Dr Kristen MacKenzie-Shalders is a researcher, educator, sustainability practitioner and writer based in Moreton Bay, Queensland. She has lived through decades of changing environmental narratives and a growing awareness of climate change, biodiversity loss and humanity's relationship with nature. From a childhood immersed in nature to a career spanning health, education and sustainability, her work explores how people make meaning, forge connections to place, and respond to a rapidly changing world.
Kristen holds a PhD in Nutrition from the Queensland University of Technology and is currently undertaking a second PhD at Griffith University exploring place-based nature connection and the role of local narratives and knowledges in the nature positive transition. Her professional background spans higher education, research, sustainability, health promotion and community engagement. She is actively engaged in place-based environmental initiatives in her local community within Moreton Bay.
She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters, reports and educational resources, and has extensive experience translating complex ideas for diverse audiences through media, teaching, public speaking and community engagement. Her work has appeared in academic journals, newspapers, magazines, educational resources and professional publications.
Her writing is informed by a deep belief in the power of storytelling to strengthen connections between people, place and nature.
