Who Is Part of the RegNet Research Community?

Updated

RegNet's research community is a network of scholars and practitioners who work together on major societal problems. According to the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at ANU, this community addresses issues including climate change, conflict and injustice, disruptive technologies, economic and health inequality, and geopolitical contestation. Its approach is described as profoundly interdisciplinary, with a stated commitment to pursuing a more just and equitable world.

Who belongs to the community

RegNet describes its research community as bringing together two broad groups:

  • Scholars — academic researchers based at or connected to the School.
  • Practitioners — people working on regulation and governance outside academia, who collaborate with researchers on shared problems.

This mix is central to how RegNet presents itself: not a purely academic department, but a network where research and practice inform each other.

What the community works on

The School lists the following areas of societal concern as the focus of its research community:

  • Climate change
  • Conflict and injustice
  • Disruptive technologies
  • Economic and health inequality
  • Geopolitical contestation

These are framed as "some of society's greatest concerns," and RegNet's stated aim is to address them through research and education on regulation and governance.

How the community is organised

RegNet's work is structured around expertise areas and centres, which group researchers and their projects. The School also runs:

  • Postgraduate study
  • Doctoral study
  • Professional education

These programs connect students and professionals to the same research network.

What the community produces

The School's public activity gives a sense of how the community operates in practice. Recent items on its site include:

Date Item Theme
28 September 2026 Workshop: Explaining climate politics in Australia Climate governance
15 September 2026 Webinar: Beyond fines — rethinking justice for crimes against nature Restorative justice, environment
04 September 2026 Job opportunity: Project Officer for community rule-making and peacebuilding projects Peacebuilding, violence prevention
27 August 2026 New edited book: Information, Technology and Control in a Changing World Technology and control
27 August 2026 Visiting doctoral researcher exploring restorative justice across legal systems Comparative justice
25 August 2026 Discussion on AI regulation and bridging social sciences, engineering and policy Emerging technologies

This output — workshops, webinars, books, visiting researchers, and commentary — reflects the interdisciplinary, practice-linked character the School describes.

Why the composition matters

If you are considering RegNet for study, research collaboration, or professional education, the key point is that you would be joining a network rather than a single-discipline department. The community's value orientation — a stated commitment to a more just and equitable world — shapes the topics it takes on and the partners it works with. Whether that orientation matches your own interests is the main thing to weigh before engaging.