Sue Williamson

Sue Williamson is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management in the School of Business at UNSW Canberra. She specializes in gender equality in the workplace and public sector human resources and industrial relations, with particular focus on how public sector agencies implement gender equality initiatives. Her research examines merit in the public sector, the gendered impacts of remote and hybrid working, and collective bargaining in the Australian public service.

Williamson's research interests center on workplace gender equality, public sector human resources, and industrial relations. She has extensively studied how public sector agencies implement gender equality initiatives, with recent work focusing on the impacts of hybrid working arrangements, merit principles in public sector hiring, and collective bargaining. Her research combines theoretical frameworks with practical applications to address persistent gender inequalities in public service organizations.

Her publications demonstrate a strong focus on gender equality in public sector workplaces, with numerous articles examining working from home arrangements, merit principles, and collective bargaining. Williamson's work shows increasing attention to hybrid work models and their implications for gender equality, with a notable shift toward practical applications of research findings in recent years.

• 2024 Winner of the Journal of Industrial Relations Fran Hayes award
• 2024 Winner of the O'Leary prize for excellence in scholarship in gender and public administration
• 2023 Winner of the 2022 Sam Richardson Prize
• 2023 Shortlisted for Nevile-Plowman Best Article Prize
• 2021 Rosemary O'Leary Award for best article published in 2020 on women and public administration
• 2017 ACT Telstra Business Woman of the Year Finalist

Williamson actively partners with government agencies on gender equality projects and provides training to public servants on gender analysis and impact assessments. Her research has significant policy impact, influencing discussions on workplace flexibility, merit principles, and gender equality initiatives in the Australian public sector. She has established herself as a leading expert on gender equality in public sector workplaces, with her work frequently cited in policy debates and media discussions about workplace reform.