Rate My Professor Amy Hahs

Associate Professor Amy Hahs is an urban ecologist in the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne, holding the position of Associate Professor in Urban Horticulture within the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences. She leads the Urban Green Space Research Group and serves as Director of Culture, Diversity and Inclusion for the school. Hahs has built an established research career investigating how urban landscapes impact local ecology, with a focus on translating ecological knowledge into practical implementations for sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities. Her research specializations include urban biodiversity, green infrastructure, the relationships between urban environments, biodiversity, and human health and wellbeing, as well as innovative urban planning that integrates ecology.

Prior to her current role, Hahs spent 16 years working at the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and served as Director of the specialist consultancy Urban Ecology in Action, advising state and local governments, industry, businesses, and organizations on practical actions to integrate biodiversity into urban landscapes and building projects. She chairs the Ecological Society of Australia’s Urban Ecology Research Chapter, was past Vice President for Research of the ESA, and is a Steering Committee Member for the Urban Biodiversity Research Coordination Network (UrBioNet), funded by the USA’s National Science Foundation. Hahs supervises PhD and masters students on projects such as integrating ecology and landscape architecture for biodiversity design, urban biodiversity indicators at local to global scales, green roofs as stepping-stones for urban biodiversity, and operationalizing nature prescriptions. Alumni from her group have published works including Timalsina et al. (2021) on quantifying changes in Melbourne’s urban green space and MacLeod et al. (2019) on balancing risks and benefits of urban vegetation in fire-prone landscapes. Her research has appeared in journals such as Health & Place, exemplified by Mavoa et al. (2019) on unequal exposure to green space. Through her leadership and contributions, Hahs influences urban ecology by promoting biodiversity-positive design and enhancing community wellbeing via nature in cities. Based on Wadawurrung Country in Ballarat, Victoria, she engages locally in activities promoting healthy living and nature appreciation.