Dr Jon Olsen is an Associate Professor & Deputy Director (Research) at the Institute for Social Science, The University of Queensland. He serves as Director of URBANiQ: Urban Intelligence for Healthy & Equitable Places @ The University of Queensland, the AURIN UQ-Node, and leads research focused on place and health inequalities. His work explores how the built and natural environments, along with urban planning policies, influence health outcomes and disparities. Jon is also committed to advancing understanding of the intersections between human health and planetary health.
He is Co-I of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit in Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Inequalities (SEDHI) and the NIHR Public Health Research (PHR) Programme-funded Orienting Policy Towards Inequality Minimising Actions (OPTIMA) project, a systems science approach to 20-minute neighbourhood policy and evaluation.
Jon is Senior Editor of the new journal Urban Transitions, Editorial Board Member of Wellbeing, Space and Society. He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK and Honorary Professor at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
As a quantitative urban data scientist and planner, I specialise in analysing and modelling complex urban systems (including housing, transport, and infrastructure) in an increasingly intelligent and data-driven world to inform evidence-based public policy and planning practices. My research addresses critical challenges such as housing financialisation and affordability, transport equity and sustainability, and climate-resilient, liveable communities in both Australian and global contexts. Through interdisciplinary research, industry partnerships, and innovation-led education, I translate complex urban data into practical solutions while mentoring the next generation of urban researchers through PhD, Master's, and Honours supervision.
