Rate My Professor Julian Clifton

Julian Clifton served as Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Western Australia from 2007 to 2022, including as Head of Department from 2019 to 2022. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hull and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Liverpool. Currently, he holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position in the School of Social Sciences and the Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia, alongside his role as Senior Research Fellow at the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition. Earlier in his career, he was Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth from 1997 to 2007. Clifton has supervised thirteen PhD students to completion and numerous Master's students. He has won awards for teaching excellence in Australia and delivered consultancy projects totaling over $2.1 million.

Clifton's research centers on the interface between human geography and environmental policy, emphasizing equitable participation of communities in climate change adaptation and conservation initiatives. His academic interests include governance of marine protected areas, stakeholder perceptions in marine planning, coastal social values, social and economic aspects of decommissioning offshore structures, carbon and biodiversity credits, and the social impacts of renewable energy transitions. He has conducted fieldwork in Australia, Southeast Asia, the Western Indian Ocean, and Latin America, publishing over 60 academic papers, book chapters, and technical reports, with more than 4,000 citations documented on Google Scholar. Notable publications include 'Understanding coastal social values through citizen science: The example of Coastsnap in Western Australia' (Elrick-Barr et al., Ocean & Coastal Management, 2023), 'A framework for the integrated assessment of social and economic values associated with man-made marine structures' (Zimmerhackel et al., Marine Policy, 2023), 'Man-made structures in the marine environment: A review of stakeholders’ social and economic values and perceptions' (Elrick-Barr et al., Environmental Science & Policy, 2022), 'Governance in the early stages of marine protected area development: A case study of Nusa Penida District Marine Conservation Area, Indonesia' (Yunitawati & Clifton, Marine Policy, 2021), and 'Biodiversity credits: a new currency to support nature conservation?' (Clifton & Manez, Oryx, 2025). His contributions have advanced stakeholder-inclusive approaches in marine conservation and environmental policy.