Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Following over a decade of professional experience in government and consulting in Australia and abroad I completed my doctoral research at the University of Melbourne investigating the emergence and influence of climate consulting on adaptation governance.
My research engages with the geographical political economies of climate change adaptation and related challenges including disaster resilience and energy transitions. I am particularly interested in the way government, business and expertise interact to shape policy choices and create new frontiers for investment and innovation. I draw on both qualitative and quantitative social science methodologies, with a focus on spatial processes and inequalities.
I have held postdoctoral positions at the Australian-Germany Energy Transition Hub with a joint University of Melbourne-RMIT project analysing governance, equity and privacy issues associated with the deployment of smart metering technology, and at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute where I worked with Professor Lars Coenen and collaborated with Resilient Melbourne to investigate the role of the private sector in building urban resilience. I have partnered with the Lloyds Register Foundation and Arup on The Resilience Shift to investigate policy tools for embedding resilience in critical infrastructure, and the University of Melbourne and the Victorian Government on developing long term objectives for climate adaptation. Currently I am leading a project to map commercial climate services in Australia, and collaborating with University of Sydney colleagues on a project charting the emergence of new markets in urban resilience.
In my professional capacity I advised the public and private sectors extensively in environmental policy, management and approvals; sustainability strategies and rating tools; corporate sustainability and ethical investing; as well as climate change and energy efficiency. My professional experience spans diverse sectors including property development, energy generation/distribution (including renewables), transportation infrastructure, catchment management and urban water systems, community services and social housing, the banking and financial sector, mining and others.
Monash teaching commitment
APG5122 Corporate Sustainability
ENS5020 Perspectives on Sustainability
Supervision interests
Climate services, climate analytics and information justice
Climate finance and the geographies of adaptation investment
Climate risk disclosure standards and practices
Business and climate change / disaster resilience
Climate adaptation governance in Australia
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Melbourne
Masters of Environment, University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Melbourne
Research area keywords
- climate adaptation
- climate services
- green economy
- urban resilience
- disaster resilience
- environmental analytics
- climate risk disclosure
- geographies of marketisation
- political economy
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Charting the emergence of new markets in urban resilience
Keele, S. & Webber, S.
1/01/20 → …
Project: Research
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Expert advice on objectives and priorities for climate adaptation in Victoria
Keele, S., Waters, E. & Barnett, J.
1/01/19 → 31/12/19
Project: Consultancy
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Green capital: The solution to socio‐environmental challenges in New Zealand?
Keele, S., Baker, T. & Murphy, L.
1/01/18 → 31/12/19
Project: Research
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The role of public policy in embedding resilience in critical infrastructure
Coenen, L. & Keele, S.
1/01/18 → 31/12/19
Project: Research
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Consultants and the business of climate services: implications of shifting from public to private science
Keele, S., 9 Feb 2019, In: Climatic Change. 157, p. 9-26 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
15 Citations (Scopus) -
The role of public policy in enhancing critical infrastructure resilience
Keele, S., 2019Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
Open Access -
The smart meter promise: A review of smart meter deployment challenges in Australia and Germany
Kallies, A., Chandrashekeran, S., Keele, S. & Godden, L., 2019, Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Other
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Australian Smart Meter Experience: Summary of Resources
Keele, S., Chandrashekeran, S., Godden, L. & Kallies, A., 2018Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
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Review of 'Neoliberal capitalism and precarious work: Ethnographies of accommodation and resistance'
Keele, S., 2018, Geographical Research, 56, 1.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Short Review › Other
Prizes
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Annual Award for Post‐Doctoral Scholars
Keele, Svenja (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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J.J. Woods Memorial Scholarship
Keele, Svenja (Recipient), 2003
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Teaching Excellence Award - Geography
Keele, Svenja (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Teaching Excellence Award - Geography
Keele, Svenja (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press / Media
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The multi-billion dollar 'climate services' industry is altering access to climate change data. Critics fear some may lose out.
19/08/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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What next after 100 Resilient Cities funding ends?
Sebastian Fastenrath, Michele Acuto, Lars Coenen & Svenja Keele
6/06/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Sharing your meter data might help cut your power bill, but it needs secure regulation
Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, Anne Kallies, Lee Godden & Svenja Keele
13/09/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment