Brendan Gleeson is Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at The University of Melbourne. He is also Professor of Urban Policy Studies. He was previously Professor of Geography at The National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Brendan set up the Urban Research Program at Griffith University (www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp/ ) and was its inaugural Director. He is the author or editor of five books, three of which have won national and international prizes, and numerous journal articles. His research interests include urban planning and governance, urban social policy, disability studies, and environmental theory and policy. His recent work has focused on socio-spatial analysis of suburbs, their vulnerability to oil shocks and the need for better public transport options. Gleeson was the inaugural recipient of the John Iremonger Award for Writing on Public Issues (Allen & Unwin Publishers) leading to the publication of his seminal book Australian Heartlands: Making Space for Hope in the Suburbs.