Jenny Povey

Associate Professor Jenny Povey is a Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director (Training) at the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) at the University of Queensland. A Psychologist by training, she obtained her BA (Honors), MA, and PhD from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. Before joining ISSR, she worked as a Chief Researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa, focusing on education effectiveness.

Her research examines social justice and inclusion through an intersectionality and life course lens, targeting marginalized groups including individuals with disabilities, refugee experiences, mental health challenges, and socioeconomic disadvantages. She specializes in large-scale mixed methods evaluations using administrative data, surveys, and qualitative insights to inform policy and practice. Her work spans collaborations with Australian and international governments (South Africa, Eritrea, Cambodia, Solomon Islands) in areas such as child protection, refugee settlement, and education equity.

• Current Projects
  • ARC Linkage Project: Investigating experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC)
  • Evaluation of the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP)
  • FamilyLinQ Evaluation: Strengthening family support systems
  • Extended Post Care Support Program: Enhancing outcomes for youth
• Training Leadership
  • Develops ISSR’s professional short courses and capability training for industry
  • Coordinates PhD student courses, internships, and staff training
• Research Themes
  • Inclusive education and employment
  • Refugee and migrant labor market outcomes
  • Child and family wellbeing in OOHC
  • Structural disadvantage and support systems
  • Evidence-based policy and practice
  • Cross-cultural and mixed methods research