Rate My Professor Paul Hodge

Dr Paul Hodge serves as Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Geography and Environmental Studies within the School of Science, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He earned his PhD from the University of Newcastle. Throughout his career at the university, he has held positions including Senior Lecturer in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Ethics Policy Officer in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences since 2012, Coordinator of the Discipline of Geography and Environmental Studies Seminar Series since 2012, and Member of the Bachelor of Development Studies Program Management Committee as the Discipline of Geography and Environmental Studies representative. Hodge has been recognized for his teaching excellence with a Pro-Vice Chancellor’s teaching commendation letter from 2010 to 2014 and in the Faculty of Science & IT in 2015; the Academic Staff Excellence Award for innovative Work-integrated Learning initiatives in GEOG3300 from the Faculty of Science and IT in 2013; a Special commendation for Student Group Work, Pudakal Seasonal Calendar, in the 2012 Work Integrated Learning Awards; and the Australian Postgraduate Award from the Faculty of Science & IT in 2002.

Hodge's research interests focus on Indigenous-led geographies, exemplified by his involvement in the ARC Linkage Grant project 'Caring for Country: Geographies of Co-existence in Gumbaynggirr Country' from July 2016 to 2021 and 'Juungambala: More-than-human agreement making with/as Gumbaynggirr Country' from February 2022 to 2027; geographies of humanitarian settlement, such as 'Settling Well: A longitudinal study of refugees in regional Australia' from February 2022 to 2027; critical development studies, including strengths-based approaches and community development in rural India in collaboration with TATA Institute, Mumbai, vegan geographies with colleagues like Andrew McGregor, Donna Houston, Yamini Narayanan, Richard White, and Simon Springer, and critical pedagogy with Sarah Wright and Lara Daley involving experiential student learning on-Country in the Northern Territory; as well as asylum seeking, community-led research, Indigenous geographies, migration and humanitarian settlement, and strengths-based approaches. His scholarly contributions include co-editing the book Vegan Geographies: Spaces Beyond Violence, Ethics Beyond Speciesism (2022); authoring The Dunggiirr Brothers and the Caring Song of the Whale (2022) with collaborators; co-editing The Routledge Handbook of Global Development (2022); chapters such as 'More-than-human' (2024), 'Ngurrajili - "Continued giving". Coming together around Yirraal (Food) as decolonizing practice' (2022), and 'Introduction: Ethical Veganism for More Critical Geographies' (2022); and journal articles including 'Being land, becoming research: Relational and Country-led accountability in research outputs and milestones' (2025), 'Strengths-based Gram Sabhas? Challenges and radical possibilities when "measuring" poverty in India' (2023), and 'Asylum Seeking, Border Security, Hope' (2021).