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Potential Supervisors

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School of Social Sciences and Psychology

Below you will find a list of researchers who are active within the school. You will find a summary of their research expertise and interests along with their contact details.

Geography and Urban Studies
Peace and Development Studies
Psychology
Social Work, Welfare and Therapy Studies
Sociology
Tourism and Heritage Studies

To learn more about program offerings and graduate education with the School of Psychology, please visit our courses page.

Geography and Urban Studies
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Professor Kevin Dunn Kevin Dunn is Head of School and Professor of Geography and Urban Studies.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0873 Email: k.dunn@uws.edu.au	Geographies of racism, anti- racism and transnationalism Social and Cultural Geography Urban Studies
Professor Phillip O'Neill Phillip O'Neill is the Director of the UWS Urban Research Centre and Professor of Economic Geography	Phone: +61 2 8833 5988 Email: p.oneill@uws.edu.au	Economic geography Urban geography Large urban infrastructure Regional economic development Regional labour markets Spatial data analysis
Professor Peter Phibbs Peter Phibbs is the Academic Program Coordinator for the UWS Urban Research Centre	Phone: +61 2 8833 5902 Email: p.phibbs@uws.edu.au	Urban planning Economic evaluation Affordable housing development Economic modelling and demography
Associate Professor Michael Darcy Michael Darcy is Associate Professor and head of the Geography and Urban Studies group.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6797 Email: m.darcy@uws.edu.au	Housing markets and affordable housing Social housing and the lived experience of tenants Homelessness
Dr Rae Dufty Rae Dufty is a Lecturer in Geography and Urban Studies.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0872 Email: r.dufty@uws.edu.au	Human geography Urban and housing studies Rural studies
Dr Awais Piracha Awais Pirachais Senior Lecturer and Academic Course Advisor for Urban Planning	Phone: +61 2 4736 0049 Email:a.piracha@uws.edu.au	Liveability in Urban Planning Sustainable Transport Planning Spatial Analysis in Planning Urban Design
Dr Emma Power Emma Power is a Lecturer in Geography and Urban Studies.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0107 Email: e.power@uws.edu.au	Cultural geography Everyday practices of sustainability and homemaking Human-environment relations More-than-human geographies
Dr Felicity Wray Felicity Wray is an economic geographer with interests in geographies of money and finance, particularly venture capital, entrepreneurship, plus urban and regional development strategies.	Phone: +61 2 8833 5913 Email: f.wray@uws.edu.au	Impediments to employment generation amongst Arabic businesses in Sydney’s West Central region

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Peace and Development Studies
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Associate Professor Debbie Horsfall Debbie Horsfall is a Senior Lecturer in Peace and Development Studies.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0093 Email: d.horsfall@uws.edu.au	Inclusive qualitative research Arts-based or creative research; community development Social activism/social change Feminisms/gender Caring at end of life Disability and social justice
Dr Tim Griffin Tim Griffin is a Lecturer in Social Psychology.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0124 Email: t.griffin@uws.edu.a	Disability and aging Blended learning and e-learning
Dr Debra Keenahan Debra Keenahan is a Lecturer in Peace and Development Studies.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0045 Email: d.keenahan@uws.edu.au	Dehumanization and moral politics Humanitarian and social health work-based projects
Dr Craig Osmond Craig Osmond is a Lecturer in Peace and Development.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0133 Email: c.osmond@uws.edu.au	Analytics of government, especially in relation to child protection and juvenile crime Queer sexualities Culture, space and crime Post-structural theory and its lines of flight

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Psychology
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Dr Tanya Covic	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6266 Email: t.covic@uws.edu.au	Deliberate self- harm Pain, depression and coping in rheumatoid arthritis
Associate Professor Rocco Crino	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6345 Email: r.crino@uws.edu.au	OCD & anxiety disorders Body dysmophic disorder
Associate Professor Emilee Gilbert		Reproductive Health
Dr Jo Milne- Home	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6715 Email: j.milne-home@uws.edu.au	Emotional Intelligence and Positive Psychology Dance Research - Creativity and Improvisation
Dr Glenn Newbury		Motivation
Dr Janette Perz	Email: j.perz@uws.edu.au	PMS Cancer care Women's reproductive health psychology Gender & mental health
Dr Agnes Petocz	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6624 Email: a.petocz@uws.edu.au	Conceptual Metaphor
Professor Jane Ussher		Women's reproductive health psychology Gender & mental health
Dr Tamara Watson	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6006 Email: t.watson@uws.edu.au	Visual Stimuli
Dr Gabrielle Weidemann	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6669 Email: g.weidemann@uws.edu.au	Associative learning and classical conditioning Evaluative conditioning Implicit learning paradigms such as temporal and contextual cuing
Associate Professor Jeanna Sutton	E: j.sutton@uws.edu.au

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Social Work, Welfare and Therapy Studies
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Professor Natalie Bolzan Natalie Bolzan is Professor of Social Work.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6531 Email: n.bolzan@uws.edu.au	Social inclusion and participation Social resilience Mental health
Associate Professor Jane Mears Jane Mears is Associate Professor of Community Welfare.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6250 Email: j.mears@uws.edu.au	Ageing Community care and the ageing population Elder abuse protocols
Dr Fran Gale Fran Gale is a Lecturer in Social Work.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6745 Email: fw.gale@uws.edu.au	Citizenship and civic connectedness of marginalised groups Social advocacy Spirituality and social justice Human rights
Dr Neil Hall Neil Hall is Lecturer and Course Advisor for the Bachelor of Social Work.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6591 Email: n.hall@uws.edu.au	Young people Social inclusion and participation Men’s studies Sport
Dr Mick Houlbrook Mick Houlbrook is a Lecturer in Adult and Community Education.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6348 Email: m.houlbrook@uws.edu.au	Work-based learning Adult education
Dr Sheridan Linnell Sheridan Linnell is a Lecturer in Art Therapy.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0605 Email: s.linnell@uws.edu.au	Feminist and postcolonial theory Discourse analysis Arts-based and writing methodologies

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Sociology
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Professor Stephen Tomsen Stephen Tomsen is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Associate Head of School (Research).	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6649 Email: s.tomsen@uws.edu.au	Violent crime, hate crime, youth crime Masculinities Access to justice and legal services Social theory and ethnography
Associate Professor Mary Hawkins Mary Hawkins is an Associate Professor in Sociology.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6352 Email: m.hawkins@uws.edu.au	Cross-cultural and global studies Social Justice and Faith in the Context of Religious and Spiritual Change Kinship, families and gender
Doctor Michael Kennedy Michael Kennedy is a Senior Lecturer in Policing.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0868 Email: m.kennedy@uws.edu.au	Ethics in policing Moral panics Zero tolerance policing Policing education
Dr Alphia Possamai-Inesedy Alphia Possamai-Inesedy is a Lecturer in Sociology.	Phone: + 61 2 9772 6321 Email: alphia.possamai@uws.edu.au	Women’s health Sociology of reproduction Sociology of religion
Dr Erin Kruger Erin Kruger is a Lecturer in Criminology.	Phone: + 61 2 4736 0874 Email: e.kruger@uws.edu.au	Criminal Law Corporeality Legal theory Science/technology
Dr Jane Durie	Email: j.durie@uws.edu.au	Culture, difference and relations of power Whiteness as structure of authority and whiteness as identity Indigenous education Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations

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Tourism and Heritage Studies
Name, Title and Role	Contact	Areas of Research Expertise and Interest
Associate Professor Robyn Bushell Robyn Bushell is an Associate Professor of Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: + 612 4736 0113 Email: r.bushell@uws.edu.au	Tourism planning Community development Conservation of cultural and natural heritage
Dr Corazon Sinha Corazon Sinha is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: + 612 4736 0104 Email: c.sinha@uws.edu.au	Nature-based and wildlife tourism Biodiversity and natural heritage conservation Visitor impact and protected area management
Dr Russell Staiff Russell Staiff is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: + 612 4736 0146 Email: r.staiff@uws.edu.au	Museums National parks Built heritage World heritage sites
Dr Poll Theerapappisit Poll Theerapappisit is a Lecturer in Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: + 612 4736 0067 Email: p.thee@uws.edu.au	Tourism planning and policy Cultural heritage
Dr Julie Wen Julie Wen is a Lecturer in Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: + 612 4736 0041 Email: j.wen@uws.edu.au	Tourism and tourism development in protected areas Spatial distribution of tourism Environmental economics and sustainability Regional economy, international business and China studies
Dr Amie Matthews Amie Matthews is a Lecturer in Sociology and Heritage and Tourism Studies.	Phone: + 612 9772 6224 Email: a.matthews@uws.edu.au	Sociology of tourism (including backpacking, youth travel, volunteer and socially responsible tourism and tourism impacts) Contemporary rites of passage and rite of passage theory Youth cultures and identities Everyday cosmopolitanism and transnationalism
Dr Emma Waterton Emma Waterton is a Lecturer in Tourism and Heritage Studies.	Phone: +612 4736 0056 Email: e.waterton@uws.edu.au	Critical heritage studies Dark tourism or ‘thanotourism’ Critical discourse analysis Cultural policy and tourism