Fenner offers expert perspectives on complex environmental and sustainable development challenges, drawing on decades of quality empirical and applied research. Research focuses on understanding environmental changes across a range of scales in time and place, enabling the school to provide past, present and future narratives to guide science, policy and management. Of particular importance to us is our capacity to encourage sound policy and governance outcomes that support sustainability.

In the areas of natural disasters relevant to Australia and Australia's region of interest, our research has focused on floods, droughts, water scarcity, urban planning and wildfires and has focused on informing policy and practice. (see e.g. John Handmer, Stephen Dovers, Handbook of Disaster Policies and Institutions, Improving Emergency Management and Climate Change Adaptation, CSIRO Publishing 2013, Geoffrey Cary, David Lindenmayer, Stephen Dovers, Australia Burning, Fire Ecology, Policy and Management Issues, CSIRO Publishing, 2003.