Professor Sharon Christensen

Biography

Sharon Christensen is the Head of the School of Law and Gadens Professor in Property Law in the Faculty of Business and Law at Queensland University of Technology. Professor Christensen’s research is influential in driving government policy, law reform and industry change at the intersection of property laws, consumer protection and emerging technologies. During the last 20 years her research has been instrumental in guiding government policy for effective seller disclosure in land transactions and the introduction of electronic settlement and digital lodgment of land transfers. This has led directly to legislative reforms, enhanced consumer protection in land transactions, created efficiencies in the conveyancing process and lowered compliance costs of property sellers and buyers in Queensland, as well as informing law reform both nationally and internationally for information disclosure and electronic land transactions. Professor Christensen has attracted competitive and commercial research funding in excess of $5 million and led research teams investigating and proposing changes to property law regimes for the integration of sustainability regulation within traditional property frameworks (ARC Discovery Grant) and reform of policies for an integrated regime to regulate carbon products connected to land (ARC Discovery Grant).  Sharon is also a leader in the field of electronic land systems and transactions with research disseminated through national and international refereed publications. Professor Christensen has been appointed to a number of law reform reviews and government advisory panels and in 2013 was appointed, with Emeritus Professor Duncan and Associate Professor Dixon, by the Queensland Attorney General to lead a broad ranging review of property laws in Queensland. The final report recommending significant legislative reform was released in 2018 and proposed legislation adopting the recommendations is currently being drafted. Since 1992, Professor Christensen has authored and co-authored over 180 publications in journals, edited works and conference proceedings. She is the co-author of Construction and Performance of Commercial Contracts (Fed Press 2nd ed,  2018), Land Contracts in Queensland (Fed Press, 4th ed, 2016) and Commercial Leases in Australia (Lawbook 2020). Professor Christensen has significant professional experience in property sales, leases and other commercial transactions gained through her position as a consultant with Gadens Lawyers and as an author and ongoing reviewer of the Queensland Conveyancing Protocol.  She is also an active member of a number of state and national professional bodies, contributing to government submissions and law reform agendas.

Research interests

• Emerging technologies and property law reform
• Impact of technology on commercial transactions
• Property Law reform, including sales and leasing
• Consumer Protection and online transactions

Previous Appointments
2016-2020 - Co-Director Centre for Commercial and Property law QUT;
2004- 2010: Deputy Director, Law, Information Security Institute
1999- 2001: Assistant Dean Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Law