Jennifer Biddle

Professor Jennifer Biddle is a leading scholar in visual anthropology and Indigenous studies, currently serving as Director of the Ethnographic Media Lab (emLAB) at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and a BA (Honours) from Macquarie University. Her research focuses on Indigenous critical theory, global art, feminist phenomenology, and collaborative methodologies, with a particular emphasis on Warlpiri communities and experimental ethnography. Biddle has held significant roles, including ARC Future Fellow and member of the ARC’s Medical Advisory Group, and is currently a Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University.

Her work bridges art, anthropology, and sensory studies, as seen in her books Remote Avant-Garde: Aboriginal Art Under Occupation (2016) and Breasts, Bodies, Canvas: Aboriginal Art as Experience (2007). Biddle’s grants include major ARC projects on Indigenous futurity, sensory ethnography, and digital media. She leads emLAB, an international program specializing in Indigenous and Asia-Pacific research, and has collaborated with artists and communities to preserve cultural heritage through innovative media practices.

Her recent research explores eco-somatics in Warlpiri ceremony, AI and Indigenous data sovereignty, and experimental art forms. She serves on AIATSIS and contributes to initiatives like the Big Anxiety Research Centre, emphasizing art’s role in societal transformation.