An expanded leadership team is steering the School of Architecture, Design and Planning’s ATCH Research Centre into an exciting new chapter.
The new co-directors, Associate Professor Kelly Greenop, Professor John Macarthur and Dr Ashley Paine, are working to substantially grow and broaden the scope of the Centre, which engages critically with research around Architecture, Theory, Culture and History (ATCH).
Dr Paine, who served as the sole director of ATCH from 2022 to 2024, is a Senior Lecturer at UQ, a practicing architect and co-founder of Brisbane-based studio PHAB Architects. He said the expanded leadership team from 2025 is a significant milestone as it brings varied expertise and energy to the group.
“John Macarthur, who founded ATCH in 2009 and served as its inaugural director until 2018, brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and extensive leadership experience,” he said.
“Kelly Greenop’s appointment as co-director is equally important. Her involvement with the former Aboriginal Environments Research Centre and her extensive research experience with First Nations peoples, cultures and places enriches ATCH’s capabilities and focus.”
With both national and international recognition for research excellence, ATCH is home to one of the largest concentrations of researchers in architectural history and theory in Australasia. It is also a hub of international collaboration through its Visiting Fellows Program, high-profile publications, symposia and exhibition events.
After merging with the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre (AERC), ATCH now formally incorporates the School’s high-impact research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and places. The Centre’s evolution also includes formal affiliations with colleagues across the university, and a strengthened focus on the humanities aspects of research in the Planning program, which joined the School in 2023.
Dr Paine said the enlarged remit and greater research diversity of the Centre open it up to a diverse range of research partners from government, industry, academia and the community.
The Centre’s future aims include:
- developing a new UQ-wide strategy for Cultural Heritage research that includes architecture and the built environment;
- furthering the Centre’s leadership in digital humanities and digital heritage fields;
- sustaining a deep engagement with First Nations agencies and groups to assist them in their efforts for change;
- collaborating and co-designing with Indigenous agencies and personnel, including current engagement across Queensland and Northern Territory on architectural and environmental design issues;
- growing the Centre’s emerging expertise in cultural and design governance and policy though collaboration with existing and new partners at Ghent University; and
- producing high-impact research on the overlapping environmental and cultural value of a greater reuse of the existing building stock.
Professor Macarthur said ATCH is particularly valuable to the School and broader community as it extends the university’s global research footprint, building on a longstanding track record of excellence in architectural history, theory and Indigenous culture.
“In terms of the humanities, ATCH has performed remarkably well in securing external grant funding. A strong research environment is a critical component in many grant assessments, and ATCH’s reputation is a major asset in this regard,” he said.
“The visibility of the Centre fosters meaningful cross-faculty collaboration within the university, as well as internationally in architectural history and theory, where ATCH has become well known.”
Since its inception, the program has brought more than 40 international researchers to UQ from the UK, Belgium, Sweden, and Switzerland and USA, prioritising early and mid-career scholars to build long-term academic partnerships. The co-directors are currently seeking philanthropic support to assist in the continued development of ATCH’s research culture through annual conferences, symposia events and the Visiting Fellows program.
