Professor Bina D'Costa

I bring a wealth of experience in research and teaching at first-tier universities in Australia, the US, the UK and Switzerland. I have drawn on this experience to help shape the Bell School's strategic direction as part of Bell Exec and the College Governance group. 

My research is strongly grounded in fieldwork, engagement and collaboration, and is academically rigorous and policy relevant (consistent with the ANU Strategic Plan 2018-2021). My groundbreaking early work on gender, war crimes and justice continues to have impact decades after its publication and I also remain a leader in this field.  I am an internationally-recognised expert on children and conflict and have published extensively on this topic. I have published 6 books and 64 essays.

My recent work on migration and displacement builds on many years of experience, including my appointment as a UN staff member at the UNICEF-Office of Research, where I applied my research to lead and influence policy-making and humanitarian action in global emergencies with tangible impact. I have established formal collaboration between UN agencies and the ANU to enhance linkages between the University's research and international policy on migration.

I have a strong strategic vision about the world-leading role that the ANU can play in navigating in a world which is increasingly globalised and contested. I adopt cross-disciplinary, collaborative approaches to research and learning, and I have built strong professional networks across academic disciplines and with government and practitioners.