Rebekah Brown

Last updated
Professor
Rebekah Brown
FASSA
Interim Vice-Chancellor and President of the Australian National University
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 2025
Main interestsUrban water management, sustainable development, water-sensitive cities, transdisciplinary research

Rebekah Ruth Brown FASSA is an Australian academic who has served as interim Vice-Chancellor and President of the Australian National University since September 2025. [1] She is an internationally recognised researcher in environmental studies, specialising in urban water management, sustainable development, and transdisciplinary methods. [1]

Contents

Education

Brown holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree with Honours from Monash University. She completed her PhD in Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales in 2003, with her doctoral thesis titled "Institutionalisation of integrated urban stormwater management: multiple-case analysis of local management reform across metropolitan Sydney." [2]

Prior to her academic career, Brown worked as a practising civil engineer on major infrastructure projects across the United Kingdom, Europe, South East Asia, and Africa. [1]

Academic career

Early career and research leadership

Brown has been a pioneer in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of social and biophysical sciences in sustainable water management since the early 2000s. She is internationally recognised for introducing a sociotechnical dimension to what had previously been an almost exclusively engineering-focused approach to urban water management. [3]

Brown co-founded the water-sensitive cities research platform at Monash University as a sustainable development solution to urban water challenges globally. She was instrumental in establishing the $120 million (AUD) Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, comprising 86 partner organisations and over 170 researchers. [4] In this role, she served as Chief Research Officer and inaugural Society-themed Program Leader, leading the integration of research outcomes from more than 100 researchers and 40 doctoral students across multiple institutions and 20 disciplines. [5]

Her research has been influential in shaping urban water policy internationally. Her work has been cited in UN-Habitat's formulation of policy on urban drainage (2014–2017), in a major UNESCO analysis of 33 cities (2012), and by the Asian Development Bank to help frame water infrastructure investment strategies for its client nations. [3]

Monash University Leadership (2018-2024)

Brown held several senior leadership positions at Monash University:

In these roles, she provided leadership and direction for advancing the university's research agenda. She was responsible for expanding research capability, performance and impact, while fostering interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary areas of excellence and collaboration to deliver large-scale, high-impact research programs. Under her executive leadership, Monash University's annual research revenue increased by 70 percent over five years, and the university ranked first in the Group of Eight for research quality. [6]

Brown championed equity and inclusion at Monash, pioneering and leading innovative programs and mentoring schemes to support staff and students and ensure capability development and excellence.

Australian National University (2024–present)

Provost and Senior Vice-President (2024–2025)

In June 2024, Brown was appointed Provost and Senior Vice-president of the Australian National University, serving as the senior deputy to the Vice-Chancellor. In this role, she led the implementation of the university's academic mission and the strategic integration of education and research activities. [7]

Interim Vice-Chancellor and President (2025–present)

Following the resignation of Genevieve Bell in September 2025, Brown was appointed interim Vice-Chancellor and President of ANU. [8] She has committed to serving in this role until at least the end of 2026. [8]

In her first weeks as interim Vice-Chancellor, Brown announced the end of the controversial "Renew ANU" restructuring program and committed to no forced redundancies, seeking to stabilise the university after a period of significant turmoil. [9] She has outlined a vision focused on three key objectives: creating stability, rebuilding trust, and developing a new strategic direction for the university. [10]

Brown is serving simultaneously as both Provost and interim Vice-Chancellor during this period, with no separate interim provost appointed. [11]

RISE Program

Brown was the Founding Director of the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program, a ground-breaking $70 million multi-country health research initiative supported by the Wellcome Trust. [1] The program, which began in 2016, aimed to significantly advance human health and wellbeing in informal settlements (urban slums) by transforming water infrastructure, water management, and sanitation practices. [3]

RISE focused on informal settlements in Fiji and Indonesia, working to improve conditions for more than 3,000 people by strengthening access to essential water and sanitation services and creating healthier environments. [12] The program employed a water-sensitive cities approach, integrating environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive design with management of the water cycle to benefit human health and urban ecosystems. [13]

The program brought together a transdisciplinary team of 170 people across nine countries, including public health specialists, engineers, architects, ecologists, social scientists, economists, and community development practitioners. The research delivered the first rigorous scientific evidence on the outcomes of water-sensitive infrastructure in informal settlements.

The RISE program received additional funding support from the Asian Development Bank, the governments of Fiji and Indonesia, the New Zealand government (NZ$3 million), and industry partners including Melbourne Water and South East Water. [14] In 2019, then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attended a ceremonial soil-turning event in Fiji to officially launch construction under the program. [14]

Brown departed from the RISE directorship in 2024 when she joined ANU, with Professors Karin Leder and Diego Ramirez-Lovering taking over as Program Co-directors. She continues to contribute to the program's governance. [15]

Research and publications

Brown has published over 220 papers in prestigious journals including Nature, Science, Global Environmental Change, and Water Research. [1] Her work has been highly cited, with an h-index of 50 and more than 12,800 citations. [1]

She has served on five international editorial boards, including those of Urban Water Journal and Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. [4]

As Chief Investigator, Brown has attracted a career total of $123 million in external competitive research funding. [1] She has conceived and led six large-scale research entities across Australia, Europe, South East Asia, and the Pacific as a Program Leader, Research Director, and Chief Research Officer.

Her research focuses on understanding the social and institutional transformations required to accelerate transitions to more liveable, resilient, and sustainable cities. Key contributions include:

Board memberships and professional service

Brown has extensive governance experience and has served on numerous boards and committees:

Personal life

Brown was the first person in her family to attend university. [8] She studied engineering as one of only three women in her undergraduate cohort at a time when equal opportunity legislation was being implemented across the education sector in Australia. [8]

Brown relocated to Canberra in 2024 when she joined ANU. She has spoken about enjoying the local flora and fauna, including observing five different bird species around her home.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Professor Rebekah Brown". Australian National University. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  2. ↑ Brown, Rebekah Ruth (2003). Institutionalisation of integrated urban stormwater management: multiple-case analysis of local management reform across metropolitan Sydney (Thesis thesis). UNSW Sydney.
  3. 1 2 3 Monash University. "Global slum revitalisation research looks at water, sanitation and sustainable development". Monash University. Retrieved 2026-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 "Rebekah Brown". The Conversation. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  5. ↑ Monash University. "Professor Rebekah Brown". International Women's Day 2021, Monash University. Retrieved 2026-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "ANU Announces New Provost". Mirage News. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  7. ↑ Diaz, Amanda (2024-03-27). "ANU announces new Provost". ANU Reporter. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Vineet, Anushka (2025-09-25). "Who is the New Interim VC Rebekah Brown?". ANU Observer. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  9. ↑ "ANU Renewed? Interim Vice-Chancellor Announces No More Forced Redundancies". ANU Observer. 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  10. ↑ Chia, Paris (2025-09-18). "WoroniInterim Vice Chancellor Rebekah Brown Takes Over". Woroni. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  11. ↑ "First phase of a new ANU gets under way: hear from Rebekah Brown". www.canberratimes.com.au. 2025-10-18. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  12. ↑ "RISE project revitalising urban slums". Monash Lens. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  13. ↑ Brown, Rebekah; Werbeloff, Lara; Raven, Rob (2019-05-01). "Tackling the challenges of a changing world through interdisciplinary research". RISE — Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments. Retrieved 2026-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. 1 2 "NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern turns first soil for RISE in Fiji". RISE — Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  15. ↑ "Handing over the reins: Directorship changes in RISE". RISE — Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2026-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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