Claire Annesley

Professor Claire Annesley serves as the founding Dean of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA), leading a multidisciplinary Faculty with over 60 disciplines. A social scientist and linguist by training, her feminist institutionalist research examines gender exclusion in political institutions and policy impacts of women’s representation. She holds a BA in German and Politics (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne), a PhD in Humanities (University of Sheffield), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation and Design Thinking from MIT/Columbia/Tuck. A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), she has received multiple awards for teaching and research excellence, including the Richard Rose Prize and Carrie Chapman Catt Prize.

• Key Research Areas: Gender in political institutions, cabinet appointments, welfare reform, and feminist institutionalism
• Leadership: Founding Dean of UNSW ADA since 2020; former Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor at University of Sussex
• Awards: 2021 Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences (UK), 2016-2017 Outstanding Teaching Prize (University of Sussex)

Claire’s publications span 15+ years, focusing on gendered political structures and policy outcomes. She has conducted fieldwork in Germany, Poland, Belgium, and the UK, bridging academic research with policy advisory roles. Her personal interests include ocean swimming and coffee culture in Sydney.