Hannah Badland

My vision is to help build a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of circumstance, is empowered to flourish.

As Director of the Social Equity Research Centre at RMIT University, I lead a large, high-performing interdisciplinary research team committed to understanding and redressing inequities through social justice. My research focuses on the built environment, health, wellbeing, and inequity—both in Australia and internationally—particularly among populations disadvantaged by systemic barriers or inadequate policies. My current major themes include enhancing the social determinants of health for people with disability and reducing inequities in early childhood development.

My career has been driven by a commitment to real-world impact, collaborating extensively with policymakers, government, and non-government organisations to translate research into positive change. I earned my PhD in public health researching the associations between the built environment and adult travel behaviours. Since then, I have held research and research leadership roles internationally, published over 170 articles in leading interdisciplinary journals, and secured more than $24M in competitive research funding.

I am privileged to have received over 40 national and international awards and prizes, and to contribute as an Associate Editor for Health & Place. Recognised as the inaugural Australian Health Promotion Thinker in Residence, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and among the Top 2% of Scientists worldwide, I am currently an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. My ongoing focus is on leading and enabling innovative, collaborative research that breaks new ground on social equity and improves lives.