Contact Details
| Organization: | Resource Management and Geography |
| Position: | CHAIR IN GEOGRAPHY |
| Email: | |
| Work: | 03 8344 0623 |
| Fax: | 03 9349 4218 |
| Room: | 225 |
| Level: | 02 |
| Building: | 221 Bouverie Street, Carlton |
| Campus: | Parkville |
Biography
Ruth Fincher is Professor of Geography at the University of Melbourne. In 2008 she is also Interim Director of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, a new interdisciplinary initiative seeking to coordinate and augment research at the University of Melbourne that links social and environmental aspects of sustainability.
Previously she was Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning (2003-2006) and Professor of Urban Planning (1997-2006), also at the University of Melbourne. She was Director of the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne in the mid 1990s, and held positions as Assistant Professor of Geography at McGill University (Canada), and McMaster University (Canada) in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she worked as Research Manager in the Federal Government’s Bureau of Immigration Research.
Professor Fincher holds a PhD in Geography from Clark University, a Master of Arts from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2002.
With research and teaching interests in the urban outcomes of immigration and multiculturalism, diversity and difference in cities, gender issues, inequality and locational disadvantage, Professor Fincher is widely published internationally. Her books include Creating Unequal Futures? Rethinking Inequality, Poverty and Disadvantage (Allen and Unwin, 2001) co-edited with Peter Saunders, Australian Poverty: Then and Now (Melbourne University Press, 1998) co-edited with John Nieuwenhuysen, and Cities of Difference (Guilford Press, New York, 1998) co-edited with Jane Jacobs. A new book, Planning and Diversity in the City: Redistribution, Recognition and Encounter, co-authored with Kurt Iveson (Palgrave Macmillan, London), was published in July 2008.
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|
| Difference and diversity in urban environments | Australia |
| Gender issues, inequality and locational disadvantage | Australia |
| Urban planning | Australia |
| Urban outcomes of immigration and multiculturalism | Australia |
International Linkages
| Country | Establishment | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| United States | University of Arizona | Teaching |
| Malaysia | National University of Malaysia | Teaching |
| New Zealand | The University of Waikato | Teaching |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts | University of Melbourne | 31-Dec-1972 | |
| Master of Arts | McMaster University | 31-Dec-1975 | |
| Doctor of Philosophy | Clark University | 31-Dec-1980 |
Memberships
| Membership Type | Membership Body | Description | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | College of Experts, Australian Research Council | Member, College of Experts, Australian Research Council, SBE Panel (Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences) | 01-Jan-2005 | 31-Dec-2005 |
| Member | Academy of the Social Sciences | Member of the Committee of Panel A (Anthropology, Demography, Geography, Linguistics and Sociology disciplines) representing Geography | 01-Jan-2003 | |
| Council | Institute of Australian Geographers | President, vice-president, Editorial Board | 01-Jan-1992 | 31-Jul-2004 |
Fellowships
| Fellowship | Date Awarded |
|---|---|
| Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA) | 31-Dec-2002 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Urban and Regional Planning (ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN ENVIRONMENT) (310103)
- Architecture and Urban Environment not elsewhere classified (ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN ENVIRONMENT) (310199)
- Public Policy (POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION) (360201)
- Social Policy and Planning (SOCIOLOGY) (370102)
- Social Change (SOCIOLOGY) (370107)
- Social Policy (SOCIAL WORK) (370203)
- Urban and Regional Studies (HUMAN GEOGRAPHY) (370401)
- Social and Cultural Geography (HUMAN GEOGRAPHY) (370402)
- Human Geography not elsewhere classified (HUMAN GEOGRAPHY) (370499)
- Population Trends and Policies (DEMOGRAPHY) (370501)
- Migration (DEMOGRAPHY) (370502)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Housing (PLANNING) (680101)
- Other (PLANNING) (680199)
- Housing (DESIGN) (680201)
- Higher education (HIGHER EDUCATION) (740301)
- The distribution of wealth (COMMUNITY SERVICE EXCL. WORK) (750301)
- Gender (COMMUNITY SERVICE EXCL. WORK) (750303)
- Ethnicity and multiculturalism (COMMUNITY SERVICE EXCL. WORK) (750306)
- Families (COMMUNITY SERVICE EXCL. WORK) (750307)
- Civics and citizenship (GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS) (750604)
- Government and politics not elsewhere classified (GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS) (750699)
- Urban planning (HERITAGE) (750803)
- Regional planning (HERITAGE) (750804)
- Understanding Australia's past (UNDERSTANDING PAST SOCIETIES) (750901)
- Understanding the pasts of other societies (UNDERSTANDING PAST SOCIETIES) (750902)
- Political science and public policy (NON-ORIENTED RESEARCH) (780106)
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title | Role | Funding Source | Scheme | Award Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRANSNATIONAL AND TEMPORARY: PLACE-MAKING,STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY IN CENTRAL MELBOURNE | Chief Investigator | AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL, CITY OF MELBOURNE, DEPARTMENT FOR VICTORIAN COMMUNITIES |
Linkage Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) | 01/01/2005 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.