Adjunct Professor
Elinor Buys
Faculty of Science,
School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Biography
Broad area of research: DesignResearchProfessor Laurie Buys is an experienced social science researcher and research manager, who frequently collaborates with scientists from various disciplinary backgrounds on complex research initiatives. Her main research interests fall under the broad headings of social sustainability and social gerontology, focusing specifically on issues associated with community engagement, corporate social responsibility, sustainable buildings and active ageing.
- Research Area 1: Social Sustainability
- Research Area 2: The Urban Environment
- Research Area 3: Social Impact Assessment
- Research Area 4: Social Gerontology
Research area 1: Social SustainabilityThrough social sustainability research, Professor Buys aims to enhance understanding of, and accountability for, the real effects felt by people in the community resulting from changes in their physical, economic and cultural life. She has established collaborative partnerships with various organisations to investigate the dynamics of sustainable communities, centred around the idea that prevention rather that mitigation of impacts can be achieved through a multi-disciplinary evaluation of a community and the development of appropriate strategies. The majority of this social sustainability research involves qualitative and quantitative projects that examine issues such as environment attitudes, behaviours, quality of life and social capital. For example, working with the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland Dept of Public Works to investigate the relationship between urban water quality and usage, community wellbeing and housing density.Research area 2: The Urban EnvironmentProfessor Buys is currently engaged in several projects that investigate different aspects of the urban environment, specifically issues associated with housing choices and neighbourhood design. Currently, she is leading an ARC Linkage project examining the social, environmental and economic impacts of high-density living in a sub-tropical environment. The negative impacts from decades of urban sprawl are now evident and high-density (HD) living has been marked as the most sustainable alternative to traditional suburbs. This research explores the impacts experienced by HD residents within sub-tropical regions and develops strategies to make HD living more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. In other housing related research, Professor Buys has assessed the experiences of residents of ‘Research House in Rockhampton’ (a sustainable house) and the demand for sustainability retrofits in existing commercial buildings.Research area 3: Social Impact AssessmentDeveloping social impact assessment (SIA) tools to be used by industry in their Triple Bottom Line (TBL) reporting is a key component of her research agenda. Professor Buys' focus has been to formulate generic measures and identify valid indicators of social impact assessment in TBL, which encompasses the three dimensions of economic, environmental and social impacts. Though economic and environmental impacts have long been factored into organisational assessment, recognition of the importance of measuring social impact is a relatively recent development, with no agreement on what social impacts are and how they should be measured. Indeed, SIA has often been described as the ‘poor cousin’ of Economic and Environmental Impact Assessment given the relative lack of attention it has received. Professor Buys is taking a leading role in social impact projects: quantifying the social impact of the Dairy Industry and developing the Social Impact Assessment policies of the Gold Coast City Council.
Research area 4: Social GerontologyAgeing is one of the most significant changes facing Australia. The overall objective of this research area is to better understand the factors leading to a high quality of life for older adults and, in so doing, encourage more effective policy making at all levels of government and more informed decisions within families. The three key areas of this research interest in social gerontology are active ageing, active ageing for older people with a lifelong intellectual disability and social issues associated with living in retirement villages. In the area of active ageing, she has developed international collaborative research partnership with Professor Karen Roberto from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA. This collaboration has involved integration of two data bases in Australia and USA on issues of health, depression and support for older rural men and women.Professor Buys is also currently engaged in several projects to explore and gain an understanding of active ageing processes for people with lifelong intellectual disabilities, including an ARC Linkage project titled ‘Developing an integrative active ageing model for policy makers and service providers to support older people with lifelong intellectual disability’. There is little research that has investigated how this cohort of older people perceives and describes their own social needs, accommodation needs, retirement preferences and support needs. This research aims to fill this gap by taking account of the views of older people with lifelong disability, as well as those of key family members and service providers. The findings will contribute to the development of an integrative model of active ageing for older people with lifelong intellectual disability and inform policy development.
Grants
FundingReceived over $2,000,000 in research funding since 2003.Selected List of Awarded GrantsProfessor Laurie Buys and her research team have been granted funds to conduct the following research projects:The neglected dimension of community liveability: Impact on social connectedness and active ageingRole: ARC Linkage GrantChief Investigators: Buys, L., Miller, E., Boulton-Lewis, G.,Courtney, M., Nayak, R., Anderson, DParticipating agencies: QLD Department of Communities, Gold Coast Regional Shire Council, QLD Council on the AgeingAmount: $386,000Period: 2008-2011Evaluation of the ‘Living Smart Homes’ ProgramRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Miller, E. Buys, L., Summerville, J.Participating agencies: QLD Environmental Protection Agency, SEQ Catchments, the Noosa Shire Council, Caboolture Shire CouncilAmount: $15,000Period: 2007-2008Decision making drivers in commercial tenancy agreementsRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Miller, E., Buys, L., Hefferan, M & Summerville, J.Participating agencies: Integra Asset ManagementAmount: $20,000Period: 2007Decision making drivers in commercial tenancy agreementsRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Miller, E., Buys, L., Hefferan, M & Summerville, J.Participating agencies: Integra Asset ManagementAmount: $20,000Period: 2007Managing the social, environmental & economic impacts of high density-living within inner-urban sub-tropical environmentsRole: ARC Linkage GrantChief Investigators: Buys, L., Grace, P., Summerville, J., Kennedy, R., Wilson, C. & Hefferan, M.Participating agencies: Northshore Development Group (Port of Brisbane)Amount: $440,000Period: 2006-2009Developing a Social Impact Assessment for the Dairy IndustryRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Buys, L.R., Rich, B., Miller, E.Participating agencies: Dairy AustraliaAmount: $532,488Period: 2005-2007Developing an integrative active ageing model for policy makers and service providers to support older people with lifelong intellectual disabilityRole: ARC Linkage GrantChief Investigators: Buys, L.R, Knox, M., Bigby, C., Boulton-Lewis, G., Edwards, H.Participating agencies: Endeavour, Qld Office of the Public Advocate; Qld Dept of Housing, Qld Aged and Disability Advocacy, Vic Office of the Public AdvocateAmount: $190,000Period: 2004-2007Making a Sustainable House Socially Sensitive: Smart Housing and its Impacts Upon Resident’s LifestylesRole: Research ProjectChief Investigator: Buys, LParticipating agencies: Qld Dept of Public Works & Qld Dept of HousingAmount: $10,000Period: 2004Sustainable Communities: Social issues influencing Storm Water QualityRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Buys, L., Goonetilleke, AParticipating agencies: Qld Dept of Public Works and Gold Coast City CouncilAmount: $10,000Period: 2004Youth at Risk Alliance: Independent Evaluation Framework for the Youth at Risk AllianceRole: Research ProjectChief Investigator: Buys, L.Participating agencies: Wesley Mission BrisbaneAmount: $10,000Period: 2004Sustainable Communities within an Integrated Ecological and Social ContextRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Buys, L., Goonetilleke, AParticipating agencies: Wesley Mission BrisbaneAmount: $10,000Period: 2004Evaluating the Impact of three Arts and Cultural Projects across Northern Corridor on Young People’s Social & Personal Well-BeingRole: Research ProjectChief Investigators: Buys, L.R, Mitropoulos, M., Clifford, S.Participating agencies: Gold Coast City Council, Qld Dept of Public WorksAmount: $51,000Period: 2004Career history
- 2008 - present: Professor, School of Design, QUT
- 2008 - 2008: Associate Professor, School of Design, QUT
- 2005 - 2007: Associate Professor, School of Humanities and Human Services, QUT
- 2002 - 2007: Director, Centre for Social Change Research, QUT
- 1999 - 2005: Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Human Services, QUT
- 1995 - 1999: Lecturer, School of Humanities and Human Services, QUT
Personal details
Positions
- Adjunct Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Keywords
Community Development, Community Engagement, Population Ageing, Social Sustainability
Research field
Sociology, Urban and Regional Planning
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Northern Colorado)
- MSc (Southern Illinois University)
- GradCertGerontology (University of Northern Colorado)
- BA (West Virginia University)
Professional memberships and associations
- 2007 - 2009: President - Australian Association of Gerontology
- 1995 - present: Member - Australian Association of Gerontology
- 2011 - present: Member - Brisbane City Council's Inclusive Brisbane Board
Teaching
- KKP624: Approaches to Design Research
- BEB200: Introducing Sustainability
- Social Research Methods
- Social Inquiry
- Logic of Social Inquiry
- Current Developments in Human Services and Aged Services: Advanced Practice.
Experience
- QLD Department of Primary Industries
- QLD Department of Communities
- QLD Environmental Protection Agency
- QLD Dept of Public Works
- Regional Shire Councils (Noosa, Caboolture, Gold Coast)
- QLD Office of the Public Advocate
- QLD Dept of Housing
- VIC Office of the Public Advocate
- Dairy Australia
- Northshore Development Group (Port of Brisbane)
- Integra
- Condamine Alliance
- Kelvin Grove Urban Village
- Wesley Mission Brisbane
- Catalyst Youth Arts Organisation Inc.
- Endeavour
- QLD Council on the Ageing
- QLD Aged and Disability Advocacy.
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Elinor, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Selected research projects
- Title
- Cooperation and Reciprocity at the Local Scale Enabled by Social and Mobile Technologies: An Empirically Derived Theoretical Framework
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP110105127
- Start year
- 2011
- Keywords
- Human-Computer Interaction Participatory Design Community Informatics
- Title
- The Neglected Dimension Of Community Liveability: Impact On Social Connectedness And Active Ageing
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP0883447
- Start year
- 2009
- Keywords
- Community Liveability; Social Engagement; Community Well Being; Social Isolation; Population Ageing
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Technicalities of Ageing in Place: A Case Study of the Integration of Residential Care Services through the Use of Information Technology (IT) in the Changing Context of Care (2006)
- Disease, disability, service use and social support amongst community-dwelling people aged 75 years and over: the Sydney older persons study (2004)
- Transformation of Communication Practices: a Case Study of Older Adults' Participation in the Information Society (2003)