The REES MPhil was a great opportunity to mix with an incredibly diverse group of classmates and learn from leading academics in the field. The interdisciplinary nature of the degree enabled me to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the region, while the thesis gave me the scope to pursue my research interests in detail. My time as a REES student provided me with a very solid foundation for my PhD and subsequent career path.
After completing my MPhil in Russian and East European Studies, I returned to Australia and took up a position with the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. I then started a PhD, which I completed in 2016. I held a WIRL-Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND Fellowship at the University of Warwick from 2017-2019, followed by a lectureship in public policy at the University of Melbourne in 2019. I have recently been appointed Lecturer in Public Policy in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University, commencing in 2020. My research focuses on environmental policymaking in Russia and the former Soviet states.