Jaz Lawes
Principal Researcher, Surf Life Saving Australia
Visiting Research Fellow, School of BEES, UNSW Sydney
Jaz is a committed science communicator and published researcher with experience spanning university and industry sectors. She obtained her PhD in the area of marine community ecology and impacts of common marine pollutants from the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences in 2016. Her role as national researcher at Surf Life Saving Australia, includes the production of the National Coastal Safety Report, maintaining SLSA’s National Fatality Database and coordinating a diverse portfolio of coastal safety research projects. She is passionate about science and education programs that investigate, understand and support interactions between humans and the environment. Lawes believes education and awareness strategies driven by evidence-based research are the most effective tool to transform attitudes and change behaviours to enhance public safety along Australia's coast. Jaz is gaining recognition within coastal safety in Australia with her capacity to engage in multi-disciplinary research and to adapt in a flexible research environment being central to this success.
Research Interests:
Human and environmental interactions
Transformative education strategies to effect change
Science communication and public outreach
Evidence-informed development of practical innovations
Some Recent Publications
Fien, S., Lawes, J.C., de Terte, I., Simon, P., Joseph, N., Daw, S., Drummond, M., Best, T. and Stanton, R., (2021) Forgotten first responders: Australian surf lifesavers and lifeguards. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 33(3), pp.572-574. http://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13754
Lawes, J.C., Peden, A.E., Bugeja, L., Strasiotto, L., Daw, S. and Franklin, R.C., (2021) Suicide along the Australian coast: Exploring the epidemiology and risk factors. Plos one, 16(5), p.e0251938. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251938
Lawes, J.C., Strasiotto, L., Daw, S. and Peden, A.E. (2021). When natural hazards intersect with public health: a preliminary exploration of the impact of bushfires and the CoViD-19 pandemic on Australian coastal drowning fatalities. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(10), p.5314. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105314
Cooney, N., Lippmann, J., Ellis, A., Daw, S., and Lawes, J. (2021) Coastal Safety brief: Diving and Snorkelling. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_diving_snorkelling_report_2020
Koon W, Peden A, Lawes J, Brander R. Coastal Drowning: A scoping review of burden, risk factors and prevention strategies. PLOS ONE. Published online first, Feb 2021. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246034
Lawes, J.C., Ellis, A., Daw, S., Strasiotto, L. (2020) Risky business: a 15-year analysis of fatal coastal drowning of young male adults in Australia. Injury Prevention, in press 0:1–8.
Cooney, N., Daw, S., Strasiotto, L., Ellis, A., and Lawes, J. (2020) Coastal Safety Brief: Alcohol and Drugs. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_alcohol_drugs_report_2020
Lawes, J.C., Rijksen, E.J.T., Brander, R.W., Franklin, R.W., Daw, S. (2020). Dying to help: fatal bystander rescues in Australian coastal environments. PLOS ONE, 15(9): e0238317 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238317
Cooney N, Daw S, Brander R, Ellis A, and Lawes J. (2020) Coastal Safety Brief: Rip Currents. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_rip_currents_report_2020
Surf Life Saving Australia (2020) National Coastal Safety Report 2020. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/ncsr_2020_rgb_issuu_final
Cooney, Nicole, Lawes, Jasmin & Daw, Shane (2020) Coastal Safety Brief - Rock Fishing. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_fishing_report_2020
Cooney, Nicole, Lawes, Jasmin & Daw, Shane (2020) Coastal Safety Brief - Boating. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_boating_report_2020_web
Cooney, Nicole, Lawes, Jasmin & Daw, Shane (2019) Coastal Safety Brief - Rip Currents. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/csb_rips_brief_web
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019) National Coastal Safety Report 2019. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://issuu.com/surflifesavingaustralia/docs/ncsr2019
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019) New South Wales Coastal Safety Report 2019. Surf Life Saving Australia: Sydney. Available from: https://www.surflifesaving.com.au/reports/coastal-safety-report-2019
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019) Surf Life Saving Northern Territory Coastal Safety Report 2019. SLSA: Sydney.
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019). Surf Life Saving South Australia Coastal Safety Report 2019. SLSA: Sydney.
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019). Surf Life Saving Tasmania Coastal Safety Report 2019. SLSA: Sydney.
Surf Life Saving Australia (2019). Surf Life Saving Western Australia Coastal Safety Report 2019. SLSA: Sydney.
Fully Refereed Conference Proceedings
Lawes, J. 2019, ‘The impact of alcohol and drugs on Australian coastal drowning deaths’, Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
Lawes, J., Daw, S. & Ryan, A. 2019, ‘Exploring perceptions, participation trends and drowning risks of migrants in Australian coastal environments’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa.
Lawes, J., Daw, S. Ryan, A., Rijksen, E. & Simon, P. 2019, ‘Prioritising social research agendas to address the disparity between risk and reality in coastal environments’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa.
Lawes, J., Brander, R., Franklin, R., Rijksen, E. & Daw, S. 2019, ‘Fatal bystander rescues in coastal environments around Australia: learnings and prevention’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa.
Daw, S., Lawes, J. & Stone, K. 2019, ‘Beyond drowning: an assessment of the implications of other coastal fatalities on lifesaving services and community’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa.
Daw, S. Ryan, A., Lawes, J. & Stone, K. 2019, ‘Rip currents – a behavioural change safety campaign.’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa.
Stone, K., Daw, S., Klerk, T. & Lawes, J. 2019, ‘Surf Risk Rating’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention, Durban, South Africa.
Stone, K., Daw, S. & Lawes, J. 2019, ‘A lifesaving capability assessment overview: what we do, what are the challenges’, World Conference of Drowning Prevention, Durban, South Africa.
