Academics elected to the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Professors Rae Cooper AO and Olivier Piguet have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. The accolade recognises their sustained and significant contributions to their fields.

Professor Cooper is an internationally renowned expert in gender equality and employment relations, and Professor Piguet in clinical neuropsychology and dementia.

The Academy brings together more than 700 of Australia’s leading researchers and professionals across social science disciplines. It recognises those who have demonstrated excellence in research, innovative thinking and a commitment to advancing knowledge that shapes policy and societal wellbeing.

Fellows are elected by their peers through a rigorous selection process. Twenty new Fellows have been elected for 2024, including researchers, educators and those shaping policy, enhancing public understanding and contributing to meaningful change.

President of the Academy, Professor Richard Holden, said the new Fellows exemplified the organisation’s mission to support and amplify the voices of researchers working on the most critical issues facing Australia and the world.

"The appointment of these scholars to the Academy is a recognition of their remarkable contributions to the social sciences," he said. "Our new Fellows are not only leaders in their respective fields but are also committed to advancing public discourse and fostering a more informed society ... Their work – whether it be in public health, education, environmental sustainability or Indigenous research – addresses the pressing challenges we face as a society. We are incredibly proud to welcome them to the Academy."

Professor Rae Cooper AO

Professor Cooper, from the University of Sydney Business School, is one of Australia's leading academics in gender equality and employment relations.

She is Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work and President of the International Labor and Employment Relations Association. She has published more than 70 articles and chapters on employment relations, workplace policy and aspects of women's working lives.

In 2019, Professor Cooper was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her contributions to Australian higher education and her impact on workplace policy and practice.

Her research projects have included collaborations with some of Australia's most well-known organisations, including the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Human Rights Commission, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Law Society of NSW.

She has worked as an advisor to organisations including the OECD and the International Labour Organisation.

Professor Cooper is an expert in collaborative research programs  combining an evidence-based approach with world-leading practice to identify practical, data-driven policies that achieve positive change in the gendered dimensions of the workplace.

Professor Olivier Piguet

Professor Piguet is a clinician and researcher who investigates frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and related younger-onset dementias.

He is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and the Director of FRONTIER, the largest specialist FTD clinic in Australia, based at the University’s Brain and Mind Centre.

FRONTIER specialises in the diagnosis, prognosis and care of people with FTD and related conditions. It also researches social cognition, neuroimaging, speech and language, behaviour, clinical management and other aspects related to FTD and dementia more generally.

Professor Piguet is a founding member and President-Elect of the International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias, and a past President of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment.

He first worked as a clinician in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, later focusing on dementia-related topics. His research focuses on early clinical markers of frontotemporal dementia, prediction of disease progression and relations to biomarkers, genetics and brain pathology. His successful intervention methods targeting behaviour and language have shown to improve quality of life and independence in patients and their families, reducing burden of care.

He has published more than 350 peer-reviewed journal articles, attracting more than 26,000 citations.