Marlee Bower

Dr. Marlee Bower is a Senior Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She specializes in the social determinants of mental health, focusing on loneliness and isolation among marginalized populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness, and the impact of built environments on psychological wellbeing. She leads the Climate Change and Mental Health Incubator and serves as Academic Lead for Australia's Mental Health Think Tank.

Her research explores how housing, neighborhood design, and social policies influence mental health outcomes. Current projects include evaluations of prison rehabilitation programs, COVID-19's mental health impacts, and climate-related psychosocial vulnerabilities. She completed her PhD at Western Sydney University in 2019 on loneliness experiences among Australians with lived homelessness experiences.

Dr. Bower convenes multiple research networks including the Network for Research in the Built Environment and Mental Health. Her work has been featured in major media outlets and policy discussions, highlighting the urgent need for urban and social reforms to address mental health inequalities.