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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 Ageing, Disability, Climate and energy, 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, 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
  • 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
  • Diane Brown Principal Fellow for Inclusive Communities
    – Disability policy; NDIS; Local Area Coordination; social policy design and implementation; marketisation of human services; commissioning
  • Shaun McMahon Head, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
    – Program evaluation; quantitative research methodologies
  • Damian Sullivan Principal, Climate Change and Energy
    – Climate change; energy affordability; energy efficiency; sustainability

Specialist staff

Researchers

  • 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
  • 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
  • Marion Coddou Senior Manager, Evaluation and Evidence
    – Mixed research methodologies; evaluation
  • Lisa Conley Research Fellow
    – Youth transitions; qualitative research methodologies; food systems; sustainability; rural sociology; knowledge translation; strategic framing
  • Liam Cranley Home Energy Adviser
    – Energy; Climate Change
  • Matthew Curry Ronald Henderson Research Fellow
    – Work; economic security; social stratification; social mobility; inequalities in education; labour markets
  • James Finnis Policy Advisor
    – Inclusive ageing; Disability; NDIS; Housing; Social Policy
  • 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
    – Inclusive ageing; Disadvantage; Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies; Care; Accessibility
  • Maria Mupanemunda Research Officer
    – Work; Economic security; Gender; Migration; Labour market policies
  • Frank Muscara Senior Manager
    – Mixed research methodologies; Evaluation
  • George Myconos Research Fellow
    – Inclusive education; Youth re-engagement in education; Vocational training policy/practice and reform
  • Anica Niepraschk Project Manager
    – Energy; Climate Change
  • Barry Pullen Honorary Associate
  • Danielle Thornton Senior Research Fellow, Social Policy
    – Policy history; social security; commissioning; participatory service design and practice; democratic cultures; theory and practice of social transformation
  • Seuwandi Wickramasinghe Senior Research Officer
    – Women; Work and economic security; CALD; Gender inequity; Feminist theory; Intersectionality; Applied social research methods