Natalie Handley

I graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2013. My dissertation is based on over 12 months of ethnographic research carried out in Nepal with radio program producers and listeners. My research focused on the production and impact of 2 well-known Nepali radio programs for development that are produced in Kathmandu and broadcast, via FM, throughout Nepal. I drew conclusions in my dissertation about the construction of a Nepali youth archetype and how development interventions are strategically used by intended beneficiaries.

I worked as a research and policy officer for three years at a South Australian peak housing organisation where I focused predominantly on private rental and housing for recent arrivals. I currently work as a senior project officer at Uniting Communities, a large South Australian NFP, where I project manage the organisations program evaluation. I have strong qualitative research skills and experience designing, undertaking and managing program evaluations.

My research interests include communication for development in South Asia, with a primary focus on youth engagement with media and content creation and how these activities interact with local discourses about development and nation building. I'm also interested in housing and homelessness, particularly for vulnerable groups of people, and the role of therapeutic interventions. My current work has further broadened my research interests to include alcohol and other drugs, domestic and family violence, out of home care and suicide.