Success Stories 

Academics at the University's Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender win linkage grant for research into obesity

Dr Megan Warin, and Professor Vivienne Moore of the Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender, along with Professor Paul Ward (Flinders University) and Partner Investigator Dr Michelle Jones (Department of Health SA) have won a linkage grant for the project titled An ethnographic study of obesity risk in a disadvantaged community in collaboration with the City of Playford and SA Health (2012-2015).  This project aims to explore how the community understands risks associated with obesity, and whether gender and social class intersect to influence responses to obesity intervention strategies. Project outcomes will provide key insights to inform obesity policy and prevention efforts that respond to local realities of risk and resistance.

Andrew Rosser receives Future Fellowship grant for development research in Indonesia

Associate Professor Andrew Rosser has been awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship to carry out research on a project entitled 'Realising Socio-economic Rights: Law and the Politics of Access to Public Services in Indonesia.' The project examines the efforts of activists and ordinary citizens in Indonesia to defend and enforce Constitutionally-protected rights to free basic education, water, and health care for the poor through the judicial system and via political mobilisation.

Discovering the impact of climate change on Chinese migration

Dr Yan Tan is an ARC Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Fellow, and is currently working on the ARC Discovery project titled Climate Change and Migration in China: Theoretical, Empirical and Policy Dimensions.

Tan’s specific research is on the environment-migration nexus, climate change and adaptations, forced displacement and resettlement produced by development projects and environmental degradation, and examining the social and environmental consequences for both affected communities and people. This work has focused particularly on China and Australia. Her research book Resettlement in the Three Gorges Project (Hong Kong University Press, 2008) is the first to be published outside China on the early stages of this mega-resettlement.

ARC study to reconstruct climate history on south-east Queensland island

An ARC Linkage Project The Sands of Time seeking to document natural climate variability in south-east Queensland is being led by Dr John Tibby, Senior Lecturer in Geography, Environment and Population, with Dr Cameron Barr as post-doctoral researcher on the project. The project examines various chemical and biological components of climate-sensitive sediments in sites on North Stradbroke Island. Partnering with the Department of Environmental and Resource Management (Qld) and mining company Sibelco, research is concerned with understanding climates to better underpin water resource planning and the natural fire regimes on the island. So far the study has found that North Stradbroke Island has the highest concentration of ancient wetlands (>20,000 years old) in Australia.

Susan Oakley tackles support and participation for young homeless people in ARC Linkage Project

Dr Susan Oakley, a Senior Lecturer and Head of Discipline in the School of Gender, Work and Social Inquiry is carrying out a Housing, Urban and Regional Planning research project entitled Creating Better Pathways into Civic Participation for Young Homeless People Through Sustainable Accommodation and Support Program Models. Susan's Australian Research Council Linkage-funded project considers a sustained independent living environment to be a significant contributor to health and well being. The project will offer new insights into ways that young homeless people use and experience supported accommodation and programs, and will recommend practical models for policy development, practice and service delivery. The project runs from 2011 to 2013.

Andrew Beer demonstrates senior experience in housing and public policy issues

Professor Andrew Beer, Director of the Centre for Housing, Urban & Regional Planning has been nominated to join the inaugural 2012 Leading the Future program. This highly experiential senior leadership program is designed to equip Andrew for future leadership opportunities at the University. Andrew Beer has become a member of the Panel of External Thought Leaders for the Affordable Housing Portfolio, Wyatt Foundation. He is joining the panel given his wealth of knowledge and experience in academic research and public policy regarding housing issues. Andrew has joined the ARC College of Experts and been appointed to be the Chair of the Homelessness Strategy Advisory Group for the Dept. of Social Inclusion and Communities.