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Dr Timothy Heffernan

Dr Timothy Heffernan

Lecturer

Ph.D. in Social Science (Anthropology);听B. Arts & Social Sciences (Hons, Class 1)

Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
School of Built Environment

I am an anthropologist driven by a deep curiosity about how communities confront and recover from life-altering events. From environmental disasters to political and economic upheavals, my research explores the stories of resilience, connection and transformation that emerge in the wake of crisis. Rooted in anthropological fieldwork, I seek to understand not just how unwelcome change is endured, but how recovery unfolds in complex, unpredictable ways.

Living and working on Gadigal Country, I work with communities in Australia and Europe affected by event-based hardship, such as environmental disasters and political and economic crises. Informed by ethnographic fieldwork, my research examines the connection between communities' experiences of unwelcome change and the ways they set about recovering, noting this is rarely straightforward.

Currently, I am a Research Fellow at UNSW School of Built Environment and was a visiting researcher (2022-2024) at the ANU School of Psychology and Medicine. My research has been funded by the Australian and NSW Governments and UACES: University Association for Contemporary European Studies.

I am co-editor of 听(Manchester UP, 2024) and the author of the draft manuscript听Compassionate Solidarity: Crisis, recovery and kincentric politics in Iceland.听In addition, I have published in several leading peer-reviewed journals including Social Anthropology, History and Anthropology, Conflict and Society, Disasters听and The Australian Journal of Emergency Management.

Inaugural network lead: UNSW Interdisciplinary Ethnography Network (UNSW IEN)
E-mail
t.heffernan@unsw.edu.au
Location
Room 3030, Anita B. Lawrence Centre
  • Book Chapters | 2024
    Alimardanian M; Heffernan T, 2024, 'Afterword', in The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, pp. 240 - 248,
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Alimardanian M; Heffernan T, 2024, 'Afterword: Sitting and being with ambiguity', in Alimardanian M; Heffernan T (ed.), The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 240 - 248,
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Heffernan T; Alimardanian M, 2024, 'Introduction', in The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, pp. 1 - 12,
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Heffernan T; Alimardanian M, 2024, 'Introduction', in Alimardanian M; Heffernan T (ed.), The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 1 - 12
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Heffernan T; Alimardanian M, 2024, 'Introduction', in Heffernan T; Alimardanian M (ed.), The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, pp. 1 - 12,
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Heffernan T, 2024, '4 Queering the crisis鈥搑ecovery nexus', in The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, pp. 67 - 84,
    Book Chapters | 2024
    Heffernan T, 2024, 'Queering the crisis鈥搑ecovery nexus: Personhood and societal transformation after economic collapse in Iceland', in Alimardanian M; Heffernan T (ed.), The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 67 - 84,
    Book Chapters | 2022
    Heffernan T, 2022, 'Economic anthropology in view of the global financial crisis', in The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences, Springer Nature, pp. 457 - 481,
  • Edited Books | 2024
    Alimardanian M; Heffernan T, (ed.), 2024, The anthropology of ambiguity, Manchester University Press, Manchester
  • Journal articles | 2025
    Cruwys T; Macleod E; Curll S; Walker I; Kurz T; Western K; Calear AL; Heffernan T; Evans O; Stanley SK; Greenwood LM, 2025, 'Is Trauma Isolating, or Does Isolation Traumatize? Loneliness and Posttraumatic Stress Mutually Reinforce One Another in the Aftermath of Environmental Disaster', Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy,
    Journal articles | 2025
    Sanderson D; Heffernan T; DeSisto M; Shearing C, 2025, 'Community-centred disaster recovery: A call to change the narrative', Disasters, 49, pp. e12655,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Brady K; Gallagher C; Molyneaux R; Sanderson D; Heffernan T; Gibbs L, 2024, 'Improving long-term disaster recovery research in Australia through boosting dataset comparability', Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 39, pp. 79 - 80,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Christensen BK; Monaghan C; Stanley SK; Walker I; Leviston Z; Macleod E; Rodney RM; Greenwood L-M; Heffernan T; Evans O; Sutherland S; Reynolds J; Calear AL; Kurz T; Lane J, 2024, 'The Brief Solastalgia Scale: A Psychometric Evaluation and Revision', EcoHealth, 21, pp. 83 - 93,
    Journal articles | 2024
    De Sisto M; Shearing C; Heffernan T; Sanderson D, 2024, 'Reshaping disaster management: An integrated community-led approach', Australian Journal of Public Administration,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Heffernan T; Shearing C; Sanderson D; De Sisto M, 2024, 'Building cross-sector recovery collaborations after Australian bushfires: The importance of embracing and linking diverse capitals and capacities', Environmental Hazards, ahead-of-print, pp. 1 - 22,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Heffernan T; Shearing C; Sanderson D, 2024, 'Building age-inclusive disaster risk reduction: Insights among geographically mobile young adults in regional Australia', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 113, pp. 104813 - 104813,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Heffernan T; Stewart K; Shearing C; Sanderson D, 2024, 'Flipping the script: young people mobilise adults to increase participation in disaster risk reduction', The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 39, pp. 40 - 45,
    Journal articles | 2024
    Stanley SK; Heffernan T; Macleod E; Lane J; Walker I; Evans O; Greenwood LM; Kurz T; Calear AL; Reynolds J; Cruwys T; Christensen BK; Sutherland S; Rodney RM, 2024, 'Solastalgia following the Australian summer of bushfires: Qualitative and quantitative insights about environmental distress and recovery', Journal of Environmental Psychology, 95, pp. 102273,
    Journal articles | 2023
    Cruwys T; Macleod E; Heffernan T; Walker I; Stanley SK; Kurz T; Greenwood LM; Evans O; Calear AL, 2023, 'Social group connections support mental health following wildfire', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 59, pp. 957 - 967,
    Journal articles | 2023
    Macleod E; Heffernan T; Greenwood L-M; Walker I; Lane J; Stanley SK; Evans O; Calear AL; Cruwys T; Christensen BK; Kurz T; Lancsar E; Reynolds J; Harris RR; Sutherland S, 2023, 'Predictors of individual mental health and psychological resilience after Australia鈥檚 2019鈥2020 bushfires', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 58,
    Journal articles | 2020
    Heffernan T; Pawlak M, 2020, 'Crisis futures: The affects and temporalities of economic collapse in Iceland', History and Anthropology, 31, pp. 314 - 330,
    Journal articles | 2020
    Heffernan T, 2020, 'Crisis and belonging: Protest voices and empathic solidarity in post-economic collapse iceland', Religions, 11, pp. 22,
    Journal articles | 2020
    Heffernan T, 2020, '鈥淲here Is the New Constitution?鈥 Public Protest and Community-Building in Post鈥揈conomic Collapse Iceland', Conflict and Society, 6, pp. 236 - 254,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Heffernan T, 2019, 'Loftsd贸ttir, Krist铆n, Andrea L. Smith and Brigitte Hipfl (eds.) 2018. Messy Europe: crisis, race, and nation鈥恠tate in a postcolonial world. New York: Berghahn Books. 254 pp. Hb.: US$120.00/拢85.00. ISBN: 978鈥1鈥78533鈥796鈥3.', Social Anthropology, 27, pp. 122 - 124,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Heffernan T, 2019, '鈥淕ambling Debt: Iceland's Rise and Fall in the Global Economy鈥', Student Anthropologist, 6, pp. 80 - 81,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Heffernan T, 2019, '鈥淕ambling Debt: Iceland鈥檚 Rise and Fall in the Global Economy鈥 E. Paul Durrenberger and G铆sli P谩lsson Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2014', Student Anthropologist, 6, pp. 82 - 83,
  • Reports | 2025
    Heffernan T; Vahanvati M; Halvitigala D; Majumdar A; McEvoy D; Sanderson D, 2025, Enhancing housing recovery policy and practice for improving community resilience to future disasters, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Melbourne, 439, ,
    Reports | 2024
    Heffernan T; Stewart K; Shearing C; Sanderson D, 2024, Flipping the script: young people mobilise adults to increase participation in disaster risk reduction, AIDR, Melbourne, ,
    Reports | 2023
    James Martin Institute for Public Policy ; NSW Education Department ; Heffernan T, 2023, Local links and learning: Resilience in regional, rural and remote schools. Fostering community ties and harnessing learning opportunities to boost resilience, The James Martin Institute for Public Policy, Sydney,
    Reports | 2022
    Heffernan T; Macleod E; Greenwood L-M; Walker I; Lane J; Stanley S; Evans O; Calear A; Cruwys T, 2022, Mental health, wellbeing and resilience after the 2019-20 bushfires: The Australian national bushfire health and wellbeing survey鈥擜 preliminary report, Research School of Psychology, ANU College of Health and Medicine, Canberra,
    Reports | 2016
    Kennett R; Tran T; Heffernan T; Strelnikow L, 2016, Livelihood values in Indigenous cultural fishing: Report of a meeting with Indigenous cultural fishers on the south coast of NSW, Canberra, ACT
    Reports | 2015
    Kennett R; Tran T; Talbot L; Heffernan T; Barton M, 2015, Implementing native title: Indigenous leadership in land and water livelihoods, AIATSIS, Canberra,
  • Media | 2023
    Heffernan T, 2023, Building social resilience through community-oriented approaches to disaster management,
    Media | 2022
    Heffernan T, 2022, Should you feed child guests dinner? What #Swedengate tells us about food culture and social expectations,
    Media | 2021
    Heffernan T, 2021, The Shifting Quality of the European Public Sphere: Notes from Post-Crisis Iceland,

Enhancing Housing Recovery Policy and Practice for Improving Community Resilience to Future Disasters.
Funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI, 23/PRO/71332) (2023-2024)

2023 Finalist, NSW Resilience Australia Award (Community) in recognition of the Resilient Towns Initiative, Snowy Valleys

2020 Fellow, Academic Association for Contemporary European Studies

Professional memberships:

听 听 Fellow of the Australian Anthropological Society

听 听 University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES), Ordinary Member 2019-2022

Other affiliations:

听 听 Visiting Research Fellow (2022-23).听College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University.

University Service

听 听 LGBTIQ+ Co-Champion, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, 2024-
听
听 听 Australian Anthropological Society University Representative, 2022-present