Sustainable Minerals Institute

Dr Vigya Sharma

Senior Research Fellow
CSRM

Vigya is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM), part of the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland, Australia

She has several years’ experience in applied research across domestic and international mining and energy sectors. Specifically, her interests are in understanding how the presence (or absence) of resources impacts development outcomes in host communities and regions. In her current role, she is leading the Centre’s work on fossil fuel transitions, particularly looking at the social, political and economic impacts of coal phase-out in several geographies, including India, China and Australia.

Prior to joining CSRM, she was based at the Energy and Poverty Research Group (EPRG), an interdisciplinary pan-UQ initiative established to support positive social, environmental and health outcomes vital for sustainable and productive livelihoods in energy impoverished communities globally. Vigya led this group's engagement and research in India, a priority country for both UQ and the EPRG.

Vigya also teaches Humanitarian Engineering, an undergraduate course offered to engineering students in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT) at UQ. She played an instrumental role in the design and delivery of this course, first introduced in EAIT in 2020.

Vigya advises several PhD students on topics including energy transitions, mine closure and energy and development. She serves on the Editorial Board of Energy Research and Social Science.

Initially trained as an engineer, her PhD in social sciences has allowed her a deep appreciation for interdisciplinary thinking and practice. She continues to build on these skills and undertake wide-ranging research, research management, training, and engagement to contribute to long-term positive change in the energy and resources sector.

Research Interests

  • Honours/ Masters thesis projects on energy transitions, coal phase out, and community energy and climate action in Australia
    We are looking for suitable Hons/ Master's students with background in social/ environmental science (human geography, journalism, environmental management) who may be interested to work in these topic areas. 1. Social aspects of coal transitions in Australia 2. Mapping energy and climate action across Australian communities 3. Media discourse analysis of Australia's coal narrative 4. Social and environmental risks of large scale renewable energy projects Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss further.
  • Social and institutional dynamics underlying energy transitions
    What do just transitions mean for coal regions - China, India, Australia, South Africa? How do past global experiences inform governance on just transitions in a rapidly changing landscape?

Qualifications

  • PhD, The University of Adelaide
  • Master of Science, Royal Institute of Technology
  • Bachelor of Technology, Kurukshetra University

 

Publications

Book (1)
Book Chapters (5)
Journal Articles (11)
Conference Papers (4)
Creative Work (1)
Research Reports (4)
Newspaper Articles (3)

Book

Sharma, Vigya, van de Graaff, Shashi, Loechel, Barton and Franks, Daniel M. (2013). Extractive resource development in a changing climate: learning the lessons from extreme weather events in Queensland, Australia. South Port, QLD, Australia: National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.

Book Chapters

Herington, Matthew, Malakar, Yuwan and Sharma, Vigya (2020). A hindu philosophy perspective on the temporal nature of energy justice in Odisha, India. Energy Justice Across Borders. (pp. 177-194) edited by Gunter Bombaerts, Kirsten Jenkins, Yekeen A. Sanusi and Wang Guoyu. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-24021-9_9
Sharma, Vigya (2017). Mining and climate change. Mining in the Asia-Pacific: risks, challenges and opportunities. (pp. 301-320) edited by Terry O’Callaghan and Geordan Graetz. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-61395-6_18
Sharma, Vigya (2016). Human security for Mongolian herders: evolving risks and opportunities. Understanding the many faces of human security: perspectives of northern Indigenous peoples. (pp. 230-250) edited by Kamrul Hossain and Anna Petrétei. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff. doi: 10.1163/9789004314399_015
Smith, Timothy F., Choy, Darryl Low, Thomsen, Dana C., Serrao-Neumann, Silvia, Crick, Florence, Sano, Marcello, Richards, Russell, Harman, Ben, Baum, Scott, Myers, Stephen, Sharma, Vigya, Bussey, Marcus, Matthews, Julie, Roiko, Anne and Carter, R. W. (2014). Adapting Australian coastal regions to climate change: a case study of South East Queensland. Climate change and the coast: building resilient communities. (pp. 269-284) edited by Bruce C. Glavovic, Mick Kelly, Robert Kay and Ailbhe Travers. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/b18053
Sharma, Vigya and Sarker, Tapan (2013). Sustainable resource development in Asia: challenges and opportunities. The Asian Century, Sustainable Growth and Climate Change. (pp. 225-252) edited by Moazzem Hossain, Tapan Sarker and Malcolm McIntosh. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9781781005750

Journal Articles

Sharma, Vigya, Loginova, Julia, Zhang, Ruilian, Kemp, Deanna and Shi, Guoqing (2023). How do past global experiences of coal phase-out inform China’s domestic approach to a just transition?. Sustainability Science, 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s11625-023-01312-5
Zhou, Cheng, Zhang, Ruilian, Loginova, Julia, Sharma, Vigya, Zhang, Zhonghua and Qian, Zaijian (2022). Institutional logic of carbon neutrality policies in China: what can we learn?. Energies, 15 (12) 4391. doi: 10.3390/en15124391
Sharma, Vigya (2022). A reply to ‘Tenure security, housing quality and energy (in)justice in Dhaka’s slums’ by Jones. Global Discourse, 12 (2), 345-347. doi: 10.1332/204378921X16321204893519
Sharma, Vigya, Heynen, Anthony P., Bainton, Nicholas and Burton, John (2021). The Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership: Power and diplomacy in the Pacific. Energy Research and Social Science, 79 102186, 102186. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102186
Sharma, Vigya, Greig, Chris and Lant, Paul (2021). What is stopping India’s rapid decarbonisation? Examining social factors, speed, and institutions in Odisha. Energy Research and Social Science, 78 102117, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102117
Sharma, Vigya (2019). Access for adaptation? Reviewing the linkages between energy, disasters, and development in India. Energy Research and Social Science, 52, 10-19. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2019.01.025
Malakar, Yuwan, Herington, Matthew J. and Sharma, Vigya (2019). The temporalities of energy justice: examining India’s energy policy paradox using non-western philosophy. Energy Research & Social Science, 49, 16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2018.11.002
Sharma, V, Dalaibuyan, B, Erdenebileg, G-O, Natsag, M and Adiya, S (2016). Traditional livelihoods and mining in Mongolia’s changing climate: exploring the potential of cross-sectoral partnerships in achieving sustainability. APN Science Bulletin, 6, 8-12.
Sharma, Vigya and Franks, Daniel M. (2013). In situ adaptation to climatic change: mineral industry responses to extreme flooding events in Queensland, Australia. Society and Natural Resources, 26 (11), 1252-1267. doi: 10.1080/08941920.2013.797528
Sharma, Vigya (2011). Book reviews. M. Hulme: Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 65 (5), 621-622. doi: 10.1080/10357718.2011.613149
Sharma, Vigya (2007). Planning and sustainability: Exploring the relationship. The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, 3 (3), 173-182.

Conference Papers

Loginova, Julia, Sharma, Vigya and Kemp, Deanna (2023). Towards just transitions? Consultation, consent, and energy transitions in the Arctic region. 2nd International Conference for Sustainable Resource Society: Seizing a Sustainable Future, Kuopio, Finland, 3-4 November 2022.
Steele, Wendy, Crick, Florence, Serrao-Neumann, Silvia, Sharma, Vigya and Wadsworth, Jenny (2011). Governing the Australian megalopolis: The challenge of the 200km city (and beyond). 5th State of Australian Cities Conference 2011 (SOAC), Melbourne, Australia, 29 November - 2 December 2011. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Cities and Regions Nework.
Sharma, Vigya and Hugo, Graeme (2010). Climate change implications on human livelihoods and security: Lessons from the Ganges-Brahmaputra and the Mekong delta regions in Asia. 1st Asian Population Association Conference, New Delhi, India, 16-20 November 2010.
Sharma, Vigya and Hugo, Graeme (2009). Exploring the population-environment nexus: Understanding climate change, environmental degradation and migration in Bangladesh. XXVI International Population Conference of the IUSSP, Marrakech, Morocco, 27 September - 2 October 2009. Princeton, NJ, United States: Princeton University.

Creative Work

Loginova, Julia, Sharma, Vigya and Kemp, Deanna (2023). The changing arctic and just energy transitions: exploring patterns of community consultation and consent. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI).

Research Reports

Sharma, Vigya, Loginova, Julia, Zhang, Ruilian and Kemp, Deanna (2022). Energy Transition in China: Scenario analysis informing social sustainability assessment. Brisbane, Australia: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining.
Sharma, Vigya, Loginova, Julia, Zhang, Ruilian and Kemp, Deanna (2022). China’s just transitions: reviewing lessons learned and approaches to social sustainability assessment. Brisbane, Australia: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining.
Rüttinger, Lukas and Sharma, Vigya (2016). Climate change and mining: a foreign policy perspective. Berlin, Germany: adelphi.
Hugo, Graeme, Vas Dev, Sanjugta, Wall, Janet, Young, Margaret, Sharma, Vigya and Parker, Kelly (2011). Economic, social and civic contributions of first and second generation humanitarian entrants : Final report. Adelaide, SA, Australia: National Centre for Social Applications of Geographical Information Systems, University of Adelaide.

Newspaper Articles

Sharma, Vigya, Lebre, Eleonore and Loginova, Julia (2022, 03 15). Russia and Ukraine are important to the renewables transition. Here’s what that means for the climate The Conversation
Sharma, Vigya, Greig, Chris and Lant, Paul (2021, 07 15). India’s wicked problem: how to loosen its grip on coal while not abandoning the millions who depend on it The Conversation
Heynen, Tony, Lant, Paul and Sharma, Vigya (2021, 03 19). Australia wants to send 1 million vaccine doses to PNG – but without reliable electricity, how will they be kept cold? The Conversation 1-2.