Bruce Pascoe

Bruce Pascoe is an Honorary Professor in the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences within the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne. Listed under research areas of Agriculture: Indigenous knowledges and based off-campus, he is a writer and farmer who has published 36 books. Notable among them is Dark Emu, which won the NSW Premier's Award for Literature in 2016, and Young Dark Emu. In late August 2020, Pascoe was appointed Melbourne Enterprise Professor in Indigenous Agriculture in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture and Food. As a recognised researcher and speaker on Indigenous agriculture, food production, and land management, his appointment focuses on building knowledge and understanding of Indigenous agriculture within the faculty, growing engagement and research activities in Indigenous agriculture, and developing traditional Indigenous farming and foods for broader consumption.

Pascoe's contributions include identifying areas for research collaboration, such as with the Yorta Yorta people at the University’s Dookie agricultural campus, and exploring native flavours, salads, tubers, and fruits. His work seeks to create dialogue between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians regarding Indigenous agricultural and food traditions, while contributing to carbon neutrality in food production. Previously, he served as Adjunct Professor of Indigenous Knowledge at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney, where he received the 2019 UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Social Justice and Human Rights Award. He is also a board member of First Languages Australia and the Twofold Aboriginal Corporation in Eden. Through Dark Emu, a 2014 non-fiction work, Pascoe documents and argues for the restoration of forgotten food production and land management techniques employed by Indigenous communities over thousands of years.