Associate Professor Udoy Saikia

I am a Social Demographer with postgraduate degrees from London School of Economics, UK, and PhD from Flinders University, Australia. My research identity is built around “evidence-based policy research” on population, human wellbeing and sustainable development, which I started through my research collaboration with the United Nations (UN), Papua New Guinea leading to the production of the Bougainville Human Development Report 2007. I have published over 50 articles and chapters in scholarly journals and books, and as refereed conference papers or reports. The “Human Wellbeing Index” which is the most innovative part of my research has been the core focus of recent Human Development Reports published by the UN. In my role as the Lead Author and the Team Leader, I completed the research project leading to the production of the National Human Development Report, Timor-Leste 2018, UNDP- a report which focuses on policy pathways to achieve demographic dividend. The impact of my research at this international level is also evident by the fact that it has drawn the attention of policy makers at the highest level in Timor-Leste (web link). I have the extensive experience of working with the UN system for last 14 years. My research leadership in my area of expertise has been evident in a series of successful research collaborations, both at national and international level leading to receiving a total research grant of Australian $1.5 million till date from several funding agencies including two ongoing two Australian Research Council grants in the last four years: - ARC linkage ($458,790) as the Lead CI and ARC Discovery ($490,170) as CI.

I have successfully supervised 25 PhD students (includes ongoing four) so far. I have received “Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in teaching, 2011” and “Citations for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, 2012”, Office of Learning and Teaching, Government of Australia and College Research Excellence Award 2021.

I served as the Vice President of Australian Population Association, the peak professional body of population research in Australia, for two consecutive terms (2011-1015). I was reappointed as the Vice President for the year 2019-21. I am one of the three Australian experts appointed by the International Science Council (ISC) to review the United Nations Global Report on Sustainable Development 2019.

I have knowledge, expertise and skills in both quantitative and qualitative research. Understanding population dynamics and how to measure their wellbeing at individual as well as household level is key to my research. In the last ten years I have, to my credit published over 50 publications, comprising peer reviewed papers based on original research, commissioned reports and book chapters and several conference papers on population and development issues. My most recent research project in my role as the Lead Author led to the production of the Timor-Leste National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2018, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consists of seven chapters. The €œwellbeing index €� which is the most innovative part of my recent research has been included in the form of a Chapter in the Hand book of Statistics, Integrated Population Biology and Modelling, Part A, Volume 39, 1st Edition under Section V: Human Inequality Measures and Well Being (web link).

I have developed my research identity, built around €œevidence-based policy research. I started this strongly with my collaboration with the UNDP, Papua New Guinea for research leading to the production of the Bougainville Human Development Report 2007. Since the completion of this research project my progress as a research leader in my area of expertise has been evident in a series of successful research collaborations, both at national and international level leading to receiving a total research grant of Australian $542,624.00 till date from several funding agencies.

• Sep 2012 Merve Hosgelen - Australian Population Association Conference Travel Award
• Oct 2011 Merve Hosgelen - UNDP internship - Timor Leste
• Feb 2011 Merve Hosgelen - JC Caldwell Research Grant

• Desired and achieved fertility of the women of Tehran (1)
• Pig farming and sustainable development (1)
• Population Growth, Poverty and Environmental Sustainability in Timor-Leste (1)
• The role of foreign direct investment on trade and technology innovation in southeast Asia with particular reference to Timor-Leste (1)
• The role of Indigenous Solid waste management: Integration of Indigenous Solid waste management Practices (ISWMP) with Modern Solid Waste Management System (SWMS) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) (1)

• Addressing childhood malnutrition in Iran moving towards comprehensive primary health care (1)
• Health seeking behaviour of women with maternal morbidity in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1)
• The capacity building paradox using friendship work to build capacity in the South (1)
• The demographic behavior of an indigenous population in urban Papua New Guinea: the Motu Koitabu of Hanuabada (1)
• Governance and health service provision in Bangladesh