Profile

Natasha Gardiner

Studying towards a PhD in Antarctic Studies | Exploring the Antarctic science-policy interface.

27 November 2023

HOW TO APPLY

Natasha is an early-career social scientist with a background in psychology and sociology. Her research interests include Antarctic governance, Antarctic science-policy dialogues, and marine conservation in the Southern Ocean. Her PhD research is investigating the function of the Antarctic science-policy interface at both the national (New Zealand) and international (Antarctic Treaty System) levels. In particular, Natasha is interested in the drivers and barriers that contribute to ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ Antarctic science-policy interactions. She is using qualitative methods (interviews, surveys and focus groups) to address her research questions and is interrogating her data through a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Natasha is an advocate for transdisciplinary research approaches and seeks to engage with a broad range of experts, stakeholders, and knowledge systems through her work. Ultimately, she hopes to positively contribute towards the effectiveness of Antarctic science-policy interactions so that international decision-makers are able to responsibly and sustainably govern the region by taking precautionary actions on the basis of the best available knowledge.

Alongside her PhD, Natasha is a Policy Advisor for New Zealand's National Antarctic Programme, Antarctica New Zealand. In this role, she contributes to New Zealand’s work towards the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP), which is the technical advisory body to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. She also serves as a steering committee member of Ant-ICON (Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation), a Scientific Research Programme under the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

Natasha’s wonderful supervisory team includes Associate Professor Daniela Liggett and Dr Neil Gilbert. This research project is kindly funded by the Antarctic Science Platform.

Working thesis title

Exploring the Antarctic science-policy interface.

Academic History

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Sociology, University of Otago

Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies, University of Canterbury

Professional History

https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-gardiner-7b38a4141/

Publications

Gardiner, N. B., Gilbert, N., Liggett, D., & Bode, M. (2024). Measuring the performance of Antarctic Treaty decision-making. Conservation Biology, e14349. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14349

Gardiner, N. B., Gilbert, N., & Liggett, D. (2023). Taming a ‘fuzzy beast’? stakeholder perspectives on Antarctic science-policy knowledge exchange practices in New Zealand. Plos one, 18(11), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297460

Hughes, K., Santos, M., Caccavo, J., Chignell, S., Gardiner, N., Gilbert, N… Terauds, A. (2022). Ant-ICON - ‘Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation’: a new SCAR Scientific Research Programme. Antarctic Science, 1-10. https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0954102022000402

LaRue, M., Brooks, C., Wege, M., Salas, L., & Gardiner, N. (2022). High‐resolution satellite imagery meets the challenge of monitoring remote marine protected areas in the Antarctic and beyond. Conservation Letters, e12884. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12884

Gardiner, N., Gilbert, N., Liggett, D. 2022. New Zealand Antarctic Stakeholder Workshop 2022. ASP Report-004. ASP-04 Workshop Report FINAL3.0 (d1e7mq055r7tid.cloudfront.net)

Gardiner, N., Gilbert, N., Liggett, D. 2021. Connecting Antarctic Science and Policy Workshop 2021. ASP Report-003. Workshop Report_NG2 MC2 (d1e7mq055r7tid.cloudfront.net)

Gardiner, N. B. (2020). Marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean: Is the Antarctic Treaty System ready to co-exist with a new United Nations instrument for areas beyond national jurisdiction? Marine Policy, 122, 104212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104212

Marine protection falls short of the 2020 target to safeguard 10% of the world’s oceans. A UN treaty and lessons from Antarctica could help (theconversation.com)