Sustainable Minerals Institute

Associate Professor Vigya Sharma

Principal Research Fellow
CSRM
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Associate Professor Vigya Sharma

Associate Professor Vigya Sharma is an experienced researcher across domestic and international mining and energy sectors. Her specific interests are understanding how resources' presence (or absence) 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 fossil fuel phase-out both in Australia and globally.

As an engineer with a PhD in the social sciences, Vigya has 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.

Vigya coordinates and is the primary lecturer for the undergraduate course on Humanitarian Engineering, offered to students in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT). She led the design and delivery of this course, first introduced at UQ in 2020.

Besides advising master’s and PhD students on energy transitions, mine closure, and energy and development, Vigya has an active service and engagement portfolio. Most recently, she was invited to join the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET), established at COP27. CEET is an Independent Advisory Council to the UN Secretary-General, to contribute to their goal to build a coalition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and to support the United Nations' work on engineering pathways to achieve global decarbonisation goals by mid-century.

She also serves on the Editorial Boards of Energy Research and Social Science, and Sustainability Science.

Prior to joining CSRM, Vigya 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.

Qualifications

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

 

Publications

Book (1)
Book Chapters (7)
Journal Articles (15)
Conference Papers (5)
Creative Work (1)
Newspaper Articles (5)
Research Reports (4)

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

Sharma, Vigya and Loginova, Julia (2024). The social aspects of India's energy transition: coal, critical minerals and socio-economic dependencies. The role of coal in a sustainable energy mix for India: a wide-angle view. (pp. 75-103) edited by Mritiunjoy Mohanty and Runa Sarkar. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Roitledge / Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.4324/9781003433088-7
Sharma, Vigya and Loginova, Julia (2024). The social costs of India’s energy transition: socioeconomic dependencies and lessons from international experiences. The role of coal in a sustainable energy mix for India: a wide-angle view. (pp. 75-103) edited by Mritiunjoy Mohanty and Runa Sarkar. New Delhi, India: Routledge.
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 and Aggarwal, Mayank (2025). Can meaningful consultation and consent advance fair and equitable large-scale renewable energy development? Reflections from India. Energy for Sustainable Development, 85 101613, 101613-85. doi: 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101613
Lèbre, Eléonore, Sharma, Vigya and Corzo-Remigio, Amelia (2024). Extracting minerals for the energy transition – Local data for global decision making. Journal of Cleaner Production, 474 143563, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143563
Kemp, Deanna, Sharma, Vigya, Harris, Jill, Blitz, Nellie and Williams, David (2024). Disclosure hesitancy and disaster risk: a survey of tailings professionals in the global mining industry. Minerals Engineering, 215 108821, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2024.108821
Sharma, Vigya and Loginova, Julia (2024). Just transition out of coal-fired power: Policy lessons from Australia's automotive sector closure. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 51 100835, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2024.100835
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, 18 (5), 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, 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. doi: 10.30852/sb.2016.8
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

Clerc, C., Sharma, V. and Pagliero, L. (2023). Water and energy integration towards post-mine transition. Mine Closure 2023, Reno, NV USA, 2-5 October 2023. Crawley, United Kingdom: Australian Centre for Geomechanics. doi: 10.36487/ACG_repo/2315_005
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: The University of Queensland, Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Newspaper Articles

Sharma, Vigya and Loginova, Julia (2024, 03 25). Industry shutdowns are messy and painful: 4 lessons Australia’s coal sector can learn from car-makers about bowing out The Conversation
Dalaibuyan, Byambajav and Sharma, Vigya (2023, 10 19). Mongolia’s critical role in the global energy transition The Interpreter
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.

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.