ProfessorDaniela Liggett

Professor Daniela Liggett is a social scientist in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury, specialising in Antarctic environmental governance, polar tourism, and human–environment interactions in extreme environments. Her research examines how people engage with the polar regions, how operational and policy decisions are made, how researchers and policy-makers interact, and how Antarctic governance frameworks function now and into the future.

Daniela’s work spans Antarctic conservation and environmental governance, tourism regulation, science‑policy knowledge exchange, and decision‑making in extreme environments. She co‑chairs the World Meteorological Organization’s Polar Coupled Analysis and Prediction for Services (PCAPS) project and serves as a Chief Officer of SCAR’s Ant‑ICON programme, which focuses on integrated science to inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean conservation.

Her research is highly collaborative and transdisciplinary, bringing together scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholder groups to address complex questions about Antarctic futures, environmental values, and the governance of human activity in polar regions. Daniela is also Head of School (Earth and Environment) and supervises postgraduate research across all areas of her expertise in the polar social sciences.

Due to existing supervision commitments, Daniela is unable to consider new applications to undertake a PhD under her supervision until December 2028.  She appreciates your understanding.