innovation to their research. Working with them continually reminds me of the value of collaboration, slow scholarship, diversity and interdisciplinarity.

Current

2024 – Present Filippo Zeffiri (PhD Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland). Local fire knowledge and official risk management in mountainous regions in Europe, Principal Supervisor.

Completed

2024 – 2025 Lena Widmer (MSc Human Geography, University of Bern Switzerland). Experiencing wildfire, understanding risk in mountain regions of Switzerland: a case study of the 2023 Riederhorn wildfire. Principal Supervisor.

2019 – 2025 Rachel Reimer (PhD Human Geography (with commendation), University of Wollongong, Australia). Rise: An exploration of risk, inclusion and psychological safety in mountain guiding and avalanche professions worldwide, Joint-Principle Supervisor.

2024 – 2025 Dr Judith Kirschner (Early Postdoc, University of Bern, Switzerland), Direct Line Manager.

2017 – 2020 Dr Scott McKinnon (Vice-Chancellors Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wollongong, Australia). Reducing Community Vulnerability to Disasters: What role does collective memory play?, Direct Line Manager.

2017 – 2020 Dr Eliza de Vet (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wollongong, Australia). When Disaster Strikes: Under-insurance in an Age of Volatility, Direct Line Manager.

2016 – 2020 Shefali Juneja Lakhina (PhD Human Geography, University of Wollongong, Australia). Co-learning Disaster Resilience: A Person-centred Approach to Understanding Experiences of Refuge and Practices of Safety, Principal Supervisor.

2016 – 2017 Rachel Reimer (MA Leadership Studies, Royal Roads University, Canada). The Wildfire Within: Firefighter perspectives on gender and leadership in wildland fire, Co-supervisor.

2014 – 2015 Lucy Apps (BA Honours, Biology, University of Wollongong, Australia). Alternative Bushfire Management Strategies: Community Fire Units, Co-Supervisor.

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Teaching

I am passionate about applied and critical geography. My aim, as a teacher, is to deepen theoretical knowledge and analytic skills so they can be applied to practical situations, while also examining the potential outcomes and processes. I use experiential, participatory, and outdoor learning strategies to engage students with real-world issues, which are topical across multiple timeframes and geographical scales.

2024 Course: Global Places – Intimate Lives. Lecture title: Introduction to Geographies of Disasters. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland (invited guest lecturer).

2022 Course: Europe and the US: Key foreign and security policy decisions since the 1920s. Lecture title: The Climate Change – Security Interface. Department of Political Science, University of Zurich, Switzerland (invited guest lecturer)

2022 Course: Lookout: Envisioning Futures with Wildfire. Lecture title: Alliances in the Anthropocene: Fire, plants and people (15 March – public lecture); Tutorial title: Caring in and coping with disasters (17 March – class visit). Oregon State University, USA (invited guest lecturer).

2019 – 2020 Course: GEOG251 Disaster Geographies: Risk, Policy, Management. Course creator and coordinator, University of Wollongong, Australia.

2016 – 2018 Course: GEOG300 Directed Studies in Geography and Sustainable Communities. Course coordinator, University of Wollongong, Australia.

2016 Course: GEOG222 Environmental Impact of Societies. Lecture title: Marginalisation and unequal risk in disasters: building coping capacity, University of Wollongong, Australia (invited guest lecturer).

2015 Course: INDS130 Introduction to Indigenous Studies. Lecture title: Indigenous Fire Knowledge, University of Wollongong, Australia (invited guest lecturer).

2012 – 2014 Course: ENVI923 Environmental Planning. Lecture title: Wildfire hazards and risk engagement in environmental planning, University of Wollongong, Australia (invited guest lecturer).

2011, 2013 Course: GEOG445 Pyro-Geography. Lecture title: Understand how communities mitigate for living in fire-prone regions, California State University, Chico, USA (invited guest lecturer).

2009, 2013 Course: EESC307 Spaces, Places and Identities. Qualitative Research Design: Teaching Assistant for workshops on Research design and comprehension of qualitative methods, University of Wollongong, Australia.

2010 Course: EESC308 Environment and Heritage Management. Lecture title: Bushfire and the politics of blame, University of Wollongong, Australia (invited guest lecturer).

2008 – 2010 Course: ARTS201 Regional Australia: Society and Environment. Outdoor Leader for intensive field-based study-abroad course, University of Wollongong, Australia.

2007     Course: CRICOS069912A Intro to Academic Studies. Teacher, University of Wollongong College Australia.