Postgraduate Research Profiles

Postgraduates in the Department are currently exploring a wide range of research areas, and are listed below.

List of Postgraduate students



Margaret Boulos
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Good Eggs’: Young Women as Ideal Donors for Stem Cell Research
Supervisor – Professor Catherine Waldby
Associate Supervisor – Associate Professor Ian Kerridge





Stephen Borthwick
Master of Philosophy
Supervisor – Dr Karl Maton
Associate Supervisor – Professor Peter Freebody (Faculty of Education and Social Work)





Estella Carpi
PhD Full-Time - Joint Linguistics/Sociology and Social Policy
Thesis Title – ‘Linguistic Identity in Lebanon – an Ethnolinguistic Study’
Supervisor – ... (Department of Linguistics)
Associate Supervisor – Professor Michael Humphrey





Rachel Carr
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title - ‘Pig to Human Transplantation and the Remaking of Pigs, Non-Human Primates and Humans in Biomedicine’
Supervisor – Professor Catherine Waldby
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Lyn Dickens
PhD Full-time CPACS/Sociology and Social Policy
Title - On Being Mixed Race: Eurasian Identity, Race and Gender in Australia and Southeast Asia
Primary supervisor - Jake Lynch
Associate Supervisor – Dr Kiran Grewal





Tristan Enright
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – 'Taking the Ivory Tower by Storm: A genealogical sociology of neoliberal knowledge and its practical realisation in Australian higher education'.
Supervisor – Dr Karl Maton
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper

Presented Papers:

Enright, T. (2010) ‘On the Problem of Neoliberalism: An argument for a sociology of neoliberal knowledge’, paper presented at Department of Sociology and Social Policy Postgraduate Research Conference, 5 November, The University of Sydney.

Enright, T. (2011) ‘Research Methodology in the Making: Towards a sociology of neoliberal knowledge and the commercialisation of Australian higher education’, paper presented at Department of Sociology and Social Policy Postgraduate Research Conference, 22 June, The University of Sydney.

Key External Conferences and Ongoing Research Affiliations:

‘Contesting Neoliberalism and Its Future’, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia Workshop, December 2010, The University of Sydney.

Legitimation Code Theory, Global and Sydney Networks

White Spaces Postgraduate Research Network, Virtual Seminar Series Participant and Sydney Coordinator, Worldwide Universities Network







Ian Flaherty
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Love and Intimacy in Gay Male Relationships in Contemporary Australia and New Zealand’
Supervisor – Dr Jennifer Wilkinson
Associate Supervisor – Dr Catriona Elder





Mark Gawne
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘The Political and Economic Dimensions of Affect: The Class Composition, Value and Technologies of Affective Labour’
Supervisor – Dr Craig Browne
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Clément Girault
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Canvasing the Living Wage for Artists: Which Welfare System for Australian Artists? A Comparative Study of International Artist Subsidy Schemes’
Supervisor – Deirdre Howard-Wagner
Associate Supervisor -





Alex Lombard
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Violence in Everyday Life: Elements of Jean Baudrillard’s Early Semiology’
Supervisor – Dr Craig Browne
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Lyndal Halliday
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘The Modern Seed’
Supervisor – Professor Catherine Waldby
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Mai-Maree Hansford
PhD Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Captivate, Activate: How stories engage people and help form activist publics”
Supervisor – Dr Craig Browne
Associate Supervisor – Dr Annette Falahey





Joanne Harris
PhD Full Time
Thesis Title – ‘Structuring Possibilities for Research in the Body’
Supervisor – Professor Michael Humphrey
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Matthew Hatton
Master of Philosophy Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Social inclusion – a new paradigm for addressing homelessness in Australia?’
Supervisor – Gyu-Jin Hwang





Hongguang He
PhD Full Time
Thesis Title – Reconstructing Rural China: A Case Study from an Anhui Village
Supervisor – Dr David Bray
Associate Supervisor – Dr Adrian Hearn





Jo Jericho
Doctorate of Social Sciences Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Women, Combat and War’
Supervisor – Professor Michael Humphrey
Associate Supervisor – Dr Fiona Gill





Chulhyo Kim
PhD Full-Time
Thesis: Social Transformation and International Migration in Korea
Supervisor – Professor Stephen Castles
Associate Supervisor – Kiran Grewal





Brydan Lenne
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Evidence-based Medicine in the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder’
Supervisor – Professor Catherine Waldby
Associate Supervisor – Dr Katherine Carroll





Alana Mann
PhD Part time Media and Communications/Sociology and Social Policy
Topic: Strategic communication with and between peoples’ movements, non-government organisations (NGOs) and other actors within transnational advocacy networks
Supervisor – Richard Stanton
Associate supervisor – Danielle Celermajer





Jane Mears
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title –‘The World of Care Work: Paid Care Work in Australia”
Supervisor – Professor Bettina Cass
Associate Supervisor – Dr Amanda Elliott





Rebecca O’Brien
PhD Full-time
Thesis title - ‘Native Title and Knowledge Production’
Supervisor – Catriona Elder





Derya Ozkul
PhD Full-time
Thesis: The Emergence and Transformation of Transnational Migrants Networks: A Comparison of Australia and Germany.
Supervisor – Professor Stephen Castles
Associate Supervisor – Dr Christine Inglis

Select Publications and Presentations

Ozkul, Derya. 2011. ‘Circular Migration Schemes: Renewed Interests in Destination Countries’, CARIM Best Participant Essays Series AS 2011/61, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI): European University Institute.

Ozkul, Derya. 2011. Beyond a Border: The Causes and Consequences of Contemporary Immigration, Thomas Faist and Peter Kivisto (SAGE/Pine Forge Press, 2010), Journal of Sociology, 47 (2), 222-223.

Ozkul, Derya. 2011. “The Changing Nation-State Policies for Diaspora: The Turkish Case”, presented at The Australian Sociological Association 2011 Conference , Local Lives/Global Networks, University of Newcastle, 28 November-1 December 2011.

Castles, Stephen; Vasta, Ellie and Ozkul, Derya. 2012 ‘Australia: a Classical Immigration Country in Transition’ in Cornelius, W., Tsuda, T., Martin, P.L. and Hollifield, J.F. (eds) Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective, 3rd Edition, Stanford CA: Stanford University Press.

Ozkul, Derya. 2012. ‘Managing the Diaspora: the Turkish Case’ in Jung-Eun OH (ed.), Diaspora as Focus Area of National Migration Policy, Seoul: IOM MRTC Special Issues in Migration Series No. 2., pp. 115-140.

Ozkul, Derya. 2012. The Politics of European Citizenship: Deepening Contradictions in Social Rights & Migration Policy, Peo Hansen and Sandy Brian Hager (Berghahn Books, 2010), Journal of European Social Policy, 22 (3), 332-333.

Castles, Stephen; Arias, Magdalena; Kim, Chulhyo and Ozkul, Derya. 2012. ‘Irregular migration: causes, patterns and strategies’ in Irena Omelaniuk (ed) Reflections on Migration and Development, GFMD Puerto Vallarta and Beyond Series: Global Migration Issues, Vol. 1, New York: Springer Publishing.

Ozkul, Derya. (Forthcoming) ‘Reflections of an Insider: Being Turkish among migrants from Turkey’ in Lejla Voloder and Liudmila Kirpitchenko (eds) Migration and Mobility from the Inside: Reflections on Insiderness, London: Ashgate.







Sharon Quah
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – Impact of divorce on self, kinship and friendship in Singapore and Australia
Supervisor - Dr Jennifer Wilkinson
Associate Supervisor – Dr Deirdre Howard-Wagner





Roberta Quinn
PhD Full-time
Thesis Title – Family Law and Shared Parenting
Supervisor - Dr Catriona Elder
Associate Supervisor – Dr Greg Martin





Vivianna Rodriguez (CPACS)
PhD Full time
Topic: Women and peace building
Supervisor – Danielle Celermajer
Associate Supervisor – Wendy Lambourne





Jeff Ryan
PhD Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Reclaiming Lost Ground: Indigenous Sovereignty and Resistance against the Northern Territory Intervention’
Supervisor – Dr Deirdre Howard Wagner
Associate Supervisor – Dr Catriona Elder





Richard Schweizer
PhD Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘The effect of diagnosis in schizophrenia’
Supervisor – Dr Fran Collyer
Associate Supervisor – Dr Melinda Cooper





Jeremy Simpson
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – 'Beyond 'Peace-keeping' and 'War-fighting': Theorising the Field of Transnational Paramilitary Intervention'
Supervisor – Dr Fran Collyer
Associate Supervisor – Dr Salvatore Babones





Shawna Tang
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title: ‘The state on sexuality: lesbian and gay citizens in Singapore’
Supervisor – Fran Collyer
Associate Supervisor – Amanda Elliott





Jane Thomson
PhD Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘The Sociology of Disappearance in Sri-Lanka’
Supervisor – Professor Michael Humphrey
Associate Supervisor – Dr Danielle Celermajer





Michelle Veljanovska
PhD Part-Time
Thesis Title – ‘Signs of Activity – Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Balkan Societies’
Supervisor – Professor Michael Humphrey
Associate Supervisor – Dr Danielle Celermajer





Mary Louise Winter
PhD Full-Time
Thesis Title – ‘The Australian Country Movement: Reality and Fantasy’
Supervisor – Dr Catriona Elder
Associate Supervisor –





Punam Yadav
PhD Fulltime
Social Transformation in post-conflict Nepal: A gender perspective
Primary supervisor - Lynda-Ann Blanchard
Associate Supervisor – Dr Kiran Grewal





Mohammad Musfequs Salehin
PhD Full-Time
Previous Qualifications - Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) and Master of Social Sciences in Sociology (Bangladesh)
M.Phil in Peace and Conflict Transformation (Norway)
Thesis Title – ‘Political Islam, Development, and Religious Non-Governmental Organizations in Bangladesh’
Supervisor – Professor Stephen Castles
Associate Supervisor – Laura Beth Bugg

Select Publications and Presentations
Kabir, M. H. and Salehin, M.M. (2006) ‘Religion and violence: Politico–Historical Analysis of Rise of Islamic militancy in Bangladesh’ Dhaka University Studies 64(2): 125-144.

Fischer, I. and Salehin, M. M. (2009) ‘Health and poverty as Challenges for human security: Two case studies on Northern Vietnam and Bangladesh’, in Facing Global Environmental Change – Environmental, Human, Energy, Food, Health and Water Security Concept. Eds. H. G. Brauch, John Grin, Czeslaw Mesjasz, Navnita Chadha Behera, Béchir Chourou, Ursula Oswald Spring, P.H. Liotta, Patricia Kameri-Mbote. London: Springer-Verlag, pp.563-572.

Salehin, M.M. (2010) ‘‘Refashioning Islamic dress code in Bangladesh: A new “Islamic modernism” against western modernism’, Paper accepted for presentation at the upcoming for presentation in the RC 22 session ‘Religion and Modernity’ at the ISA World Congress of Sociology to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden from July 11 to 17, 2010.

Salehin, M.M. (2010) ‘'Beyond Islam: Factors affecting democratic consolidation in a Muslim Majority State", Paper accepted for presentation at the ISA World Congress of Sociology to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden from July 11 to 17, 2010.