Vale Emeritus Professor Stephen Boyden

We are saddened to share the passing of Emeritus Professor Stephen Boyden, whose life and work shaped generations of thinking about the relationship between people and the planet.

“At 100 years of age, Stephen Boyden was still sharing the wisdom that we need for our planet in polycrisis. The Bionarrative, his 2016 book is available here. His personal website, Biorenaissance makes a major statement of hope for the future.  His lifetime's work is a practical and philosophical reminder of how we can make all our science and creativity work together for a better future.”
— Emeritus Professor Libby Robin

Stephen’s career spanned continents and disciplines. After graduating in Veterinary Science in London in 1947 and completing a PhD in Immunology at the University of Cambridge, he held research roles in Paris, Copenhagen, and New York before joining the ANU in 1960. From 1965 until his retirement in 1990, he devoted himself to human ecology and human biohistory. He initiated the pioneering Hong Kong Human Ecology Program, the first comprehensive ecological study of a city, and contributed to UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program. His work encouraged a holistic understanding of human futures, and his ideas continue to inspire those working at the intersection of science, society, and sustainability.

Vale Professor Stephen Boyden