UNSW experts are available to comment on the cascading impacts of the Iran conflict, including fuel supply pressures, economic and supply chain disruptions, and how governments, industries and households respond to emerging constraints.<\/p>\n
Dr Timothy Neal (Scientia Senior Lecturer in Economics, UNSW Sydney; UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response)\u00a0can explain how shocks propagate through interconnected economic systems, with a focus on panic buying and demand surges under uncertainty. Drawing on COVID-19 research, he can discuss how expectations and policy signals can strain just-in-time supply chains (systems designed to minimise inventory).<\/p>\n
Professor Ben\u00a0Newell (UNSW Psychology; Director, UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response)\u00a0can explain how crises may act as behavioural \u201ctipping points\u201d, prompting individuals to reassess entrenched habits such as energy use and transport choices (like the uptake of EVs).<\/p>\n
Professor Johannes\u00a0le Coutre (UNSW Engineering \u2013 food security expert)\u00a0can comment on the war\u2019s implications for global food systems, including disruptions to fertiliser supply and shipping routes. His work examines how such shocks affect crop yields, nutrition and health, and why highly efficient food systems often lack resilience to disruption.<\/p>\n
Scientia Professor Manju Ahuja (School of Information Systems and Technology Management, UNSW Sydney \u2013 digital transformation and hybrid work expert)\u00a0can speak to whether a shift to remote work is a practical response to fuel disruption. She can assess trade-offs between reduced commuting and challenges such as productivity, technology overload and work-life boundaries.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Sue Williamson (School of Business,\u00a0UNSW Canberra \u2013 public sector and workforce expert)\u00a0can comment on how governments and large employers may use remote and hybrid work to maintain operations during energy shocks. She can explain what enables effective implementation, including managerial support, employee engagement and the uneven impacts across different workers.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor\u00a0Cheng-Lung Wu (School of Aviation, UNSW Sydney \u2013 aviation operations expert)\u00a0can comment on the implications of jet fuel disruptions for airline operations, airport capacity and air freight, including how airlines prioritise routes, manage scheduling constraints and respond to fuel volatility. His research examines airline scheduling, airport operations and the resilience of aviation networks under operational stress.<\/p>\n
Dr Graham Doig\u00a0(School of Aviation, UNSW Sydney \u2013 aeronautical engineering and aviation systems expert)\u00a0can comment on how disruptions to fuel supply and global aviation systems affect air transport, freight and logistics, including how industry responds to operational constraints and shifting demand.<\/p>\n
Dr Wesley Morgan (UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response \u2013 climate diplomacy and energy policy expert)\u00a0can discuss how escalating conflict in the Middle East is reshaping global energy security and climate diplomacy, including tensions between short-term fossil fuel stability and long-term decarbonisation. Drawing on his expertise in Australia\u2013Pacific relations, he can assess how these shifts reverberate through the Indo-Pacific, influencing regional alliances and climate leadership.<\/p>\n
Professor Elizabeth\u00a0Thurbon (Director, Green Energy Statecraft Project \u2013 international political economy expert)\u00a0can speak to how conflicts such as the Iran war reshape global power through economic statecraft \u2013 the strategic use of trade, finance and energy systems to advance national interests. She can explain how energy security, industrial policy and sovereignty are increasingly intertwined, with states using clean energy transitions and supply chains as tools of geopolitical competition.<\/p>\n
Professor Elizabeth Fernandez (School of Social Sciences,\u00a0UNSW Sydney \u2013 social policy and child welfare expert)\u00a0can speak to the household and community effects of crisis-driven work changes, particularly how sudden shifts in routines can affect family stress, care arrangements and vulnerable children. Her research highlights how these shocks disproportionately affect vulnerable groups.<\/p>\n
Ms Jennifer Parker (Adjunct Fellow in Naval Studies,\u00a0UNSW Canberra)\u00a0can comment on the strategic and military dimensions of the Iran conflict, including risks to key shipping corridors, escalation dynamics and the security of global energy supply routes. Drawing on more than 20 years\u2019 experience in the Royal Australian Navy, including roles in defence planning, military campaign design and leading multinational maritime operations in the Middle East, she can assess how coalition responses, freedom of navigation and the law of the sea shape the trajectory of the conflict and its implications for Australia and Indo-Pacific security.<\/p>\n
Professor Douglas\u00a0Guilfoyle (UNSW Canberra \u2013 international law and national security expert)\u00a0can comment on the legal and strategic dimensions of conflict, including maritime security risks, trade disruption and Australia\u2019s exposure to supply chain vulnerabilities. His work examines how crises test international law frameworks and national resilience, particularly in relation to fuel, pharmaceuticals and critical imports.<\/p>\n
Professor David\u00a0Kilcullen (UNSW Canberra \u2013 international security and conflict expert)\u00a0can comment on how conflicts in the Middle East evolve and escalate, including the risks of irregular warfare \u2013 non-state or hybrid forms of conflict \u2013 and their implications for global security. A former adviser in Iraq and Afghanistan, he can assess how localised conflicts expand across regions and reshape strategic risk.<\/p>\n
Dr Andrew\u00a0Maher (UNSW Canberra \u2013 international relations and war studies expert)\u00a0can comment on the geopolitical consequences of conflict in the Middle East, including regional instability, non-state armed groups and shifting global alliances. His work examines how states respond to strategic uncertainty and how power dynamics shape international cooperation.<\/p>\n
Dr Albert Palazzo (UNSW Canberra \u2013 military strategy and defence policy expert)\u00a0can comment on the strategic implications of Middle East conflict for Australia and its allies, including alliance dynamics, force posture and risks to maritime trade. His research focuses on how modern warfare shapes long-term defence planning and preparedness.<\/p>\n
Professor Tommy\u00a0Wiedmann (School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney \u2013 industrial ecology and sustainability expert)\u00a0specialises in comprehensive carbon footprint analysis \u2013 measuring emissions across entire global supply chains, including the embodied emissions embedded in materials and infrastructure. He can speak to the climate cost of conflict from a general systems perspective, from direct fuel use to the upstream and downstream emissions linked to weapons production and post-war reconstruction.<\/p>\n
Professor Bryce Kelly (School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences,\u00a0UNSW Sydney \u2013 emissions measurement expert)\u00a0can speak to the \u201cmeasurement blind spot\u201d around conflict-related emissions, including the limits of satellite monitoring of methane leaks and damaged oil and gas infrastructure. He can assess how improved measurement and verification systems \u2013 used to track and audit greenhouse gases \u2013 could strengthen accountability during geopolitical instability.<\/p>\n
Dr Tanya\u00a0Fiedler (Scientia Fellow, UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response, School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation)\u00a0can speak to how cascading shocks across energy, supply chains and finance challenge conventional accounting and risk disclosure frameworks. She can explain the growing use of scenario analysis and narrative \u201cstorylines\u201d \u2013 structured accounts of how risks may unfold \u2013 to better capture uncertainty in volatile conditions.<\/p>\n