Elisa Birch

Elisa Birch is a Senior Lecturer in the Economics Program at the UWA Business School, University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on labour economics, wage determination, Indigenous labour market outcomes, and education economics. She has secured over AUD$670,000 in competitive grants, including an Australian Research Council DECRA (2011). Her work addresses gender wage gaps, public-private sector wage disparities, and Indigenous health and employment challenges. Dr. Birch has taught large undergraduate classes (e.g., microeconomics with 1,200 students) and specialized MBA courses. She holds teaching awards and has been nominated for external recognitions. Current projects explore Indigenous prisoners' labour outcomes, gender equality in domestic work, and health behaviours among Indigenous populations.

Grants include a 2012 DECRA grant ($375,000) on Indigenous labour markets and a 2013 Worldwide Universities Networks grant for widening university access. She has advised on policy issues like HECS and student performance, contributing to over 50 peer-reviewed articles. Her research appears in journals such as the Economic Record and Journal of Economic Studies, with media coverage in major Australian newspapers.

• Teaching: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, MBA units
• Grants: 3 external, 4 university-funded
• Projects: 5 ongoing studies on Indigenous health, labour markets, and education