Lynne Chester

Lynne Chester is Professor of Political Economy in the School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at the University of Sydney. The topic of her PhD was the restructuring of the Australian electricity sector. Her research specializations center on heterodox economics and the political economy of energy, including electricity markets, renewable energy, energy security, energy impoverishment among low-income households, regulation theory, and the economic-energy-environment nexus. Chester applies heterodox approaches to challenge neoclassical analyses of energy systems and advocates for re-envisaged state roles in achieving energy justice.

Throughout her career at the University of Sydney, Lynne Chester has progressed from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor, serving as Chair of the Discipline of Political Economy, and now holds the position of Professor. She received the 2017 Clarence E. Ayres Scholar Award. Key publications include 'Energy Impoverishment: Addressing the Energy Dilemmas of Low-Income Australians' (2013), 'Rethinking Neoclassical Economic Analysis of Energy Using Regulation Theory' (2020), 'A Case of Confirmation Bias' (Journal of Economic Issues, 2021), 'Regulatory Conflict and a Latent Public Safety Risk? The Case of Gas Transmission Pipelines in Australia' (2023), and contributions to 'The Routledge Handbook of Heterodox Economics' (2022) and co-editor of 'Reflections on Frank Stilwell's Contribution to Political Economy'. Her scholarship has garnered over 1,864 citations on Google Scholar, with 51 publications listed on ResearchGate. Chester leads funded research on solar solutions to improve energy affordability for low-income renters and directs projects on vulnerable populations' access to solar energy. She teaches courses such as ECOP6101 Political Economy: A Primer and supervises PhD students on energy transitions and system paces. In professional service, she holds roles in academic leadership, committees, and editorial contributions.

Professional Email: lynne.chester@sydney.edu.au