Professor Christian Downie
Professor at the Australian National University

Christian Downie is a professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University, where he is the director of the Governing Energy Transition (GET) Lab.

He has worked as an advisor to several Australian government agencies, most recently as a principal advisor on secondment in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, and before that in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He has taught or been a researcher at the University of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, among others, and has worked in policy think tanks in Canberra and Washington D.C.

Christian is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His latest book is Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment, which the Financial Times listed in its “Best Books of 2025: Environment, Science and Technology.” His writing has also been published by the ABC, CNN, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, and The Conversation, among others. He is frequently cited in the international and Australian media.