Dr Matthew Bourke is a Research Fellow working on the Health Research Accelerator 360-Kids Community Network program. His research uses several contemporary techniques including Ecological Momentary Assessment and compositional data analysis to better understand the antecedents and outcomes of 24-hour movement behaviours in children and youth, and especially how engaging in different combinations of movement behaviours can help support optimal development in young people. Matthew's research also aims to develop and evaluate interventions that target multiple levels of influence to improve the composition of young people's 24-hour movement behaviours and support healthy development.
Dr Carys Chainey is a postdoctoral research fellow in parenting and family science with The University of Queensland Parenting and Support Centre and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Children and Families Across the Life Course (Life Course Centre). She holds the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Parenting and Family Science from the Growing Minds Australia Clinical Trials Network (GMA; www.growingmindsaustralia.org), and is Social Engagement Strategist for the GMA Early and Mid-Career Researcher Network. Dr Chainey is the clinical trials manager for Family Life Skills Triple P, and operations manager for the Parenting and Family Research Alliance (PAFRA; www.pafra.org).
Dr Chainey's research investigates the links between adverse childhood experiences, parenting, and wellbeing, across the life course and across generations; and applying human centred design to improving the usability of evidence-based parenting programs. She has expertise in the design, implementation, and analysis of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research.
Her current research projects include analyses of large survey datasets (e.g. the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, National Health Survey) and novel survey datasets to explore how intergenerational adversity and parenting influence the wellbeing of children, adolescents and emerging adults. She is leading initiatives to support the next generation of parenting and family researchers, and is contributing to the "Every Family 2" Triple P population trial of Triple P. Dr Chainey is an accredited facilitator of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program and has contributed to a range of evaluations for the government including the development of the evaluation framework for the Queensland Government "Not Now, Not Ever" Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy.
Dr Gursimran Dhamrait is an epidemiologist whose research mostly encompasses pregnancy and birth outcomes, perinatal health, early childhood development and the environments in which children develop. Her work extends to systematic reviews, the application of methods to improve causal inference from observational studies and research to inform health services and government. Gursimran specialises in using large-scale population-level data and applying a multidisciplinary research approach to understand the intricate mechanisms influencing early childhood development.
Dr Martin O’Flahertyis a research fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course located in the Institute for Social Science Research. Martin has made important contributions to the evaluation of nationally significant social policy, often working with the Department of Social Services. Notable highlights include designing the impact evaluation for the $90 million Try, Test, and Learn Fund and leading the evaluation of the Building Capacity in Australia’s Parents trial and the National Community Awareness Raising initiative. He is the quantitative lead for recently announced Community Refugee Integration and Sponsorship Pilot, funded by the Department of Home Affairs, which is investigating the feasibility of alternative settlement pathways for unlinked humanitarian migrants.
Martin’s broader research centres on the intersection of family, health, and disadvantage over the life course, using advanced quantitative methods to unlock causal and longitudinal perspectives on important social problems. Recent work has investigated patterns and determinants of children’s and adolescents’ time-use, including for adolescents with disability and LGBTQ adolescents. He has also led research using state-of-the-art machine learning methodology to study heterogeneous effects of teenage motherhood on later life mental health. Martin’s current research is primarily focussed on understanding the nature, causes of, and solutions to, poverty and financial insecurity among children with disabilities and their families. His work has appeared in leading international journals including Demography, Child Development, and The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health among others.
