Julie Cunningham

Julie Cunningham is a Research Fellow at the School of Sociology, The Australian National University (ANU), where she has been affiliated since 2023. She holds a PhD from the University of Wollongong (2022), focusing on international labor migration and children’s experiences in transnational families. Her current research, in collaboration with Dr. Matt Withers, explores transnational family separation under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, examining household dynamics and care practices during migration. Additionally, she serves as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong until February 2026.

Education: BCom (Industrial Relations), Diploma of Social Work (DipSW), Master of Social Work (MSW), PhD.

Research Interests: Julie’s work centers on transnational families, children’s experiences of parental absence, social reproduction, gender, care practices, temporary labor migration, and labor mobility in Pacific Island countries. Her projects emphasize understanding the socio-cultural impacts of migration policies on families and communities.

Collaborations and Grants: Julie is actively engaged in the project Together, Apart: Transnational Family Separation in the PALM Scheme, analyzing transnational care dynamics and household resilience. No specific grants are detailed in the provided information, though her research aligns with broader ANU initiatives on migration and social policy.

Labs/Teams: Her work is part of the School of Sociology’s research cluster on migration and globalization, collaborating with Dr. Matt Withers and other scholars in the field.