People

 

Director

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Professor Phillip O’Neill

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Professor O'Neill is an economic geographer with specialties in urban and regional economies, corporate investment behaviours and socio-spatial indicators. He was previously Foundation Director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales. He is a major contributor to international scholarship in the general area of urban and economic development. This is recognised in his appointments to four key international editorial boards. He maintains strong publications output with consistent placement of research in the highest quality international journals as well as for targeted policy use.

 

Staff

Professor Peter Phibbs
- Academic Program Coordinator

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Professor Phibbs is an urban planner with an international reputation in the area of housing studies. Formerly the Associate Dean (Staff) in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sydney, his research in recent years has been in two main areas: the non-shelter outcomes of housing and the broad area of affordable housing. Since 2001 he has supervised 14 PhD completions and five Masters by Research. This level of research graduations has not only generated a considerable body of knowledge in planning but has also helped to raise the profile of research degrees as an important path for planners in Australia.

 

Professor Chung-Tong Wu (Adjunct)

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Professor Wu is an urban planner with specialities in regional development strategies, urban dynamics and impacts of migration on urban development. His work includes collaborations in China, South Korea and other South-East Asian countries. He was previously the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development and International) at UWS. Previous appointments include Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales and various academic appointments at QUT, University of Sydney, University of Hawaii and the University of Singapore. His current research is on shrinking cities, urban dynamics and urban revival strategies.

 

 

Associate Professor Michael Bounds (Adjunct)

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Associate Professor Bounds is an Urban Sociologist and author of Urban Social Theory (OUP 2004). His research over the past 10 years has concentrated on the study of the social impacts of urban development, with a particular focus on urban consolidation and gentrification. He has undertaken research on strata title governance, brownfield redevelopment in Pyrmont-Ultimo in Sydney, master-planned development in the south west of Sydney and researched development in the 'Olympic Corridor' and the impact of the Sydney Olympics. Associate Professor Bounds is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and formerly of the executive committee of Research Committee 43 of the International Sociological Association. He reviews for a number of academic publishers and urban, planning and sociological journals.

 

Dr Felicity Wray
- Postdoctoral Fellow

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Dr Wray is an economic geographer with research interests in (1) the drivers of uneven territorial development; (2) geographies of money and finance with a particular focus on the venture capital industry; (3) entrepreneurship; and (4) the changing nature and practices of economic geography. Prior to her appointment at the Urban Research Centre in March 2010, Felicity worked at the University of Western Australia and Newcastle University Business School. Felicity undertook her postgraduate studies at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at Newcastle University, a leading edge European centre for the study of local and regional development. Her current research examines impediments to employment generation amongst Arabic businesses in Sydney’s West Central region.

  

Dr Alexandra Wai Wah Wong
- Research Project Officer

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Alexandra joined the Urban Research Centre in June 2010 as a Research Project Officer working on a major project funded by the Australian Research Council which seeks to develop criteria to help solve Australia’s urban infrastructure crisis. She received her PhD in Management from the University of Edinburgh in 2009. Her thesis used the sociotechnical constituency approach to examine the building processes of the ICT clusters in Scotland and Hong Kong. Alexandra’s current research interest lies in the broad theme of productive and diverse urban economies.

 

Mr Borce Dimeski
- Spatial and GIS Analyst

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Borce Dimeski is a GIS and Spatial Indicators Analyst, the technical lead and point of contact for all GIS projects and related matters at the University of Western Sydney, Urban Research Centre. Specialising in advanced digital mapping techniques, he is responsible for collecting and analysing spatial data to assist in the development of new research proposals and facilitate the provision of quality research services.

Prior to joining UWS, Borce worked at Sensis WhereIs and PSMA Australia where he worked with complex GIS datasets; applying his analytical, technical and problem solving skills to drive projects, provide quality control and ensure all ISO standards are met. Borce graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Engineering in Surveying and Spatial Information Systems. He has completed a thesis report based on personal navigation devices and mapping datasets (GPS Mapping).

Borce has research interests in a) the application of advanced spatial techniques to collect and analyse transport data to ensure UWS delivers a seamless, efficient and sustainable transport network into the future; and b) urbanisation and sustainability issues for developments in agricultural areas. Borce is a member of the Surveying and Spatial Science Institute (SSSi). He is currently mapping the flows of fresh fruit’s and vegetables coming in to and out of the Sydney Flemington Markets.

    

Kelly Lanfranca completed a Bachelor of Business at UWS in 2004, involving a major research project on the success and failure of small businesses. She has extensive customer service experience in the hospitality and financial services sectors. Kelly was recruited by the Urban Research Centre in January 2007 and is responsible for the provision of high-level administrative support.

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Advisory Panel

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Sean O’Toole (Chair)
Managing Director, Landcom

Professor Kay Anderson
Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney

Dr Robert Lang
Chief Executive Officer, Parramatta City Council

Mr Rob Lennon
Greater Western Sydney Coordinator, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet

Professor Alan Peters
Head, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Sydney

Ms Yolanda Gil
Manager, Place and Programs, Western Sydney Parklands Trust

Associate Professor Stephen Corbett
Director, Population Health, Sydney West Area Health Service

Associate Professor Robyn Dowling
Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University

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