Rae Cooper
BA(Hons) UNSW ; PhD
Associate Professor
rae.cooper@sydney.edu.au
Room 438
H03 Institute Building
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9351 5241
Fax: +61 2 9351 4729
Dr Rae (Rachel) Cooper is Associate Professor in Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School.
Research
Dr Cooper has published over forty articles and chapters on industrial relations and gender and work in leading journals and in major collections. Rae is a UNSW University Medallist.
In 2012 Rae is working on three key research projects:
- 'Flexibility for working parents' supported by an ARC Discovery Award (with Professor Marian Baird, also based in WOS) investigating the negotiation of flexible arrangements for parents.
- Collective bargaining in Australian, with a particular focus on the Fair Work Act, 2009
- Gender and union leadership, investigating women's participation in senior roles and the implications of this for union strategy.
Leadership and Industry Engagement
In 2011 Dr Cooper was President of the professional association, the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ). She has been an Executive member of that organisation for many years.
She has been appointed by government to a number of leadership roles. Most recently, in November 2011, she was appointed by the federal government as Chair and non-Executive Director of Australian Hearing.
Dr Cooper is also a non-executive director of the NSW Rural Assistance Authority and of the NSW TAFE Commission. She was Deputy Chair of the NSW Premier's Expert Advisory Council on Women from September 2010 to March 2012. She was a member of the NSW Premier's Council for Women from 2008 to 2010 and has previously served as the Chair of the NSW Working Women's Centre.
Teaching
Rae teaches employment relations in postgraduate and undergraduate contexts. She is the co-author of the market-leading text book in employment relations in Australia. She has been awarded the Business Dean's 'Citation for Teaching' four times.
In Semester 1 2012 Rae is teaching:
- IR/HR Practice for 3rd year undergraduate students. This subject has a focus on bargaining and negotiation.
- 'IR policy' which examines key policy concerns in IR (such as productivity, equity and voice) and the institutional and political processes which frame them.
Rae is on sabbatical in semester 2 2012.
Research Expertise
- Employment relations
- Collective bargaining
- Women and work
- Flexibility and work