About
Julie Rudner is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Sociology at La Trobe University, where she has held roles including Campus Director (Bendigo, 2021–2023), Course Convenor for Social Inquiry (2010–2021), and academic positions since 2010. Her research focuses on community planning, urban governance, and spatial implications of safety, risk, and belonging. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from La Trobe University.
Research interests include public knowings of safety, multicultural urban spaces, children’s environments, and risk assessment frameworks. Notable projects include evaluating the Bendigo Mosque protests (2016) and developing smartphone apps for heat mitigation (2020). She has secured grants from the Australian Government, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, and others.
Her teaching spans urban planning, research methods, and community engagement, with contributions to award-winning programs like the Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental Planning. She has supervised PhD projects on topics such as urban safety in Pakistan, behavioral science in cycling, and Islamic placemaking in Melbourne.
Key collaborations include work with Albury City Council (1999–2006), the Victorian Multicultural Commission, and international teams on child mobility and cultural heritage. Her work emphasizes transdisciplinary problem-solving and policy translation to address urban challenges.
