G'day
I'm Dr Rachael Gross. In order to trust me, and know that I am qualified and experienced - you will first need to know about me. It is critical to understand your position in relation to yourself and those around you to be good at working in this space. Below is my professional and academic experience, as well as my personal background in relation to my work.
My Story
Shalom! My name is Rachael (she/her), and I am a non-Indigenous ecologist, geographer, and decolonial practitioner. I was born and raised in regional NSW on Gundungurra Country, growing up beside the bush with an inherited love for the care, joy, and responsibility that comes with it. Like many kids, I was convinced I would grow up to save all the animals, ideally as a vet during the week and an ice‑cream van operator on the weekends. I’m still open to the van.
I came to Canberra on Ngunnawal/Ngunawal Country to study at the Australian National University. There, I realised my curiosity lay less in biology itself and more in environmental science, systems, and relationships, so I made the switch. At the end of my undergraduate degree, I chose to pursue an Honours year to explore research more deeply. My Honours research examined how African elephants respond to a warming climate, and I spent three months living and working in South Africa. That time, spent alongside elephants, profoundly shaped both my academic path and the beginning of a much broader ethical reckoning with how knowledge is produced.
When I returned to ANU to undertake my PhD, the COVID‑19 pandemic reshaped my original research plans. Without the ability to conduct planned fieldwork which turned out to be a necessary reality check. Having been invited into an Indigenous-led learning space, I redirected my focus toward decolonial theory, Indigenous land and sea management, and governance, while developing advanced skills in geographic information systems. I am deeply grateful to Indigenous colleagues, mentors, and friends who supported me through that process, including the discomfort, correction, and growth required to decolonise both my thinking and my practice.
This journey also prompted me to reconnect with my own cultural roots in Judaism. My grandparents and their families came from Eastern Europe and were victims of the Shoah/Holocaust. My grandparents, and only a few other family members, survived displacement, borders closed to them, and profound loss, including my grandfather who escaped only just. Learning that, in 1938, Aboriginal people protested the persecution of Jews in Europe remains deeply important to me. That act of solidarity underpins my obligation to return it. Justice and freedom are inseparable struggles, and my work is shaped by a responsibility to repair harm, resist oppression, and act with care. My grandfather was a scientist, and the compassion and integrity he brought to his work continue to guide my own.
I love research, mapping, teaching, and community. My work focuses on decolonisation and community development, particularly in support of Indigenous land and sea management, and on working with non‑Indigenous practitioners to critically reshape their methods and responsibilities. Indigenous people should be at the forefront of this work, and my role is to support, not extract or lead. After time spent in and applying for roles that did not quite fit, I chose to create space for the work I wanted to do, on my own terms. Tikkun Olam Environmental Consulting grew from that decision, grounded in repair, accountability, and relationship. I am always happy to share more about my work, and even happier to listen and find common ground.
And lastly, I will always be a wildlife person. Every sighting is still exciting, and while I don't have favourites...I'm a big birdwatcher. The fastest ways to my heart are ice cream, birds and a good yarn.
My Education
Doctor of Philosophy in interdisciplinary sciences and environmental management
Australian National University
My Ph.D. thesis expanded on my Honours research but delved more into the effects of colonisation on communities and elephants, aiming to bridge the gap in Western and local knowledges using geographic information systems. You can read my thesis here. I was based at the Fenner School of Environment and Society.
Honours in environmental management
Australian National University
My honours thesis looked at the behavioural and geospatial response of African elephants to a warming climate. You can read my thesis here. I was based at the Fenner School of Environment and Society.
Undergraduate Degree
Australian National University
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Biodiversity conservation and management, ecology and evolution
My Experience
Research, Governance, and Decolonial Practice
I have worked across ecology, geography, and social science with a focus on decolonial research practice, environmental governance, and justice‑oriented scholarship. My research experience spans honours, doctoral, and postdoctoral roles, where I have worked to translate critical theory into ethical, applied, and community‑relevant outcomes rather than treating research as an extractive exercise.
Indigenous Engagement and Co‑design
My work is grounded in relationship‑based and co‑designed approaches developed alongside Indigenous colleagues, communities, and organisations. I have experience supporting Indigenous‑led priorities, facilitating collaborative research processes, and working within Indigenous governance, decision‑making, and accountability frameworks. I approach engagement with humility, recognising that participation, refusal, and redirection are all valid forms of leadership.
Indigenous Land and Sea Management
I have worked closely with Indigenous land and sea management contexts, supporting planning, governance, and research that centres cultural values, Country, and long‑term stewardship. My experience sits at the intersection of ecological knowledge, cultural responsibility, and policy and management systems, with a focus on supporting Indigenous self‑determination rather than imposing external agendas.
Spatial Methods, Mapping, and GIS
I bring strong expertise in geographic information systems, spatial analysis, and participatory mapping. My work includes remote sensing, values‑based mapping, and ethical spatial data use, with particular attention to how maps shape decision‑making, power, and visibility. I am especially interested in how spatial tools can be repurposed to support Indigenous priorities rather than reinforce colonial logics.
Teaching, Mentoring, and Capacity Building
I have experience teaching at university level, mentoring students, and supporting early‑career researchers. I also work with non‑Indigenous practitioners across academic, government, and environmental sectors to critically reflect on their practices, responsibilities, and assumptions when working with Indigenous communities and knowledges.
Research Ethics, Data Sovereignty, and Integrity
My experience includes working within and challenging institutional ethics frameworks, with particular emphasis on Indigenous Data Sovereignty, knowledge governance, and relational accountability. I prioritise practices that return value, maintain community control, and resist extractive or tokenistic research approaches.
Consulting and Advisory Work
I am the founder of Tikkun Olam Environmental Consulting, where I work independently and collaboratively across research, policy, and practice. This work allows me to bring my skills outside the bounds of academia and to engage in projects aligned with justice, repair, and care. I work on my own terms so that the work remains accountable, ethical, and community‑centred.
kate harriden: wiradyuri woman, water scholar
"Rachael actively promotes decolonial actions though her research and teaching activities and calls out inappropriate practices as required, even when power is in the room.
She also does deadly maps that while indicating where an important site may be, the specific location remains known only to those who need to know.
We have been active in decolonizing the research and teaching practices through an Indigenous-led yarning circle based at the ANU’s environmental school since about 2019. She has always sought to respect First Nation sovereignty and conscientiously develops her capacity to work respectfully with mob.
When Rachael presented her PhD research about African elephants in Africa, it was the Indigenous scientists and practitioners who were most impressed with it. And we all know mob’s say matters, no matter where they come from!
After many years active in the Fenner Circle, an Indigenous-led yarning circle I co-founded at the ANU’s environmental school, including convening the publications circle, Rachael understands the range of different social, political and geographical situations where decolonial research projects are conducted. And that this diversity requires guidance from the client about the thoughtful and respectful use of research, governance and project management skills."
