Schlosberg earned his Bachelor of Arts in politics and psychology, graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz with honors in 1985.
He was an affiliate at what is now the School of Earth and Sustainability at NAU, chaired the Department of Politics and International Relations, and co-founded and directed the Environmental Studies Program.
Schlosberg moved to the University of Sydney in 2011, as Professor of Environmental Politics in the Department of Government and International Relations.
In environmental justice studies, he is known for first developing the theoretical framework that encompasses the movement's pluralist concerns about equity, recognition, participation, and capabilities.
Schlosberg's more applied work, with local and state governments, includes justice in adaptation and resilience planning, the social impacts of climate change, and community-based food movements and policy.