Fire focused females

A CRC fire ecologist has been recognised as a leading female in fire science internationally.

A/Prof Tina Bell from the University of Sydney was recognised in Fire Journal in August along with more than 60 other female scientists from around the world, including Australian researchers Lynda Prior and Fay Johnston.

“I was truly surprised to be nominated as a member of such an eminent group of researchers,” the CRC researcher said.

The researcher says she has seen the change and rise of women in the emergency and fire management sector, particularly since she became a researcher with the Bushfire CRC in 2003.

The Journal commends A/Prof Bell for her research on the fire ecology of native plants from Western Australia.

Tina is a project leader on the Optimisation of fuel reduction burning regimes project, which is giving fire and land management agencies the confidence they need to better forecast the impact of their prescribed burns.

More recently Tina has done research on the effects of smoke on plants and the impacts of low intensity fire on carbon and water cycling.

The Journal considered the number of papers that a researcher’s work has been cited in, a metric known as the h-index.

Tina has a h-index of 22, which showcases the strength and depth of her research.

The Journal says female scientists have a pivotal role in understanding and reducing the gender disparities that exist in natural hazards disciplines.

“In fire science, there is a distinct and critical need to increase the recognition of women,” the Journal says.

The women acknowledged cover a variety of perspectives and topics across fire research including geology; carbon; Indigenous conservation; land management and environmental policy.

The full list of researchers is available here.