Nicky Morrison is the Professor of Planning at Western Sydney University (WSU), co-Director of WSU’s Urban Transformations Research Centre, and Senior Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. With over 30 years of experience, Nicky is a leading figure in sustainable community development, public policy analysis, and urban planning. Her expertise spans the delivery of resilient, healthy, and sustainable communities, with a focus on overcoming policy implementation barriers, strengthening stakeholder engagement, and advancing socio-ecological systems.

Nicky has led high-impact international research initiatives and secured major competitive funding from the European Commission, the Norwegian, UK, and NSW State and Local Governments. Her work has focused on programmes related to climate resilience, health, and housing. At WSU, she is leading the transformation of the Penrith Campus into the Penrith Sustainable Innovation Community (PSIC).

A sought-after advisor, Nicky has provided strategic guidance to governments, industries, and NGOs worldwide, advising the UK, German, Norwegian, and NSW Governments, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Amnesty International’s sub-Saharan Africa programme, and Habitat for Humanity. In 2019, she was recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute for her leadership and significant contributions to the planning profession.

Nicky serves on several prestigious boards and committees, including the Habitat International Editorial Board, the Executive Committee of the Healthy Populations and Environments Platform of the Sydney Partnership for Health Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE), and the Western Sydney Committee of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW. She is passionate about fostering truly collaborative planning and advocates for effective partnerships between government, the private sector, NGOs, and community agencies.