Associate Professor Kari Lancaster

Kari Lancaster is Scientia Associate Professor at the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) at UNSW, and Honorary Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Kari is an interdisciplinary qualitative social researcher, with a background in law and public policy. Working at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies (STS), policy studies, and public health sociology, Kari has made significant contributions to the critical social study of ‘evidence-based’ policy and practice in relation to viral elimination, drugs and health. At UNSW, she leads the Evidence-Making Interventions in Health program, which focuses on the development of critical approaches to the study of evidence-making practices and intervention translations in health. In collaboration with clinical researchers and epidemiologists she undertakes qualitative research inside trials and longitudinal cohort studies, including examining the implementation of treatment and testing technologies. Informed by Science and Technology Studies, Kari is currently investigating viral elimination and outbreak science in the governance of health, Long Covid care and recovery, and the effects of novel addiction treatment technologies. Within the Faculty of Arts, Architecture and Design, Kari also co-convenes the Science and Society Research Group.

In 2020, Kari was a recipient of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Paul Bourke Award, and the Australian Political Studies Association ANZSOG Policy Studies Prize. In 2018, she received the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy Early Career Researcher Award.

Kari is an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow ('Outbreak science', 2023-2025), and investigator on two Australian Research Council Discovery Projects 'Evidence-making and implementing interventions in a viral elimination era' (with Professor Tim Rhodes, Professor Carla Treloar, Professor Martin Holt, and Professor Marsha Rosengarten, 2021-2023) and 'Designing illicit drug policy solutions: the role of participation' (with Professor Alison Ritter, Professor Matthew Kearnes, and Professor Jason Chilvers, 2020-2022). She is also leading qualitative social research embedded within clinical studies in partnership with the Kirby Institute and St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC). 

Prior to joining CSRH, Kari worked as part of the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP) at NDARC, collaborating across multiple research projects investigating drug policy processes. 

Kari is Editor of Science, Technology & Human Values (since 2022).

Research interests: science and technology studies (STS), evidence-making practices, drug policy, alcohol and other drugs, hepatitis C, Covid-19, viral elimination, outbreak science, qualitative methods, poststructural policy analysis, policy studies.

Qualifications: BA, LLB (hons), MPP, PhD