This year’s Social Sciences Week program reflects a growing recognition of an important reality: social sciences are central to understanding and addressing the most pressing issues facing the world today. As demonstrated by the recent Why Science Needs the Social event, held as a collaboration between National Science Week and Social Sciences Week, solving complex issues such…
In the September issue, we welcome our new CEO, celebrate Social Sciences Week, and meet the AFIPS Visiting Fellowship Grant recipients. View the September 2026 newsletter.
Living Futures: Shortcuts to a Big Idea Living Futures offers a fresh and exciting perspective on how people imagine and make futures as part of their everyday lives. It addresses important questions about who is included in futures thinking and futures making, and who is excluded. Bringing together historical, anthropological, sociological, geographical and arts-based perspectives, this…
Three international researchers are the recipients of the 2026 Australia-France Indo-Pacific Visiting Fellowship Studies grants. The Visiting Fellowship program supports early-career academic or professional researchers from Indo-Pacific Nations, France and French overseas territories, with support from the Australian Government. Each fellowship runs for up three months with one or more research organisations in Australia. The program enables visiting fellows to…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia has appointed experienced leader, policy strategist and organisational anthropologist Dr Jodie Trembath as its next Chief Executive Officer. Dr Trembath will commence in the role on 9 September. Dr Trembath joins the Academy from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), where she served as Director…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia welcomes social science enthusiasts to explore the program for Social Sciences Week (SSW) 2026, taking place from 12 to 20 September 2026. Events will be held online and in-person across Australia, exploring a diverse range of topics including social cohesion, loneliness, AI, First Peoples’ Knowledges, housing, crime,…
Millions of people will complete the national Census tonight, including Australians at home and visitors from overseas. In doing so, they contribute to one of the most important exercises in public knowledge that our nation undertakes. Every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of who we are: where we live, how we work,…
In this issue, the Social Sciences for Australia’s Future report is launched, plus get the latest on upcoming events, Fellows’ accolades and recent publications. View the August 2026 newsletter.
Emeritus Professor Bruce Scates Affiliation: The Australian National University Discipline: History, heritage and archaeology Year elected: 2014 How would you describe your work at a dinner party? My work centres on painful pasts and how we live today with their legacies. As a social and cultural historian, I delve into the archives to reveal stories of resilience and resistance, and seek to empower those often displaced…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia today launched its landmark Social Sciences for Australia’s Future report, calling for renewed investment in education, research and capability-building to ensure Australia can meet the complex challenges of the decades ahead. Released on Census Day, the report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the strengths, challenges and opportunities…
Dr Linda Botterill Affiliation: UNSW Discipline: Political Science Year elected: 2015 What initially drew you to your field of study? I spent nearly 15 years in policy practice – in the APS, Ministerial offices, and industry associations – and I wanted to research why policies often fail to achieve their goals. I was particularly interested in the failure of a program, the Farm…
Australia Fair?: Democracy, Bureaucracy and the Making of Modern Australia Who advises politicians about the issues that impact our daily lives, and how has their advice changed over time? In Australia Fair? authors James Walter and Carolyn Holbrook explore the world of departmental officials and political advisers who wield significant influence in shaping our society and assess…
Being Patient: Close Encounters in a Cancer World Na’ama Carlin, Louise Chappell and Siobhan O’Sullivan all received the diagnosis people dread – cancer. Working in universities, these three women knew how to speak up. But in Cancer World, their voices were often unheard. As they negotiated medical hierarchies, ‘scanxiety’, gender bias, ongoing treatments and confronting…
Professor Kim Dovey Affiliation: University of Melbourne Discipline: Built Environment & Design Year elected: 2022 How would you describe your work at a dinner party? I study cities at multiple scales from the sidewalk to the metropolis, but mostly I am interested in urbanity – the intensive, creative and productive buzz of urban life, which is the…
A World of Resistance: India and the Global Antibiotic Crisis The discovery of antibiotics was one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the twentieth century, dramatically increasing human lifespans. Yet today, with antibiotic-resistant superbugs implicated in as many deaths as HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, the limits of these miracle drugs have become alarmingly clear. …
Emeritus Professor Cheryl Dissanayake AM FINSAR FASSAAffiliation: Olga Tennison Autism Research CentreDiscipline: PsychologyYear elected: 2022 What initially drew you to your field of study? A film, seen on daytime TV during a semester or term break while I was a student, that profiled a young autistic child, motivated my interest in autism; this field engaged…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia welcomes the proposed changes to the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) and supports the overall direction of the review. The Academy particularly welcomes the recognition of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) critical role as the primary funder of early-stage research in Australian universities, the strengthened support for…
Scientia Professor of Economics Richard Holden Affiliation: UNSW Discipline: Economics Year elected: 2016 What initially drew you to your field of study? I loved that economics provides rigorous tools to help address some of society’s most pressing challenges. How would you describe your work at a dinner party? I work on cognitive economics which is…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is pleased to announce eight recipients of the 2026 Spark Grants program, providing funding of up to $1,000 for events planned for Social Sciences Week 10 to 20 September 2026. Spark Grants were decided using a lottery system, a process found to reduce the influence of conscious…
Laureate Professor of Education Jenny Gore AM Affiliation: The University of Newcastle Discipline: Education Year elected: 2023 What initially drew you to your field of study? I come from a family where teaching was common, especially among the women. Education was always around me. My deeper interests—how to get better outcomes for teachers and students,…
Submarines in International Law Submarines in International Law is the first book to explore both the legal history and the contemporary regulation of submarine operations in varied areas of international law. The analysis demonstrates the instances where submarines influenced the development of the law of the sea and the law of armed conflict, as well…
Two First Nations researchers have received grants from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia with support from the Wilhelm, Martha, and Otto Rechnitz Memorial Fund. This year’s recipients are Dr Samara Hand, Worimi/Biripi woman, born on Awabakal Country and raised on Bidjigal Country in South Sydney and Dr Shani Crumpen from the Torres Strait Islands. Dr Hand’s work…
In this issue, the Academy brings the ‘social’ to National Science Week, plus not-to-be-missed upcoming events and opportunities for international collaboration. View the July 2026 newsletter.
Professor Michelle Arrow Affiliation: Macquarie University Discipline: History, heritage and archaeology Year elected: 2023 What initially drew you to your field of study? I think I first became interested in history from observing the ways that my grandparents were profoundly shaped by their experiences during the Great Depression: they saved string and bits of brown paper and never…