Rate My Professor Jai Cooper

Dr. Jai Cooper is a Consultant for the Institute for Regional Futures at the University of Newcastle and a leading environmental sociologist with over thirty years’ experience working directly with regional communities across various sectors including youth work, natural resources management in regional NSW, textiles, tourism, adventure industries, education, land management, and Aboriginal communities. He holds a PhD in Sociology/Anthropology from the University of Newcastle (2022), examining experiences of young people in environmental training programs; a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) from the University of Newcastle with a thesis on bicycle advocacy in regional/rural NSW; a Master of Environmental Education from Macquarie University; a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University, Australia; a Diploma of Conservation & Land Management from the NSW Department of Primary Industries; and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Jai’s academic career includes casual academic roles in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Science at the University of Newcastle, sessional teaching at Australian Catholic University (2021-2023), and at the University of Newcastle English Language and Foundation Studies Centre (2017-2020). His research focuses on environmental sociology, mobilities, youth, housing, Australian history, economic development, and research methodology involving qualitative and quantitative data analysis for managing social and environmental impacts. Key publications feature “Don Quixote and the Green Army: Lessons from Australian Environmental Workfare” (2024), co-authored “The relational work of constructing the future: drawing together youth and parent perspectives” (Journal of Youth Studies, 2025), “Easing eco-anxiety in an online environmental sociology course” (2025), and “Cycletopia in the sticks: bicycle advocacy beyond the city limits” (Mobilities, 2017). As co-convenor of the Australian Sociological Association’s Housing and Urban Thematic Group, former convenor of the Environment and Society Thematic Group, and member of the International Sociological Association, Jai contributes significantly to sociological discourse. Current endeavors encompass social impact assessments for health projects, regional data analysis, Indigenous education initiatives, and studies on business attraction in diversifying regions.