Simon Biggs, PhD. Professor of Gerontology & Social Policy
School of Social & Political Sciences, Melbourne University, Australia.
Simon has worked as a Community Psychologist and for the UK Social Work Education Council before joining Keele University, becoming Professor of Social Gerontology in 2000. He was a visiting research fellow at the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard University in 2002, and the UK representative on the EC Masters in Gerontology Programme 2002-2004. From 2004- 2010 he was Professor of Gerontology and Director of the Institute of Gerontology, King’s College London UK. Since Sept 2010, he has worked in Australia as The Brotherhood of St Laurence Professor of Gerontology & Social Policy at the School of Social & Political Sciences, Melbourne University. He has a number of continuing international links including the Universities of Heidelberg, Helsinki, University College Dublin. He has participated in EU, UK, Australian and Canadian Government briefings on population ageing, dignity in later life and on elder protection. From 2008 to 2014 he was a founding member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ageing Societies.
He was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences in 2016 and is an advisory board member of the Danish National Centre for Social Research.
UK research has included the World Health Organisation’s ‘Age friendly cities’ project; ESRC study of baby boomers; uses of adaptive technology in later life; the first national prevalence study of elder abuse and neglect. He has been engaged in a number of Australian research initiatives including: mature-age workers (ARC); intergenerational relationships (LMCF); Peri-urban growth (Vic Health) and social aspects of dementia (NHMRC) . He has been an Executive member of the National Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre, where he lead the research stream on attitudes and culture and was CI on two NHMRC projects: the role of regulation in care and dementia campaigning in the public sphere.
Simon worked with the Research and Policy Centre from 2010 until 2019, advising on strategic and policy issues on the adlut lifecourse, at the Melbourne based NGO ‘The Brotherhood of St Laurence’ the BSL has a principle concern for social justice and equality. He has also been a grants advisory member for Melbourne's Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation.
His Interests include the relationship between social identity and the adult lifecourse, including the analysis of international and national social policy and demographic change . Written work has extended to: community care policies; technologies of self, such as counselling and psychotherapy ; consumption and identity in midlife, intergenerational relationships; spirituality and ageing; lifestyles and retirement communities; public policy toward old age; social theory and the adult lifecourse. His PhD is in Psychology, from Birkbeck College , London.
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Projects
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Project Types
5
Research Grant
2
Research Contracts
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Honours, Awards and Fellowships
FWDA - Fellow of World Demographic Association
FBPSS - Fellow of the British Psychological Society
Credentials
Positions
Honorary
Social And Political Sciences
Elected Member
British Academy of Social Sciences
Agenda Council On Ageing Societies Member
World Economic Forum
Cartered Counselling Psychologist
British Psychological Society
Member
British Society of Gerontology
Education
PhD Psychology
University of London