Hilary Davis

Hilary Davis is a Senior Research Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology, affiliated with the School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship and the Centre for Social Impact. She leads the Place-based Economies and Approaches research stream, focusing on digital technologies for social impact, particularly in health, rural resilience, and inclusive community development.

Her research interests span Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), digital health, rural mental health services, participatory design, and community resilience. She emphasizes co-design with marginalized groups and the use of digital storytelling to empower communities. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Hilary’s recent publications (2023–2025) explore digital interventions for internet addiction in children, aged care technologies, bushfire early warning systems, and participatory planning for sustainable development. These works reflect a strong trend toward community-led innovation, behavior change design, and technology for social equity.

• Special Award (for More Than Human Food Futures Cookbook), UMEA Food Symposium 2022

Hilary actively supervises PhD students and has led major research grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC), Department of Health, and community organizations. Her projects include evaluations of mental health outreach programs, digital health interventions (e.g., VerilyConnect), and national educational initiatives like the ELLA language app program. She is a member of the Australian Evaluation Society (AES) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and serves on program committees for international HCI conferences.

She leads the SMART (Small Rural Health Services Team) network, which supports rural health innovation through digital storytelling and co-design. Her work bridges academia and community practice, fostering sustainable, equitable, and resilient solutions.