Rate My Professor Sylvia Nissen

Nissen's career includes significant contributions to academic service and teaching excellence. She received the Lincoln University Teaching Award for Early Career in 2019. She serves as a member of the Lincoln University Sustainability Taskforce (2021–present) and the Lincoln University Research Committee (2019–present), as well as contributing to the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design. Her key publications include 'Retrofitting an emergency approach to the climate crisis: A study of two climate emergency declarations in Aotearoa New Zealand' (2021), 'A crisis volunteer ‘sleeper cell’: An emergent, extending and expanding disaster response organisation' (2021), '“A shovel or a shopping cart”: lessons from ten years of disaster response by a student-led volunteer group' (2021, cited 25+ times), 'Student debt and wellbeing: a research agenda' (2019, cited 86 times), and 'Children and young people's climate crisis activism' (2021, cited 69 times). She has co-authored works on student-led volunteering post-Canterbury earthquakes, panic activism in climate movements (2025), and civic legacies of disasters for youth. With over 655 citations on Google Scholar, her research influences discussions on environmental governance, political participation, and crisis response in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Nissen co-leads Bioprotection Futures, analyzing New Zealand's biosecurity system for stronger outcomes.