Our research

Great minds and even greater challenges – world-leading research in the humanities and social sciences.

Friday 28 June 2019 at 0900 hours the Vietnamese Ambassador, Military Attaché and a Political Officer will be visiting the university to meet with Dr Bob Hall, Derrill de Heer and others in Lecture Theatre 05. The purpose of the visit is for the Military Operations Analysis Team (MOAT) to brief them on how the team from ACSACS can demonstrate the location of where Australian Forces buried their soldiers killed in action during the Vietnam War. The briefing will also give them a briefing about where the major actions for all other Free World Forces military actions were conducted. This will give them an idea of how the team will assist them in finding of some of their war dead. They still have over 300,000 missing in action. The Department of Defence International Policy Division (IPD) has granted the team money to plot these actions, so they can look for their fallen.

Thought leadership for today’s global challenges

At UNSW Canberra School of Humanities & Social Sciences we’re committed to addressing the big issues facing our society through an interdisciplinary approach to our research. Our research themes bring together experts on politics, law, international relations and history to provide thought leadership and new insights on key challenges facing Australia and the world.

Our research areas

Through our research across Asia-Pacific Development & Security, Conflict & Society, Environment & Governance, Future Operations, International Ethics and Maritime Security, we lead, debate and contribute to national and global change.  

Discover how UNSW Canberra’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences is leading the conversation on these complex international issues.

Asia-pacific development & security

Our research explores topics related to gender, religion and development, as well as regional security issues through interdisciplinary approaches including anthropology, development studies, history, political science and social policy.

Conflict & society

Our research examines the shades and nuances of war and peace in social, political and military dimensions, as well as the relationships between military culture and civil societies. We explore armed conflict and society from a historical perspective, as well as the literary and cultural responses to modern war.

Environment & governance

Our work has a common focus on improving law, public policy and international cooperation to protect ecosystems and manage the impact of human-induced environmental change.

Future operations

Our research analyses the operational environment, the threats, risks and opportunities that military forces will face between 2030 and 2050. 

International ethics

International ethics research brings together international relations, political theory and moral philosophy to address ethical questions in international politics. Our proximity to the military and government and excellent support from the Academy Library means UNSW Canberra is unrivalled in Australia in this research field.

Maritime security

We take a broad approach to Maritime Security research. It encompasses not only traditional hard security concerns, but also human security, maritime crime and the ‘blue economy’. The group has expertise in international law, history, strategy, naval affairs and a range of Indo-Pacific regional perspectives. 

Our research projects

Discover how UNSW Canberra’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences is leading the conversation through our research projects.

The AIF Project

The AIF database is drawn from a range of official sources, including personal files on the National Archives website, and Embarkation and Nominal Rolls on the Australian War Memorial website.
Visit the project

Australia's Vietnam War

Australia’s Vietnam War website is the product of many years of work, starting with the creation of the 1 ATF Contact Database in the 1980s by Andrew Ross. Development of the website as you see it today, commenced in late 2012 and the team continues extending its capabilities through the generous support of grants, donations and voluntary work by our team members and the broader community.
 

Australia's Vietnam War