About

The Humanitarian Frontiers Lab is a leading academic research group at the University of Sydney working to build safer, more vibrant communities. The University of Sydney is among of the world’s top research universities. Our team is transforming our understanding of infrastructure and social inclusion to reduce the impact of disasters and climate change. To do this, we’re leveraging interdisciplinary methods to generate evidence that drives action. We believe data and evidence can be an agent for positive transformation.

Our Model

Data

We believe in looking beyond the numbers to value the people behind data, using new methods to see problems differently.

Evidence

We work at the cross-roads of engineering and social inquiry, applying innovative tools to make sense of complexity.

Action

We are committed to bridging the academic and practice divide, ensuring that research translates to policy and practice.

Values

  • Ethical

    We value integrity. We are reflective on our positionality and the power imbalances in our work to ensure we protect the people that participate and are impacted by our research.

  • Partnership

    We believe we can accomplish more together than alone. We value diversity and new ideas in teamwork that lead to ingenuity.

  • Rigor

    We produce defensible research and quality evidence. We apply novel methods to understand and represent data to produce new knowledge.

  • Outreach

    We recognize the importance of connecting with practice. We are committed to disseminating our research to ensure that it is understood, applied, and present in global dialogues.

  • Accountability

    We accept responsibility for our work and own the outcomes. We are committed to delivering agreed upon outputs in a timely manner.

  • Learn by Doing

    We believe the best path to learning is by dipping our feet in the water. We treasure lifelong learning, brought about by continuing to dive into the unknown.

Group photo sitting at table