Contact Details
| Organization: | Resource Management and Geography |
| Position: | CHAIR IN GEOGRAPHY |
| Email: | |
| Homepage: | http://www.findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/researcher/person13003.html |
| 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 2011 and 2012 she is also Vice President of the University's Academic Board. She chairs the Council of Janet Clarke Hall, a residential college of the University and is a Vice President of the International Geographical Union.
In 2008 Professor Fincher led the establishment of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) as its Interim Director; MSSI is a new interdisciplinary initiative seeking to coordinate and augment research at the University of Melbourne that links social and environmental aspects of sustainability. Previously Ruth Fincher 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 a 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, and a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Australian Geographers in 2009.
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. Her latest book, Planning and Diversity in the City: Redistribution, Recognition and Encounter, co-authored with Kurt Iveson (Palgrave Macmillan, London), was published in July 2008 and will be translated into Chinese in 2010.
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 outcomes of immigration and multiculturalism | Australia |
| Urban planning | 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)
- Global climate change adaptation measures (ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, LEGISLATION AND STANDARDS) (760101)
- 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 | Linkage Projects | 01/01/2005 |
| Equitable local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise | Chief Investigator | AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL | Linkage Projects | 01/01/2010 |
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.