Dr Bob Birrell, Director, Centre for Population and Urban Research, Reader in Sociology, Monash University.

Dr Bob Birrell has a degree in economics from Melbourne University, in history from London University (first class honours) and a PhD in Sociology from Princeton University. Most of his academic work has been at Monash University and since 1991 this work has focussed on running the CPUR. He has acted as an advisor on immigration issues to both Labor and Coalition governments and was a member of the Commonwealth Government’s National Population Council from 1987–1993. Recently he was a member of the independent Review of the General Skilled Migration Program which reported in May 2006. Bob is currently a member of the Department of Education, Science and Training’s International Education Advisory body.

He is the joint editor (with Katharine Betts) of the quarterly demographic journal People and Place, published by CPUR.

Involvement in Catalyst

Bob presented at Catalyst's inaugural conference, Temporary Migration: Economic Opportunity for Whom?