Researching the governance of climate inequity
I’m Maegan Miccelli, a PhD Candidate based in Melbourne, Australia, currently investigating how emergency management shapes the governance of extreme heat. My work draws on criminology, organisational sociology and public policy to examine how institutions approach climate governance and the inequities that result.
I’m open to postdoctoral research, research fellow positions and collaborative work. Explore my CV, publications and ongoing projects, or get in touch to discuss an opportunity.
About Maegan J. Miccelli
I'm currently wrapping up my PhD Candidature at the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University - due to submit early 2027.
My current work is about how extreme heat is constituted as a problem through institutionalised emergency management and public health protocols. Examining these institutional dynamics also unveils how heat-related vulnerability and risk are experienced on the ground, ultimately culminating as a cautionary tale for governing emergencies and crises.
I have worked in various Research Officer and Assistant roles at Monash University, Deakin University, UNSW and at the ANU. My goal is to continue researching how climate harms are governed and the impacts that institutional trends and logics have on the people who experience those harms.
Research Areas
My research examines how emergency management shapes the governance of extreme heat, with particular attention to data, institutions and unequal impacts. I draw on criminology, organisational sociology and critical public policy to support my work.
Extreme Heat Governance
Investigating how governments and institutions define, plan for and respond to extreme heat. This work considers how various public actors shape and constitute emergency management frameworks and cooling centre management in extreme heat.
Emergency Management
Examining emergency management systems, preparedness and response as central parts of climate governance. I am interested in how responsibilities are coordinated across agencies and communities.
Climate Governance
Studying the institutions, policies and practices through which climate risks are governed and the vulnerabilities and risks that result.
Inequities Perpetuated by Data
Exploring how extreme heat is experienced unevenly across populations and places. This includes attention to how institutions make sense of data and the implications of that sensemaking.
Organisational Sociology
Using organisational sociology to analyse how institutions operate, collaborate and exercise authority during complex climate-related challenges.
Criminology
Bringing a criminological perspective to questions of governance, inequality, harm and security in the context of managing heat and accessing cool spaces.
Critical Public Policy
Connecting research with policy questions about equitable climate adaptation, emergency planning and the practical challenges of governing extreme heat through data.
Discuss research and collaboration
If you are a prospective supervisor, research group, institution, or collaborator, I would welcome your enquiry about postdoctoral research, research fellow positions, or collaborative work on climate governance and inequities. Please share a little about your organisation and opportunity, and I will respond as soon as I can.
Your information will only be used to respond to this enquiry and will not be shared for other purposes.