Sustainability Hub welcomes new director

Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland is pleased to announce Dr Maria Armoudian as the new director of its Sustainability Hub.

An associate professor in Politics and International Relations in the Faculty of Arts and Education, with research interests in sustainability and human rights, Armoudian is well placed to lead the Hub in supporting the University’s extensive efforts to improve local and global sustainability.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Strategic Engagement Erik Lithander says: “We are delighted to welcome a director with the calibre and commitment of Dr Armoudian to lead the Sustainability Hub.

In 2023, Armoudian’s research, leadership and mentoring work in the fields of sustainability, human rights and good governance led to her receiving an Early Career Research Excellence Award for Social Sciences from the Royal Society Te Apārangi. She also serves as the co-director of the University’s flagship research centre, Ngā Ara Whetū for Climate, Biodiversity and Society.

Armoudian succeeds the Sustainability Hub’s inaugural director Gillian Lewis, a professor in Biological Sciences, who retired from the University in December. Professor Lewis was instrumental in developing the University’s Sustainability Strategy, Te Rautaki Aronga Toitū, and setting up the Sustainability Hub to implement it, along with driving the University’s efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals through the twin levers of teaching and research.

Along with connecting different parts of the University to better facilitate its efforts in sustainability and communicating progress towards becoming a sustainable university, the Sustainability Hub leads the Sustainable Action Network, comprised of academic and professional staff, and Living Labs, which enable the University grounds to be used as a testing ground for innovative sustainability solutions.

“We’re working to embed sustainability into all of our research and courses,” says Armoudian. “Our commitment is that our graduates will be equipped to meet these critical global challenges and help provide key solutions, while our university sets an example to other institutions throughout the world for what is possible.”

Ranked in the top one percent of universities worldwide for sustainability, the University of Auckland is the number one university in Aotearoa New Zealand in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025.

The University of Auckland was also recently appointed until 2027 as Chair for the United Nations Academic Impact Hub on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This prestigious role positions the University as a leader in advancing research and influencing policy to ensure economic growth is equitable, sustainable and inclusive.