Michelle Villeneuve

Dr. Michelle Villeneuve is an Associate Professor at The University of Sydney's Centre for Disability Research and Policy, with an honorary adjunct appointment at Queen's University in Canada. She serves as Activity Lead at the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Rehabilitation Capacity in Health Systems and as Deputy Director at the University of Sydney's impact Centre for Disability Research and Policy.

• PhD in Education, MSc in Rehabilitation Science, BSc in Occupational Therapy
• International experience in disaster risk reduction across Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Australia
• Lead developer of the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) framework

Her research focuses on Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR), Interprofessional Collaboration, and Community-Based Rehabilitation. She applies social learning methodologies to improve cross-sector coordination and has influenced national policy through her work with the Australian Research Council and NSW/Queensland Governments.

Key awards include the 2023 National Resilient Australia Award for P-CEP Certificate Course, 2020 Canadian Women in Global Health Award, and multiple Resilient Australia Awards (2017-2023). Current research students include Louise Mitchell (Community Recovery after Bushfire), Brigit Maguire (D/deaf Emergency Preparedness), Bronwyn Simpson (Spinal Cord Injury Well-being), and Olivia Jackson (Mentoring in Occupational Therapy).

Her work spans partnerships with Queenslanders with Disability Network, Community Services Industry Alliance, Infrastructure NSW, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). She has co-produced 18 award-winning research outputs and leads the Collaborating4Inclusion program.