The UNSW Ageing Futures Institute student members come from diverse fields of research and UNSW Faculties – highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of the Institute’s research program and expertise.
Bio: Rhys is a consultant within AHA’s Evaluation and Advisory team. He has extensive experience in both healthcare consulting and population health research. Across his academic and professional work, Rhys strives to design, deliver and evaluate health programs that create positive change and improve population-level outcomes. Rhys is passionate about ensuring health interventions are not only technically feasible, but also user-accepted and culturally appropriate for the populations they are intended to support.
Research area: Justice Health Research Program, public health program evaluations, serious games to assess dementia, designing usable digital mental health interventions.
Expertise and experience: Rhys is currently completing a PhD at the School of Population Health, UNSW. His thesis involves designing and developing innovative digital interventions for older people in prison. Rhys is also a public health evaluator at Australian Health Care Associates, including recent evaluations of care finder & National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP).
Bio: Yuchen Xie is a Scientia PhD Candidate who recently submitted her thesis on navigating the complexities of aged care services from the perspectives of older adults and their families. Before her PhD training, she worked in Singapore on various health services research projects, including evaluating a national screening program. She obtained her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Research area: System navigation, models of care, the impact of social connectedness on care access, ageing and aged care in culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and digital technology use among older adults.
Expertise and experience: Qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Bio: James began his PhD in 2020 under Professor Kaarin Anstey. His research examines the effects of childhood adversity on the mental health and cognition of older adults. Throughout his PhD, James has published in experimental and developmental psychology journals, as well as authoring two government policy reports. He has also conducted research overseas, collaborating with academics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Arizona State University.
Research area: Psychiatric epidemiology; developmental psychology; ageing; childhood adversity, mental health.
Expertise and experience: Statistical epidemiology; R.
Bio: Nicole graduated with a Bachelors of Laws/Science (Psychology) (H1) at the Australian National University in 2016. In 2019, Nicole received a Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship and began her PhD at the UNSW, Psychology. Her research seeks to explore the relationship between social engagement and cognitive decline. She is also interested in investigating the utility of social and intergenerational interventions for fostering positive psychosocial and cognitive outcomes for older adults.
Research area: Social engagement, Intergenerational Interventions, Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia.
Bio: Yixuan Huang, a PhD candidate at UNSW's Social Policy Research Centre, researches population ageing and especially focuses on intergenerational practices. She collaborates with community organizations and local governments to ensure her work has a practical impact. Passionate about bridging academic research and real-world solutions, Yixuan focuses on improving the lives of older adults in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia.
Research area: Yixuan Huang focuses on ageing research in social policy, urban sociology, and community studies. She particularly interest in intergenerational relationships to enhance community bonds and well-being for population ageing challenges.
Expertise and experience: Proficient in quantitative and qualitative analysis, and adept in fieldwork, Yixuan Huang leverages resources from community organizations or local governments to drive impactful research in ageing research.