CSDA in Australia

The Centre for Social Data Analytics (CSDA) at The University of Queensland (UQ) was established within the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) in 2019. CSDA at UQ is a second site of the CSDA, a translational data science research centre established at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), NZ, in 2016.

An AUT/UQ collaboration

CSDA at UQ is a five-year collaboration between the Centre for Social Data Analytics at AUT and ISSR at UQ, to establish and grow a social data analytics capability at ISSR.

The first steps for CSDA at UQ have been appointment of key staff and the establishment of a foundation research programme in social data analytics that draws on expertise from CSDA at AUT, ISSR and across UQ.

Staff from CSDA at AUT work closely with colleagues from ISSR and the wider UQ research community on significant translational data analytics research projects in areas including health, child welfare and homelessness.

The CSDA at UQ team

CSDA director Rhema Vaithianathan leads the CSDA at UQ team, via her appointment as Professor of Social Data Analytics at ISSR. She is well supported by ISSR director Professor Mark Western and the leadership and administration teams within the Institute.

Gayani Tennakoon Mudiyanselage is a postdoctoral research fellow at CSDA at UQ. Gayani's current work involves researching and developing explainable machine learning models to help decision making with health and administrative data.

The vision for CSDA at UQ is to establish a fully staffed CSDA site that serves as a leading centre of its kind in Australia, by 2025.

Professor Rhema Vaithianathan's researcher profile on UQ website
Dr Gayani Tennakoon Mudiyanselage's researcher profile on UQ website

Institute for Social Science Research

The Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) undertakes transformational, solution-focused research to address new and emerging challenges facing Australian society. ISSR is an international leader in advanced interdisciplinary and evidence-based social science research, and works collaboratively with government and the private and not-for-profit sectors on pressing social science challenges across four key impact areas:

• Social Science of Policy and Practice
• Social Science of Health
• Social Science of Education
• Social Science of Innovation and Technology.

This research is underpinned by cutting-edge social science methodologies including: advanced data analytics, participatory and innovative qualitative research, observational and biometric measurement techniques, experimental research designs, and the design and implementation of social intervention evaluations. Our strong focus on co-designed research, and commitment to ongoing training and development, provides significant engagement opportunities for our staff, postdoctoral students and industry partners.

ISSR website

CSDA at UQ projects

CSDA at UQ has been helping government agencies and organisations to consider potential uses of data for social good, contributing to ISSR’s projects including:

• ARC Training Centre for Information Resilience
• Responding to the Educational Needs of Students Experiencing Disadvantage in the COVID-19 Recovery
• Queensland Housing Strategy 2017 - 2027 Research and Evaluation Program
• Developing a Business Case for Improved Targeting of Services for Children at Risk of Long Term Social and Health Outcomes Due to Childhood Adversity
• Exploring the use of predictive analytics to improve practice and outcomes in child welfare in Queensland