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, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK.
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) to inform evidence-based policy and planning. 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. I actively engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnerships, and welcome opportunities for research training through PhD, Master’s, and Honours supervision.
