Dr Helen Kopnina

Assistant Professor

Department: Newcastle Business School

Dr. Kopnina, Helen (Ph.D. Cambridge University, 2002) is the author of over two hundred peer-reviewed articles and (co)author and (co)editor of seventeen books on interrelated topics of environmental sustainability, circular economy, biological conservation, environmental ethics and animal ethics, and environmental education.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My research focuses on environmental education and links biodiversity to business. With over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 17 (co)authored or (co)edited books with international collaborators, I challenge traditional boundaries through an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to academic discourse, education, and corporate sustainability strategies. My work, published in top-tier journals across education sciences (EER, JEE, BERJ), natural sciences (BC, CB), and business/management (JEMA, JCP), has gained a growing influence, as shown by my current Scopus H-index of 51 and several articles with over 700 citations each. My research has influenced curricula and pedagogical strategies across institutions. Many of my highly cited publications focus on critiques and ways forward Education for Sustainable Development Goals. My research on environmental education, particularly in ecopedagogy and ecoliteracy, plays a very significant role in shaping my teaching and empowering graduates to work in highly skilled professions through transformative and inclusive experiential learning.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Does waste equal food? Examining the feasibility of circular economy in the food industry, Kopnina, H., Boatta, F., Baranowski, M., De graad, F. 4 Nov 2022, The Impossibilities of the Circular Economy, New York, London, Routledge
Exploring posthuman ethics: opening new spaces for postqualitative inquiry within pedagogies of the circular economy , Kopnina, H. 1 Sep 2022, In: Australian Journal of Environmental Education
Critical Evaluation of Sustainable Development Goals and Circular Economy in (Business) Education: Reflections on a Long-Term Sustainability Strategy of Degrowth, Kopnina, H., Benkert, J. 23 Aug 2022, Engagement with Sustainable Development in Higher Education, Cham, Springer
Exploring attitudes to biodiversity conservation and Half-Earth vision in Nigeria: A preliminary study of community attitudes to conservation in Yankari Game Reserve, Kopnina, H., Muhammad, N., Olaleru, F. 1 Aug 2022, In: Biological Conservation
Limits to Sustainable Development Goals: Discussing Lessons from Case Studies in (Un)sustainable Production, Kopnina, H. 10 Jun 2022, Towards a Circular Economy, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
Socially responsible consumption: Between social welfare and degrowth, Baranowski, M., Kopnina, H. 2022, In: Economics and Sociology
(Im)possibilities of “circular” production: Learning from corporate case studies of (un)sustainability, Kopnina, H., Padfield, R. 1 Dec 2021, In: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
“Nano” Regeneration: How Human Agency Intermediates Between Nature and Technology in Community-Based Energy, Walther, C., Poldner, K., Kopnina, H., Dentoni, D. 1 Dec 2021, In: Organization and Environment

Professional Activity

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Invited talk: “Biodiversity and business” presentation at Business & Law Research Conference 2024
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: 17th Annual Northern Advanced Research Training Initiative (NARTI) 2024
Invited talk: Invited presentation The University of Connecticut 2024
Invited talk: Invited presentation ‘Business of biodiversity: Rethinking sustainable finance’. Impact Investment and Ethnographic critiques of sustainable finance. University of Bologna. 2024
Invited talk: Invited presentation ‘Nature rights in business education: Global North and South perspectives’. Conference at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. 2024
Invited talk: A Development Research seminar with Dr Helen Kopnina. International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands. 2024
Invited talk: Invited presentation at workshop Climate Change and Duties to Future Generations: Centre for Climate and Environmental Resilience at Newcastle University. 2024
Membership of committee: International Union for the Conservation of Nature (External organisation) 2024
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: British Academy of Management (BAM). Embedding Impact on SDGs in Teaching. 2023
Invited talk: "Transnational leadership and environmental governance: The role of business leaders in addressing biodiversity loss in Europe" Leadership & Sustainability in Europe. ESSCA EU Asia Institute, Angers, France. 2023