Professor Robyn Dowling (Griffith Taylor Medal) Citation
Conferred Adelaide, July 2024
Professor Robyn Dowling has made many distinguished contributions to geographical thought in Australia, notably through (1) research, (2) bridging academic disciplines and (3) mentoring the next generation of geographers. She was recognised by The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a Fellow (in 2018), having previously become a Fellow of the Institute of Australian Geographers in 2010. Her research accomplishments have also been recognised in The Australian's Research magazine, where she was named the top Researcher in Geography in 2021 (based on citations for papers published in the top 20 journals in the field over the previous five years).
Robyn’s research makes a major contribution to urban geography and urban studies, with a focus on the social and cultural geographies of cities. Her most important contributions lie in two related areas, across which she has won eight ARC grants.
First, her work documents and conceptualizes social and cultural geographies of Australian suburbs, homes and neighbourhoods. This work has made foundational contributions to our understanding of Australian suburban life, home and identity, with international impact. This research has been published in the top human geography journals, including Progress in Human Geography (PiHG), Environment and Planning A, Political Geography and Urban Studies. Her co-authored book with Alison Blunt, Home (2022, 2nd Edn, Routledge) has become a classic in the broad field of urban studies. The book highlights the aspiration Professor Dowling noted in her Member Profile piece for the Geographical Society of New South Wales (GSNSW) “to show how (everyday spaces, experiences and perceptions) are far from trivial, but are the fabric of society.” In recognition of the depth of her contribution to geographies of housing and home, she was invited to join a team of editors to produce the huge, on-line International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home (2012): an honour and an indication of the regard in which Professor Dowling is held internationally. She co-edited Volume 4 of this seven-volume publication: Home and Homelessness, with leading scholar Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick.
Second, Professor Dowling’s work explores the complexities, challenges and opportunities that are reshaping urban governance across diverse domains including mobility, carbon reduction, energy transition, and ‘smart cities’. This work draws out the relationships, partnerships, technologies and forms of knowledge needed to govern Australian cities. Published in top ranking journals—including PiHG, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Urban Geography, Environment & Planning C, Political Geography, alongside the Australian flagships Geographical Research and Australian Geography—this work has enriched Australian geographical scholarship and built its international recognition. This research has been influential in shaping Australian, New South Wales and Sydney policymaking and urban planning for transportation, infrastructure and energy, including by engaging with local, state, and federal government agencies, departments, ministries and working groups.
Professor Dowling has also made significant contributions to geographical thought in Australia and internationally through her contributions on qualitative methods, published in the flagship journal PiHG, and her chapter “Power, subjectivity and ethics in qualitative research” in the foundational method text Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (Hay (Ed.), 5 Editions). This chapter, with its call for geographers to be “critically reflexive”, has been cited over one thousand times (Google Scholar).
In strengthening bridges between geography and urban planning Professor Dowling has made a significant contribution to both disciplines. She demonstrated her view that “both disciplines rely upon each other” synergistically in teaching and praxis (noted in her 2014 GSNSW Member Profile) through leading the establishment of Macquarie’s first undergraduate degree in planning by a team of human geographers. She has led the strengthening of this bridge as inaugural Head of the Department of Geography and Planning at Macquarie University in 2015, before moving to the University of Sydney to become the Associate Dean Research (2016-2018) in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. Here, she continues to nurture the intersection of planning, urbanism and human geography as Head of School and Dean of Architecture, Design and Planning (2019-present) and through the cultivation and support of cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral research groups such as the highly productive and collaborative Smart Urbanism Lab and the Urban Housing Lab.
Mentoring the next generation of geographers, often younger female geographers who have gone on to stellar careers and have perpetuated Robyn’s influence, has been the third key contribution by Professor Dowling to geographical thought in Australia. Robyn has particularly valued this contribution, recognising the importance of the mentoring she received as a student from her honours supervisor, Ron Horvath, in promoting her love of geography and fostering a stellar career. She has carefully mentored and otherwise supported the careers of many geographers, including Kathy Mee (Associate Professor, UON), Matthew Kearnes (Professor, UNSW), Emma Power (Associate Professor, WSU, former DECRA), Andrew Gorman Murray (Professor, WSU), Sophia Maalsen (SL, USyd, former DECRA), Jennifer Kent (SL, USyd, former DECRA) and Chantelle Carr (DECRA, UOW), among others. Professor Dowling’s guidance has been key to many of these scholars’ success. Through her commitment to generous mentoring, she has helped craft a legacy that will continue to shape geographical thought in Australian for years to come.
Proposed:
Dr Sophia Maalsen
Professor Kate Lloyd
Seconded:
Professor Phil McManus
Professor Pauline McGuirk
Further information:
Blunt, A., & Dowling, R. (2022). Home (2nd Edn). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429327360
Dowling, R. (2005). Power, subjectivity and ethics in qualitative research. In I. Hay (Ed.), Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (2nd Edn, pp. 19-29). Oxford University Press.
Dowling, R., & Fitzpatrick, S. (2012). Home and homelessness. In International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home (pp. 1-3). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-047163-1.09011-1