Viviane Frings

Viviane Frings is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Centred Computing at the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University. She is Co-Director of the Information Empowered Communities Lab and leads interdisciplinary research on Indigenous Data Sovereignty and recordkeeping for marginalised communities. She holds a DECRA Fellowship and has secured multiple competitive grants from ARC and other funding bodies.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Political Science from Monash University (2000), an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Kent, UK (1991), and a Graduate Diploma in Information and Knowledge Management with specialisations in Archives and Recordkeeping and Library and Information Science from Monash University (2015).

Viviane’s research focuses on archival theory, recordkeeping literacy, information culture, and the preservation of information in marginalised and rural communities. Her work bridges archival science, community informatics, and sustainable development, with a strong emphasis on cultural and linguistic influences on information management. She advocates for empowering disadvantaged communities through recordkeeping education and sovereign information systems.

Her recent publications reflect a consistent focus on decolonial archival practices, Indigenous data sovereignty, climate resilience, and cross-cultural information systems. The articles show a trajectory toward community-led, participatory, and interdisciplinary research, particularly in the Global South and Indigenous contexts. Themes include linguistic diversity in archives, digital continuity in healthcare, and sustainable recordkeeping for climate action.

• DECRA Fellowship (2021-2024)
• Whyte Fund Grant (2021)
• White Fund Grant (2019)

Viviane supervises PhD students and is actively involved in grant-funded research, including projects funded by the Australian Research Council, Monash University, and the Empowerment Charitable Trust. She has received over $600,000 in research funding, supporting work in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Indigenous communities. She mentors students and collaborates internationally with scholars in Canada, the Netherlands, and France.

She is a key member of the Information Empowered Communities Lab, where she leads the PROTIC III project. Her team includes researchers from Monash and international partners, focusing on co-designing information solutions with Indigenous and rural communities. The lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration across information science, political science, and community development.