Kristin Bindley

Kristin Bindley is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNSW Sydney's School of Social Sciences, affiliated with The Care Lab. Her research focuses on social and structural determinants of caregiving, dying, and grieving experiences, particularly for carers navigating social welfare systems.

• PhD, University of Technology Sydney (2022)
• Graduate Certificate in Loss, Grief and Trauma Counselling, Flinders University (2009)
• BSW (Hons), BA (Sociology & English), University of Sydney (2002-2004)

Kristin's research combines social work, palliative care, and intersectionality-based policy analysis to examine how socioeconomic factors affect caregiving and bereavement. She has published extensively on topics including LGBTQ+ bereavement experiences, caregiver bureaucracy navigation, and post-mortem rituals.

Recent publications show trends in qualitative health research, structural inequity analysis, and cross-sectoral care collaboration. Her work emphasizes the importance of policy reform and trauma-informed practices in palliative care contexts.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Medal of the Order of Australia (2023)
  • UTS Chancellor’s List recognition (2022)
  • Finalist, National Palliative Care Awards (2021)
  • Editor's Choice Award, Palliative Medicine (2021)

Kristin holds accreditation as a Mental Health Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers and serves as national Bereavement Consultant Lead for Palliative Care Social Work Australia. Her work bridges clinical practice and academic research in end-of-life care and grief counseling.