James O'Donnell

Dr. James O'Donnell is a Research Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU) in the School of Demography, specializing in social cohesion, migration, and demographic change. He leads the Scanlon Foundation's Mapping Social Cohesion study, Australia's longest-running survey on social integration and immigration. His research explores how societal and personal upheavals affect wellbeing and cohesion. He holds a PhD in Demography (ANU), M. Social Research (ANU), and advanced degrees in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Sydney.

Research Interests: Social cohesion, migration dynamics, housing and homelessness, labor market trends, and demographic change. His work bridges quantitative methods with policy analysis, focusing on Australia’s population dynamics.

Key Projects:

• Demographic Drivers of Social Cohesion (2024–2027)
• Mapping Social Cohesion (2022–2024)
• ACT Demographic Trends (2023)

Awards: ARC DECRA Fellowship (2022–2025).

Lab Affiliations: The Population Lab (Poplab) and The Migration Hub at ANU.