Architecture academic receives prestigious Social Sciences fellowship

Professor Dovey is one of four academics from the University of Melbourne who were invited to join the academy as part of a select overall group of 34 leading social scientists elected to the Academy for 2022.

The Academy is made up of researchers considered to have made an exemplary contribution to the social sciences in Australia, and represent a range of disciplines including anthropology, criminology, economics, history and public health.

Fellows from the Academy are often called upon to provide expert advice on government policy and to help address the current challenges faced by Australian society.

“I think I am the first architect elected, so I am especially grateful for having me for a member. Architecture isn’t usually known as a social science,” Professor Dovey said.

“My research has always looked at questions of place and place experience from a social perspective, trying to understand the impact of the ways that cities are designed on social and community life. I'm more than pleased to have the work acknowledged in this way.”

With a research focus on social issues in architecture and urban design, Professor Dovey has made a significant impact across the fields of geography, sociology and psychology. His work spans from the adaptability of schools to informal settlement and crosses from social science to the arts, humanities and design research.

Professor Dovey said he hopes that the fellowship will allow for new connections to people across other fields.

“All the world’s big problems are interdisciplinary problems and we have to learn to engage with them more effectively,” he said.