Prof Emma Baker
Director, Australian Centre for Housing Research
School of Society and Culture
College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Professor Emma Baker is Professor of Housing Research at Adelaide University and founding Director of the Australian Centre for Housing Research. She also serves as AHURI Research Centre Director and leads major national programs at the intersection of housing, health and inequality.
Her research examines how housing systems shape people’s health, security and opportunities across the life course. She is particularly known for using longitudinal, spatial and administrative data to reveal the human consequences of housing affordability, insecurity and poor housing conditions.
Emma has led the development of major national housing research infrastructure, including the Australian Housing Conditions Dataset and Australian Rental Housing Conditions Dataset, creating enduring evidence resources for researchers, governments and community organisations. She has been a lead or chief investigator on more than $31 million in competitive research funding across the ARC, NHMRC and AHURI, and has held leadership roles in national initiatives on healthy housing, mental health and housing inequality.
Her work is strongly connected to public policy and practice and has informed government inquiries, housing strategies and public debate in Australia and internationally. She serves on national and international advisory boards and co-chairs the Residential Context of Health Working Group of the European Network for Housing Research.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 - ongoing | Associate Professor | University of Adelaide |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Research Award | Research Impact Award | The University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2017 | Award | Executive Deans Commendation Award for Research | - | - | - |
| 2016 | Award | Executive Deans Award for Excellence in Research | - | - | - |
| 2015 | Award | 2015 Executive Deans Award for Excellence in Research | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2015 | Award | 2015 Berry award for Excellence in Housing Research | - | Australia | - |
| 2014 | Award | Executive Dean’s Commendation for Excellence in Research | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2011 | Nomination | VicHealth Award for outstanding achievements and innovative contributions to health promotion | VicHealth | Australia | - |
| 2006 | Award | Australian Housing Minister’s Early Career Researcher Award | - | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 - 2002 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | coffee, N., lange, J., & Baker, E. (2018). Visualising 30 Years of Population Density Change in Australia’s Major Capital Cities. In N. Klocker, & O. Dunn (Eds.), Population, Migration and Settlement in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Routledge. |
| 2017 | Baker, E. (2017). Australia's demand for housing. In Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) (Ed.), Housing Australia (pp. 67-78). Melbourne: CEDA. |
| 2016 | Stone, W., Baker, E., Ralston, L., Phibbs, P., & Bentley, R. (2016). By 2030, ‘no Australian child will be living in poverty’ – why can’t we promise that?. In J. Watson (Ed.), The Conversation Yearbook 2016: 50 Standout articles from Australia's top thinkers (1 ed., pp. n/a). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. |
| 2012 | Beer, A., & Baker, E. (2012). Adaptation, adjustment and leadership in Australia's rural margins. In M. Sotarauta, L. Horlings, & J. Liddle (Eds.), Leadership and Change in Sustainable Regional Development (1 ed., pp. 103-120). United Kingdom: Routledge. DOI Scopus11 |
| 2012 | Beer, A., & Baker, E. (2012). Adaptation, adjustment and leadership in Australia’s rural margins. In Leadership and Change in Sustainable Regional Development (pp. 103-120). Routledge. DOI Scopus2 |
| - | Baker, E., Daniels, L., Pawson, H., Baddeley, M., Vij, A., Stephens, M., . . . Jacobs, K. (2020). Rental Insights A COVID-19 Collection. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Dorraki, M., Liao, Z., Abbott, D., Psaltis, P. J., Baker, E., Bidargaddi, N., . . . Verjans, J. W. (2022). Cardiovascular disease risk prediction via machine learning using mental health data. Poster session presented at the meeting of EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. OXFORD UNIV PRESS. WoS2 |
| 2019 | Bentley, R., Baker, E. L., Clair, A., & Pham, N. (2019). Stability and children’s health and academic performance: should our focus be on locational, educational or tenure stability?. Poster session presented at the meeting of European Network for Housing Research. Athens, Greece. |
| 2019 | Daniel, L., Baker, E. L., Beer, A., & Pham, N. (2019). The social production of cold housing. Poster session presented at the meeting of European Network for Housing Research. Athens, Greece. |
| 2018 | Daniel, L., Baker, E., & Beer, A. (2018). More than just climate: socio-economic determinants of cold houses. Poster session presented at the meeting of ENHR 2018: More together, more apart. Book of abstracts. Uppsala: European Network of Housing Research. |
| 2018 | Baker, E., Reeves, A., Smith, S., Ronald, R., & Mason, K. (2018). Exploring intergenerational inequalities in housing and health. Poster session presented at the meeting of ENHR 2018: More together, more apart. Book of abstracts. Uppsala: European Network of Housing Research. |
| 2017 | Baker, E. L., Stone, W., Bentley, R., & Phibbs, P. (2017). Housing Australia’s children and young people: Toward an essential policy and intervention evidence base. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Housing Researchers Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2017 | Bentley, R., Baker, E. L., Daniel, L., & Lester, L. (2017). Are there lifetime health effects of inadequate housing during childhood?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Housing Researchers Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2017 | Daniel, L., Baker, E. L., & Lester, L. (2017). Material deprivation: Housing affordability risk made real. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Housing Researchers Conference. Melbourne. |
| 2016 | Baker, E., Lester, L., Mason, K., & Bentley, R. (2016). Evidence on the long run health effects of unaffordable housing. Poster session presented at the meeting of European Netowrk of Housing Researchers. Belfast, Ireland. |
| 2016 | Lange, J., Coffee, N., & Baker, E. (2016). Donut & Latte Densities - Analysing Urban Population Change Between Cities and Over Time. Poster session presented at the meeting of Spatial Information Day (SID) 2016. Adelaide, South Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Authors: Daniel L, Baker E. Title: Housing affordability stress affects one in nine households, but which ones are really struggling?. Extent: 797 words. |
| 2017 | Authors: Daniel L, Baker E. Title: Forget heatwaves, our cold houses are much more likely to kill us. Extent: 1000 words. |
| 2016 | Authors: Baker E, beer A, Bentley R. Title: Why 100 years without slum housing in Australia is coming to an end. Extent: Cities feature. |
| 2016 | Authors: Baker E, Stone W, Ralston L, Phibbs P, Bentley R. Title: By 2030, ‘no Australian child will be living in poverty’ – why can’t we promise that?. Extent: Cities feature. |
| 2016 | Authors: Bentley R, Baker E, Reeves A. Title: Housing: the hidden health intervention. Extent: https://theconversation.com/housing-the-hidden-health-intervention-65465. |
| 2014 | Authors: Baker E, King T, Bentley R. Title: Housing affordability & health: who wins, who loses and why isn’t it on the political agenda?. Extent: 4 pages. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Baker, E. L., Beer, A., Zillante, G., Daniel, L., London, K., & Bentley, R. (2019). The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Baker, E., Daniel, L., Beer, A., Baddeley, M., London, K., BENTLEY, R., . . . Lockwood, A. (n.d.). RENTAL HOUSING CONDITIONS CITIZEN SCIENCE PHOTO GALLERY. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Baum, F., Musolino, C., Baker, E., Clair, A., & Barrett, B. (n.d.). Health Equity Learning Lab Oz (HELLO) webinar on housing as a social determinant of health | August 2024. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Gurran, N., Werner, G., Buckle, C., Yanotti, M. B., Baker, E., & Han, H. (2025). Inquiry into projecting Australia’s urban and regional futures: population dynamics, regional mobility and planning responses. DOI |
| 2024 | Daniel, L., Lang, M., Barlow, C., Phibbs, P., Baker, E., & Hamilton, I. (2024). A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock. DOI |
| 2024 | Baker, E., Beer, A., Leishman, C., Vij, A., Stone, W., Morey, C., . . . Pomeroy, S. (2024). Planning for a two-tenure future. DOI |
| 2024 | Baker, E., Daniel, L., Beer, A., Rowley, S., Stone, W., Bentley, R., . . . Sansom, G. (2024). The impact of the pandemic on the Australian rental sector. DOI |
| 2024 | Baker, E., Coffee, N. T., Page, K., Daniel, L., & Sarkar, S. (2024). Improving small area population projections. DOI |
| 2024 | Beer, A., Vij, A., Baker, E., Crommelin, L., Dodson, J., Gharaie, E., . . . Horne, S. (2024). Disruption in regional housing: Policy responses for more resilient markets. DOI |
| 2024 | Daniel, L., Lang, M., Barlow, C., Phibbs, P., Baker, E., & Hamilton, I. (2024). A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock. DOI |
| 2024 | Baker, E., Beer, A., Leishman, C., Vij, A., Stone, W., Morey, C., . . . Pomeroy, S. (2024). Planning for a two-tenure future. DOI |
| 2023 | Horne, R., Dorignon, L., Lawson, J., Easthope, H., Dühr, S., Moore, T., . . . Fairbrother, P. (2023). Informing a strategy for circular economy housing in Australia. DOI |
| 2023 | Baker, E., Moore, T., Daniel, L., Caines, R., Padilla, H., & Lester, L. (2023). Sustainable social housing retrofit? Circular economy and tenant trade-offs. DOI |
| 2022 | ViforJ, R. O., Singh, R., Baker, E., Bentley, R., & Hewton, J. (2022). Precarious housing and wellbeing: a multi-dimensional investigation. DOI |
| 2022 | Moskos, M., Isherwood, L., Dockery, M., Baker, E., & Pham, A. (2022). ‘What works’ to sustain Indigenous tenancies in Australia. DOI |
| 2022 | Leishman, C., Aminpour, F., Baker, E., Beer, A., Crowe, A., Goodall, Z., . . . ViforJ, R. O. (2022). Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic housing policy responses. DOI |
| 2021 | Malvaso, C., Montgomerie, A., Pilkington, R., Baker, E., & Lynch, J. (2021). Examining the intersection of child protection and public housing: development, health and justice outcomes using linked administrative data. DOI |
| 2020 | Daniel, L., Moore, T., Baker, E., BEER, A., Willand, N., Horne, R., & Hamilto, C. (2020). Warm, cool and energy-affordable housing policy solutions for low-income renters. DOI |
| 2020 | Baker, E., Bentley, R., Beer, A., & Daniel, L. (2020). Renting in the time of COVID-19: understanding the impacts. DOI |
Recent Grants and Projects
- Forging the new Australian Dream in a post-homeownership nation (ARC, Discovery)
- A national eInfrastructure for high-resolution population spatial modelling (ARC, Linkage Infrastructure)
- An Australian rental housing conditions data infrastructure (ARC, Linkage Infrastructure)
- An Australian housing condition data infrastructure (ARC, Linkage Infrastructure)
- Closing the housing gap: A spotlight on intergenerational inequalities (ARC, Discovery)
- Housing energy efficiency transitions (ARC, Linkage)
- Pathways to Health & Well-being through Housing (ARC, Discovery)
- ALIVE National Research Translation Centre to implement Mental Health Care at Scale (NHMRC Special Initiative)
- Centre of Research Excellence for Healthy Housing (NHMRC, CRE)
- Evidence for action on cold, damp and mould in Australian homes (NHMRC, Ideas Grant)
- COVID-19 Rapid Rental Insights Module (AHURI)
- Social Housing exit points, outcomes, and future pathways: An administrative data analysis (AHURI National Research Program)
- Warm, cool and energy-affordable housing solutions for low-income renters (AHURI National Research Program)
- Precarious housing, housing assistance and wellbeing: a multi-dimensional investigation (AHURI National Research Program)
- What works to sustain Indigenous tenancies (AHURI National Research Program)
- 2019, 2020 Program Director, Master of Planning
- 2017 - 2019 Planning Theory and Practice
- 2016, Architecture and Planning Development Studio, University of Adelaide.
- 2014, Convenor and lecturer, Geographic Information Systems, University of Adelaide.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Forging the new Australian Dream in a Post-homeownership nation | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Kira Page |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | A Comparative Analysis of Social Housing Solutions | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Carl Trevor Douglas Grant |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Adapting to a Post-homeownership Future: Rentvesting as a New Housing Pathway | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Kira Page |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Housing affordability for whom? How planning policies and regulations can support affordability in Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Kim Anh Nguyen |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Diversification of Housing Tenure in Australia: Beyond Home Ownership and Rental Dominance | Master of Philosophy | Master | Part Time | Miss Karri Rushworth-Nott |
| 2017 | Principal Supervisor | Understanding the role of green space in cities: The contribution of the Adelaide Park Lands | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr James William Daly |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Housing inequality: a conceptual model for understanding and influencing social outcomes, residential dwelling, and advantage in Australia. | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Laura James |
| 2013 - 2016 | Co-Supervisor | Consolidating the Australian Dream: Reconfiguring the Multi-Unit Housing Network | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Jasmine Samantha Palmer |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | Housing and Health among Refugee Communities | The University of Adelaide | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Sheenagh McShane |
| 2020 - ongoing | Co-Supervisor | Housing and Helth in the Rental Sector | The University of Adelaide | - | Doctorate | - | Amber Howard |
| 2020 - 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Young adults housing inequality in the post homeownership era | The University of Amsterdam, The University of Melbourne, The University of Adelaide | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Amber Howard |
| 2009 - 2011 | Principal Supervisor | Precarious housing, psychological wellbeing and mobility | Flinders University of South Australia | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Janet Adkins |
| 2006 - 2012 | Co-Supervisor | Psychology and sociology of adjustment to retrenchment in the automotive industry | Flinders University of South Australia | - | Doctorate | Full Time | Hans (Johannes) Pieters |
| 2005 - 2008 | Co-Supervisor | Growing old in non-metropolitan regions: Intentions and realities from South Australia and Northern Ireland | Flinders University of South Australia | - | Doctorate | - | Amity James |
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - ongoing | Board Member | Habitat for Humanity | Habitat for Humanity | Australia |
| 2014 - ongoing | Member | Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning Reference Committee | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 - ongoing | Member | European Network of Housing Researchers | Netherlands |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Theme Director, Building a City for the Future | Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 2016 - ongoing | Coordinator, Residential Context of Health Working Group | European Network of Housing Researchers | Sweden |