Professor Deanna Kemp

Deanna is a leading international expert focused on the social and political challenges of the global mining industry.

Deanna specialises in industry-engaged social science that bridges company and community perspectives on extractive industries. Particular areas of interest include company-community conflict, displacement and resettlement, and human rights and development challenges. Deanna is also interested in how the global mining industry is organised, resourced and incentivised to respond to these pressing challenges.

Deanna commenced her research career with UQ in 2006 as a Senior Research Fellow with CSRM. In 2012, she was promoted to Associate Professor and CSRM’s Deputy Director, and in 2016 to Professor and Director of CSRM. Deanna has made significant contributions to positioning CSRM as a world-leading centre of research excellence. In her current role, Deanna manages and delivers high-profile research, leads diverse project teams, and supervises more than 30 staff and students.

Deanna serves on the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), the New Member Review Panel for the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), and was recently appointed a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership. She is a member of the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA), the International Network of Displacement and Resettlement (INDR) and the Society for Applied Anthropological Association (SfAA).

Industry Engagement

Deanna engages with most of the world’s major mining companies, and many of its peak industry bodies, including the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM). She also engages with international finance institutions and other norm-setting bodies. She has collaborated with international non-government organisations—including Oxfam and Human Rights Watch—on industry-related studies. Before her academic career, Deanna held senior positions in the mining industry, working in corporate and operational roles at BHP Billiton, and as an advisor to a number of other global resources companies.

Collaborations

At The University of Queensland, Deanna has collegial relationships with the School of Social Science, including the Institute of Social Sciences Research (ISSR). She also has a range of international collaborative projects, including with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Nottingham University through the Mining, Resettlement and Livelihoods: Research and Practice Consortium. See: www.miningresettlement.org. She has in the past collaborated with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on joint research.

Key Publications

Owen, John R., and Kemp Deanna (2017) “Extractive relations: Countervailing power and the global mining industry,” Greenleaf Publications: Sheffield.

Owen, John R. and Kemp, Deanna (2015) Mining-induced displacement and resettlement: a critical appraisal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 87 C: 478-488.

Owen, John R. and Kemp, Deanna (2013) Social licence and mining: a critical perspective. Resources Policy, 38 1: 29-35.

Kemp, Deanna, Owen, John R., Gotzmann, Nora and Bond, Carol J. (2011) Just relations and company-community conflict in mining. Journal of Business Ethics, 101 1: 93-109.

Kemp, Deanna, Bond, Carol J., Franks, Daniel M. and Cote, Claire (2010) Mining, water and human rights: Making the connection. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18 15: 1553-1562

Full publication list is available on espace

Funding

Deanna manages AUD 1 million in projects/grants annually, equating to more than AUD 10 million during her tenure at UQ
.