About
Biography
Alana Brekelmans is a researcher, writer, and facilitator exploring the interconnections between bodies, emotions, and environments. Her work blends social science, embodied therapies, and fine art to create content that connects academic research with holistic, body-centered approaches.
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Her eclectic experiences—from Buddhist meditation to outback cattle mustering, from nude performance art to learning from Indigenous Elders—inform her unique approach to scholarship and practice. Whether she's leading workshops on somatic writing, mentoring students in environmental anthropology, or conducting ethnographic research on affective political ecology, her work is informed by principles of creativity, collaboration, and care.
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Alana's PhD in socio-cultural anthropology earned her the 2021 Australian Anthropological Society Thesis Award. Additionally, her cross-cultural collaborative work with Mavis Kerinaiua received the Ecological Society of Australia and Bush Heritage Right Way Science Award.
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She is currently a research fellow as part of the BioFutures Research Group in the T.C Bierne School of Law, University of Queensland. She is also an adjunct fellow in The North Institute and Centre for Creative Futures, Charles Darwin University, and a Visiting Fellow in the School of Life and Environmental Science at Deakin University.
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Beyond academia, Alana facilitates community workshops and speaks at public events, bringing her insights on embodiment and environment to diverse audiences. As a settler, she is committed to respectful collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders.
Alana has been a wonderful lecturer this semester. I have felt supported by her at every week of the semester. She goes above and beyond to quell our fears about academia, answer our questions, and sympathise with the stress and pressure of writing a thesis. She is incredibly relatable and kind, one of the best teachers I have ever had.
- Honours Student, 2021.
