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RPC team

The BSL Research and Policy Centre team includes staff who possess both international and national social policy and research experience.

We conduct research across a wide range of issues including climate and energy, disability, early years, education and training, housing and homelessness, income and social security, work and youth. The team also includes honorary research and policy associates, specialist social policy librarians and a research editor, as well as business and administrative staff.

Together we strive to create knowledge and build evidence that seeds new approaches to social policy, programs and practice that help shape a better future for people and communities experiencing poverty, inequity and social exclusion.

RPC Leadership Team

  • Shelley Mallett Director, BSL Research and Policy Centre; Professorial Fellow in Social Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
    – Homelessness; youth transitions; gender and health inequities
  • Rachel Challis General Manager, Operations 
  • Joseph Borlagdan Principal Research Fellow, Youth Opportunity
    – Youth studies; homelessness; inequality; applied sociology; adaptive methodologies
  • Dina Bowman Principal Research Fellow, Work and Economic Security and Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne
    – Economic security; social security; financial wellbeing; work; poverty
  • Marion Coddou  Head, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning
  • Damian Sullivan Principal, Climate Change and Energy
    – Climate change; energy affordability; energy efficiency; sustainability

Specialist staff

Researchers and policy advisors

  • Lisa Audsley, Senior Policy Advisor
  • Aradhana Barua Research Officer
    – Inclusive education; HIPPY; quantitative research method
  • Sharon Bond Senior Research Officer
    – Youth transitions; career development; collaborative community services
  • David Bryant Research Officer
    – Climate change; energy affordability; energy efficiency; sustainability
  • Rhianna Brickle Senior Research Officer
    – First Nations health and wellbeing; education
  • Emma Chessell Project Manager
    – Energy efficiency; regulated markets; renewable energy
  • Kira Clarke Senior Research Fellow
    – Youth transitions; vocational education & training (VET); post-compulsory education; practitioner research; Initial teacher education; education policy
  • Lisa Conley Research Fellow
    – Youth transitions; qualitative research methodologies; food systems; sustainability; rural sociology; knowledge translation; strategic framing
  • Katy Cornwell , Senior Manager, Monitoring and Learning
  • Liam Cranley Home Energy Advisor
    – Energy; climate change
  • Christopher Hacon Data and Reporting Analyst
  • Ursula Harrison Research Fellow
    – Work; economic security; Life Chances Study
  • Deborah Keys Research Fellow
    – Youth homelessness; youth employment
  • Stuart Marshall Reporting Manager
  • Amber Mills Senior Research Fellow
    – Disadvantage; quantitative and qualitative research methodologies; care; accessibility
  • George Myconos Research Fellow
    – Inclusive education; youth re-engagement in education; vocational training policy/practice and reform
  • Anica Niepraschk Project Manager
    – Energy; climate change
  • Emily Porter ANZ Tony Nicholson Research Fellow
    – Financial inclusion; economic security
  • Debra Parnell  Senior Policy Advisor
  • Andrew Thies  Policy Advisor
  • Danielle Thornton Senior Research Fellow
    – Policy history; social security; commissioning; participatory service design and practice; democratic cultures; theory and practice of social transformation
  • Seuwandi Wickramasinghe Senior Research Officer
    – Women and economic security; female entrepreneurship; financial capabilities