Scholar / Educator / Mentor
Geographer / Naturalist / Oral Historian
Landscape Architect / Place Maker
“My work and thinking in geography, anthropology, and landscape architecture are shaped by field experiences and insights gathered from around the world, particularly through interactions with Indigenous experts and non-Indigenous knowledge holders whose lives and identities are deeply connected to land and sea.”
I’m a landscape architect, geographer, and anthropologist whose work bridges design, research, and cultural heritage. For over two decades, I’ve collaborated with Indigenous communities in Australia, Fiji, and Arctic Canada on projects involving cultural mapping, oral histories, interpretive design, and environmental planning. My work is grounded in relational approaches to land, story, and knowledge, and guided by a strong commitment to ethical, place-based practice.
I’ve held academic and leadership roles across Australia, Canada, and the United States, and serve as a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. My teaching spans graduate and undergraduate levels and is internationally recognised for its focus on Indigenous knowledge systems, participatory mapping, and community-led design. In 2019, I received an Endeavour Executive Leadership Award to undertake leadership development in place-making at the University of Virginia’s Center for Cultural Landscapes.
Through immersive field studios, collaborative research, and public engagement, I aim to challenge conventional ways of seeing and invite new conversations about land, heritage, and responsibility.
I hold a PhD in Geography from McGill University, a Master of Landscape Architecture (Research), a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with First Class Honours, and a Bachelor of Design Studies, all from the University of Adelaide.
scott@scottheyes.com | © Dr Scott A. Heyes 2024
Scott Heyes 