About us

Tree in the Pilbara

Welcome to UNSW Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre (ESSRC).

The ESSRC is a transdisciplinary research centre that investigates the drivers and impacts of a changing Earth, and partners with industry, governments and communities to help create a more sustainable future.

This next decade will be a period of profound change. Under pressure from accelerating decline in the state of the environment, the world in the 2020s will be when the impacts of climate change sadly become all too apparent. The enormity of what society faces is deeply alarming. It is in this next decade that radical transformations must be achieved at an unprecedented scale if we are to have any hope of meeting the international agreements set out by the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Earth and Sustainability Research Centre (ESSRC) is internationally known for outstanding research and teaching. Our research centre is a friendly, large, interdisciplinary group supported by a suite of world-class research facilities at UNSW Sydney. Our vision is to use knowledge of the past to provide insights into the Earth system and projected change. Research is focused on the drivers and impacts of a changing Earth through the four billion years of the geological record. By leading the nation in research and training, industry and government engagement, and public outreach, the ESSRC's mission is to deepen understanding of Earth processes, and the evolution and adaptation of life through time, and use this knowledge to inform, educate and advocate sustainable solutions for environmental challenges in the Anthropocene. 

Underpinning our research and policy work, research centre members undertake a wide range of innovative teaching across the university, including support for the Earth Science and Geography streams (majors) within the Environmental Management Program. We're incredibly proud to be ranked #1 in the world for employer reputation for Geology and Geophysics in the 5-year QS rankings.

We hope you can join us.

For researchers interested in joining the ESSRC as an ARC Future or DECRA Fellow, we would love to hear from you.

Please email ESSRC@unsw.edu.au providing an overview of your background and proposed project, and one of the team will get back to you shortly.

Our research

The centre’s research focuses on deepening our understanding of Earth processes, and the evolution and adaptation of life through time.

Our people

Our academic, research, professional and technical staff and students.

Contact us

Where to find us and how to get in touch.