The Australian Research Council (ARC) has appointed Professor Alex Broom as Academic Director for Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences.
Professor Broom is currently Professor of Sociology and Director of the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Professor Broom is renowned as an international leader in sociology, with a specific focus on health and care. His research looks at how health is shaped by the world around us, from social norms to politics and economics, and how people respond to those forces in their everyday lives.
Professor Lisa Adkins, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, congratulated Professor Broom on his appointment.
"I am very excited by the news that Professor Broom will be joining the ARC as Academic Director. He is a highly respected member of our faculty and a national research leader. I have no doubt that he will do some important work at this critical moment of determining how research funding is to be structured going forward. The ARC leadership team will really benefit from his knowledge and insights," Professor Adkins said.
Throughout his career, Professor Broom has worked together with communities, government, and industry, securing more than $30 million in competitive research funding.
He founded the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, a dynamic hub of interdisciplinary research that now connects over 400 members across five countries. He also leads society and environment research at the Charles Perkins Centre where he supports work focused on the inseparability of context and disease.
Professor Broom said he looked forward to representing Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences at the ARC and to uplift high-quality research.
"The ARC plays a critical role in enabling the social, behavioural and economic sciences and supporting both early-stage and established researchers," Professor Broom said.
"I’m delighted to take on the role of Academic Director to help steward our world-class research ecosystem into the future, with the ARC team."
Professor Broom will join the ARC from 2 February 2026.