University of Oxford
11a Mansfield Rd
OX1 3SZ
UK
DPhil Student
Lilli Ireland
Background
I am proud Melukerdee woman from South-East Lutruwita/Tasmania, Australia. I am extremely lucky to have grown up on Country in a beautiful part of the world, but have witnessed the environmental harms threatening our Land and Seas. In my culture, women have a special relationship/belonging with the Sea, and this drives my duty and studies in protecting it. I am passionate that our climate and biodiversity crises cannot be solved without the knowledge and leadership of Indigenous Peoples, and this has led me to my work in Indigenous rights in marine conservation and governance more broadly.
Research interests
In have a background in environmental science and law from my undergraduate studies. Since then, I have worked in the legal sector in Australia as a researcher on Indigenous rights, as an associate to judicial officers in court, and as a lawyer in an environmental law firm. I am currently working within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, where I am involved in advocating for ethical and equitable engagement with Indigenous Peoples and our knowledge systems.
In 2025, I graduated from the Masters of Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford. My dissertation focused on documenting Aboriginal perspectives of Sea Country changes, threats and futures in Lutruwita/Tasmania – supervised by Helen Newing at the ICCS, and Lisa Wedding and Simon Pittman at the Oxford Seascape Ecology Lab.
Current research
My research explores pathways towards Indigenous environmental justice in marine governance. I am currently investigating how the rights of Indigenous Peoples are recognised and respected in different national legal marine frameworks, as a fundamental basis for just outcomes. I will later focus on case-based studies that provide insight into how Indigenous Peoples’ autonomy can be supported in marine governance regimes, particularly in Lutruwita/Tasmania.
Brief CV
Education
- 2024-2025: MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management (University of Oxford)
- 2022: Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (Australian College of Law)
- 2017-2022: LLB (Australian National University)
- 2017-2022: BS Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (Australian National University)
Professional Experience
- 2025-present: Chapter Scientist and Contributing Author for Assessment Report 7 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- 2024: Lawyer, Environmental Justice Australia
- 2023-2024: Researcher, University of Queensland
- 2022-2023: Associate, ACT Supreme Court
- 2020-2022: Legal researcher, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies