Research Team
Dr Marnie Badham is known internationally for her expertise in socially engaged and public art, cultural policy and evaluation, and participatory research methods. Marnie designs and manages complex multi-site and intercultural research partnerships across community, industry, and government. Working between Australia and Canada, Marnie is Associate Professor in the School of Art at RMIT University.
Dr Bronwyn Coate is an Associate Professor in economics based in the School of Economics, Finance and Marketing at RMIT. Bronwyn takes a multi-disciplinary perspective that demonstrates how economic and business concepts can be applied to many diverse areas within business and society, to help make sense of the complex world we live, work and operate within. Bronwyn also collaborates with experts from a range of disciplines within academia as well as industry professionals and policy makers to address real world problems.
Paul Fairhead is a seasoned design thinking subject matter expert and educator. With over 35 years of extensive design leadership experience spanning three continents, Paul has successfully managed diverse projects across commercial, retail, government, and arts sectors. Paul is Project Manager for this research in the School of Design at RMIT.
Dr Alexandra Kleeman is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, whose work explores how urban environments shape population health, wellbeing, and social outcomes. She employs mixed-methods approaches to explore critical issues at the nexus of housing, urban design, health, policy, and cultural evaluation. Her work generates policy-relevant evidence to inform planning and design decisions that foster healthier, more culturally vibrant cities.
Dr Vicki Couzens is a Keerray Woorroong woman from the Western Districts of Victoria. Vicki has worked in Aboriginal community affairs for almost 40 years. She is a Senior Knowledge Holder for Possum Skin Cloak Story and Language Reclamation and Revival in her Gunditjmara Mother Tongue. Vicki’s contributions in the reclamation, regeneration and revitalisation of cultural knowledge and practices extend across the ‘arts and creative cultural expression’ spectrum including language research and community development. Vicki is an Indigenous Research Fellow at RMIT University.
Dr Lucy Gunn is an interdisciplinary researcher focused on the role of liveability for healthy ageing. Her research uses quantitative techniques to explore relationships between the built environment and liveability, and health and wellbeing outcomes. This includes active and public transport research and investigating how planning, health and economic evaluation of infrastructure can support decisions around growth area development and transport and infrastructure delivery. Research collaborations involve the Victorian Department of Transport and Growth Area Councils.
Professor Brad Haylock, is Head of School, Design, at University of Technology Sydney. His research and practice activities span book design, publishing, and design studies. He has led a variety of government- and industry-funded research projects.
Dr. Sarah Barns brings two decades of strategic policy, research, and creative practice to her work on the digital lives of cities and communities. A multi-disciplinary scholar-practitioner, Sarah champions the importance of cultural and political imaginaries as they shape emerging digital ecosystems and practices in urban settings, while being committed to industry and community-based collaborations that advance new civic capabilities and literacies. Sarah is Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the School of Global, Urban, Social Studies at RMIT.
Victoria Johnstone has over 20 years experience delivering innovative and ground-breaking public arts and cultural projects. Her government roles include Producer and Manager Living Arts for Inner West Council, 12 years at City of Sydney in major events, public arts and cultural development roles, Project Manager City of Newcastle Tourism and Economic Development Unit. Victoria is Research Assistant in the School of Art.
Dr Madeleine Collie is a curator, writer, and project researcher whose work engages with plants, poetics, and ecological relations in contemporary art. She holds a PhD in art history, theory and curatorial practice from Monash University. She founded the Food Art Research Network in 2020 and is co-editor of Earth Ethics: Art, Institutions and Regenerative Practices (Monash University Publishing, 2025). She has been an artist in residence at HIAP, Helsinki, and guest curator at Kin Museum, Sápmi. Madeleine was a Project Researcher in the School of Art on this project.and is currently a Visiting Researcher in the climate transformation program at NTU CCA in Singapore.