Michelle Duffy

Associate Professor Michelle Duffy is a cultural geographer at the University of Newcastle's School of Environmental and Life Sciences, affiliated with the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS). Her research explores how emotions, sound, and movement shape human-environment relationships, focusing on festivals, community resilience, and regional development. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and has held academic positions at Monash University and Federation University Australia.

Education: PhD (Cultural Geography, University of Melbourne), Bachelor of Applied Science (RMIT), Bachelor of Music (Honours, University of Melbourne), Bachelor of Arts (Honours, University of Melbourne).

Research Interests: Emotion and affect in place-making, sound-based methodologies, festival studies, community wellbeing post-disasters, and regional resilience. She pioneered projects like the Hazelwood Health Study's Community Wellbeing Stream, investigating the impact of the 2014 coal mine fire on Morwell, Victoria. Her work emphasizes participatory methods, including sound art exhibitions and creative practices to amplify community voices.

Grants and Funding: Over $515,000 in grants, including the Hazelwood Long-Term Health Study ($335,500) and projects on regional resilience and festival networks. She has led evaluations of mental health initiatives like the Suicide Safer Schools program.

Labs/Teams: Collaborations with the Hazelwood Health Study team, Federation University’s research networks, and interdisciplinary projects on climate anxiety and mobility justice. Current focus includes speculative listening practices and reimagining festivals as social infrastructure.