+618 302 0445
I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of South Australia. I lead architectural research that bridges cultural heritage and sustainable co-design practices with First Nations communities in Australia and Indonesia. I am Director of the Vernacular Knowledge Research Group (VKRG) and in the leadership team with the portfolio of Community Engagement at the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE). My work integrates architectural ethnographic field-based research methods with both digital and manual documentation methods. I offer a unique contribution to the field of vernacular studies, focusing on the revitalization of vernacular knowledge systems and their critical role in... Read more
About me
I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of South Australia. I lead architectural research that bridges cultural heritage and sustainable co-design practices with First Nations communities in Australia and Indonesia. I am Director of the Vernacular Knowledge Research Group (VKRG) and in the leadership team with the portfolio of Community Engagement at the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE). My work integrates architectural ethnographic field-based research methods with both digital and manual documentation methods. I offer a unique contribution to the field of vernacular studies, focusing on the revitalization of vernacular knowledge systems and their critical role in addressing the climate emergency and co-locating the research in national digital humanities infrastructure platforms such as Time Layered Culture Map [TLCMap] of which I am currently Co-Director.
My emergent field of 'pyro-vernacular studies' collaboratively aligns with First Nations' peoples traditional land management practices of cultural burning with siting vernacular structures. This novel investigation explores the implications for future built environments, particularly as they face threats from global warming and increased fire behaviour co-designing with First Nations' communities.
My approach to architectural ethnography emphasizes participatory, community-driven methodologies that prioritize local knowledge in the design of sustainable, culturally responsive environments. My research has reshaped disaster recovery and adaptive reuse projects in both Australia and Indonesia, introducing forward-thinking strategies for incorporating cultural heritage into contemporary architectural solutions. The pioneering conceptualization of the 'Aceh Method' and the expansion of VERNADOC methods across Australia and Indonesia stand as groundbreaking initiatives, bringing global recognition to the practice of disaster recovery through culturally sensitive and environmentally sustainable design.
About me
Architectural Practice Board of South Australia [APBSA] Registered Architect 3046
ShelterSA non-Executive Board Director & Secretary
International Council of Monuments and Sites [ICOMOS] Member
International Committee for Vernacular Architecture [ICOMOS-CIAV]
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 05/10/2017 |
Meeting the Australian Ambassador to Jakarta for VERNADOC work, http://www.imgrum.co/tag/acehvernadoc https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/acehvernadoc?source=feed_text&story_id=1423002491120412 |
| 23/07/2017 |
The Aceh News also followed our Tsunami Exhibition opening and then this was circulated on facebook and Instagram., http://acehprov.go.id/news/read/2017/07/23/4312/wagub-masa-lalu-adalah-aset-masa-depan.html; https://acehsatu.com/pameran-membangun-warisan-aceh-untuk-mitigasi-bencana-dibuka/; http://lintasgayo.co/tag/sudjit-sananwai-asa-vernadoc |
| 03/07/2017 |
We had media releases through UniSA News and the Australian Media outlets, the story was picked up by the Indonesian media in the Serambi News., http://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/Media-Release11/ |
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) The University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Architecture The University of Adelaide
I am internationally recognised for advancing Architectural Ethnography through pioneering research into vernacular knowledge systems, cultural heritage, and community resilience. My work has shaped new directions in disaster recovery, adaptive reuse, and pyro-vernacular design, with strong partnerships across First Nations communities and global heritage networks. A leader in digital and place-based humanities, I integrate co-creative methods with technologies like TLCMap to foreground the agency of place in architectural practice.
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
FUNDING - EXTERNAL [awarded]
2017 Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Colombo Plan, $84,000, Documenting and Planning for Balinese Built Heritage At Risk, Dr Julie Nichols [CI]
2015 Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Colombo Plan, $33,000, Re-creation of Aceh’s Built Heritage Archive, Dr Julie Nichols [CI]
RESEARCH FUNDING – INTERNAL [awarded]
2017 EASS URIPA Seed Funding for project titled ”Digital Humanities”, Project Leader Oct2017-Feb2018 [Amount = $50000].
2017 EASS URIPA Mentoring and Seed Funding for project titled: ”Exploring mixed media integration for stakeholder engagement in built cultural heritage management”, Chief Investigator [URIPA] Dec2017-Dec2018 [Amount = $15000].
2015 Division Research Performance Fund [DRPF] Industry Partnerships for attendance at an ICOMOS VERNADOC_CIAV camp in Thailand July 2016 [Amount = $3000].
2015 UniSA’s Early Career Networking Award (ECRNA) for developing industry and institutional partnerships with not-for-profit organisations VERNADOC-CIAV; Aceh Heritage Community Foundation (AHC) & ICOMOS (International Committee of Monuments and Sites) as well as Universitas Syiah Kuala & Universitas Indonesia being the major participants in the “Re-creation of Aceh’s Built Heritage Archive” project & partners in Thailand and Finland.[Amount = $4800].
2015 EASS PVC Contingency Fund to commission a Dutch Research Assistant for the State Archives in the Hague, Leiden University Library and KITLV archives for the Aceh VERNADOC Project scheduled for July 2017 and as part of the “Re-creation of Aceh’s Built Heritage Archive” project. [Amount = $7695].
2013 The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Professions, Momentum Fund 2013/14, Nichols, J. The funds were for Indonesian and Dutch Map archival research at the National Library of Australia, Canberra in preparation for the Australia Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Research Award Application [Amount = $3,280].
2013 The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Professions, Cat 1 Support Grant for professional editing of my manuscript for publication 2013/14, [Amount = $5,000].
RESEARCH: AWARDS
2016 Runner-up Best Paper for Nichols, Julie, Naufal Fadhil “Topophobic Vernacular: The Acehnese House and its Maritime Connections” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Seminar for Vernacular Settlement 8” 20-22 October 2016, Gowa, Makassar, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia.
2016 Best Paper for Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Susan Avey “Re-envisioning lost built cultural heritage: Post-tsunami Aceh.” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Conference on Engineering and Science for Research and Development 25-26 October 2016, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
2012 The University of Adelaide’s Dean’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence 2012
2012 The University of Adelaide, Faculty of Professions, Publishing Support Grant 2012 (Amount = $2375.00)
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
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| 2025 |
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| 2024 |
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| 2024 |
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| Year | Output |
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| 2024 |
6
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| 2020 |
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| 2014 |
Nichols, J 2014, Maps and meanings: urban cartography and urban design, Academica Press, US. |
| Year | Output |
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| 2025 |
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| 2024 |
1
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| 2024 |
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| 2024 |
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| 2024 |
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| 2024 |
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| 2022 |
Open access
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| 2020 |
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| 2020 |
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| 2020 |
Open access
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| 2019 |
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| Year | Output |
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| 2025 |
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| 2025 |
Open access
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| 2024 |
Open access
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| 2023 |
Open access
4
1
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| 2022 |
Open access
2
1
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| 2022 |
Open access
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| 2022 |
22
14
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| 2020 |
Open access
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| 2019 |
Open access
9
3
1
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| 2019 |
Open access
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| Year | Output |
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| 2024 |
Open access
1
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| 2021 |
Open access
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| 2018 |
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| 2017 |
Open access
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| 2017 |
Open access
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| 2016 |
Open access
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| 2014 |
Open access
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| 2013 |
Open access
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| 2010 |
Open access
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RESEARCH: REFEREED PUBLICATIONS since 2002 [postdoctoral since 2013]
BOOKS:
2014 Nichols, Julie. Maps and Meanings: Urban Cartography and Urban Design, Academica Press, Paolo Alto, California, USA. released April 2014
INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS:
2018-19 (in press for 2019) Nichols, J. “Parallel Narratives: Spatial production at Aceh’s Baiturrahman Mosque,” International Journal of Islamic Architecture. Intellect Publishers, UK.
2006 Nichols, Julie. “Nomadic Urbanities: New Babylon and the Contemporary City.” Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, 4(2): 29-52.
CONFERENCES: INTERNATIONAL
2017 Peiman Amini Behbahani1, Ning Gu2, Julie Nichols3, Tim McGinley4 “Space syntax in design curriculum: opportunities and challenges” in the conference proceedings for M. Aurel (eds.), Back to the future: The next 50 years, 51st International Conference of the Architectural Science Association 2017, pp. 3–6. November 2017, The Architectural Science Association and Victoria University of Wellington.
2017 Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Naufal Fadhil “The ‘Aceh Method’ as a mode of seeing vernacular knowledge” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Conference on Architecture 2017 (ICRP-AVAN), Unsyiah (Banda Aceh) and UiTM (Perak), 18-19 October 2017, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
2017 Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Pudentia MPSS “An introduction to the “Aceh Method”: Visualising and Capturing Vernacular Knowledge.” To be published in the Proceedings for the L I S A N X INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR AND ORAL TRADITIONS FESTIVAL X 26-28 October 2017, Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia. Hosted by the Association of Oral Traditions and The Government of Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara, Mataram, Indonesia.
2016 Nichols, Julie and M. Naufal Fadhil “Topophobic Vernacular: The Acehnese House and its Maritime Connections.” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Seminar for Vernacular Settlements 8 [ISVS8] 20-22 October 2016, Gowa, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Indonesia and Universitas Hasanuddin, Gowa Campus. Runner-up Best Paper Award
2016 Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Susan Avey “Re-envisioning lost built cultural heritage: Post-tsunami Aceh.” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Conference on Engineering and Science for Research and Development 25-26 October 2016, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Best Paper Award
2015 Nichols, Julie “Re-casting the wild: mapping “Islamic cosmopolitanism” in urban Aceh.” Proceedings of Wild Spaces and Islamic Cosmopolitanism in Asia Conference, 14-15 January 2015, Singapore. This conference is jointly organised by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding, University of South Australia. To be held at the National University of Singapore.
2014 Nichols, Julie “Southeast Asian urban cartography and design: rethinking early modern colonial legacies.” To be published in the Proceedings of IASTE [International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments] Conference December 2014, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and University of California, Berkeley, December 14-17, 2014.
2012 Nichols, Julie, “Le Corbusier and Chandigarh: Mapping Utopia and the Emergence of Modern Urbanism,” published in the Proceedings of the Theoretical Currents II – Architecture and Its Geographical Horizons Conference, University of Lincoln, UK, 4-5 April 2012.
2007 Nichols, Julie. “Mapping the City: Revisiting the map in contemporary urban design.” Paper read at Panorama to Paradise – Proceedings for the XXIVth International Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ), September 2007 Adelaide, Australia.
2005 Nichols, Julie. “Nomadic Urbanities: New Babylon and the Contemporary City.” [Version 3] Paper read at Topophilia & Topophobia: Reflections on Human Habitat of the Twentieth Century Conference. 1st -3rd June 2005 at Beijing, China.
2002 Nichols, Julie. “Discrepant Urbanities: A Reading of the Urban History of Penang.” Paper read at Southern Crossings - Proceedings for the Sixth Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference, February 2002, at Auckland, New Zealand.
CONFERENCES: NATIONAL
2017 Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Susan Avey “Re-envisioning conflicted and lost built cultural heritages: a methodology for digital and analogue processes.” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Conference on Digital Cultural Heritage: Future Visions 19-21 April 2017, Brisbane, Australia. Hosted by the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
2015 Nichols, Julie “Entangled Modernities & Spatial Encounters in 17th century Malacca,” for the proposed panel titled “Rethinking Encounters: Islam and the West,” International Convention for Asian Scholars (ICAS) 9 Conference, 5-7 July 2015, Adelaide.
Research
I am internationally recognised for advancing Architectural Ethnography through pioneering research into vernacular knowledge systems, cultural heritage, and community resilience. My work has shaped new directions in disaster recovery, adaptive reuse, and pyro-vernacular design, with strong partnerships across First Nations communities and global heritage networks. A leader in digital and place-based humanities, I integrate co-creative methods with technologies like TLCMap to foreground the agency of place in architectural practice.
EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT (since 2020)
I build long-term, research-led industry partnerships with First Nations communities, cultural organisations, not-for-profit local agencies and international collaborators to support reciprocal knowledge exchange and community-led design around social housing as well as cultural heritage advocacy.
Conference Organising Committees
1. Invited Member of the Steering Committee for the Society of Architectural Historians Australia New Zealand (SAHANZ) Conference, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 3-5 December 2025.
2. Lead organiser for Mapping Vernacular Terrains International Conference [MVT] co-hosted by UniSA’s Vernacular Knowledge Research Group (VKRG) and University of Adelaide’s Centre for Middle Eastern and Asian Architecture (CAMEA) 5-6 December 2024 at Pridham Hall.
3. Shelter SA’s Housing Summit 23 May 2025 at U-City, Adelaide. The purpose was to rally all members to contribute to policy advocacy for SA’s state election re: social housing objectives and homelessness.
Committees (External)
4. Member, ICOMOS International Council of Monuments and Sites (2020-present)
5. Member and Regional Group Lead, ICOMOS_CIAV International Committee on Vernacular Architecture (2023-present)
Advisory Councils & Boards (External)
6. Working Group Member 2025-present for the Department of Environment, Heritage South Australia (Heritage SA) ‘s Strategic Plan 2025-2035. Invited due to my expertise on First Nations Cultural Heritage and documentation strategies such as the ‘Aceh Method’ for capturing intangible and tangible heritage.
7. Non-Executive Director and Secretary for Shelter SA Board 2024-2027 Shelter SA is South Australia’s peak housing advocacy body, working to promote affordable, appropriate housing for all, particularly for disadvantaged communities. Its core business includes policy advocacy, sector collaboration, and community engagement to advance housing justice and social equity.
Discipline-based Professional Activities
8. Invited Chairperson and paid attendance for Panel Discussion with Design Team (Architects, Landscape Architects and Film maker) and Traditional Owners opening for Yitpi Yartapuultiku (Port Adelaide’s Kaurna Cultural Centre), 1 June 2025.
9. Invited Speaker to launch the book A Piece of Red Cloth in conversation with the First Nations’ author Leonie Norrington for this upcoming event hosted by Mostly Books at Tiwu Kumangka (Blackwood Library) on the evening of July 3, 2025.
EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT since 2013
UniSA’s Memorandum of Understanding with Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
UniSA’s Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesian Universities and Thai Universities for VERNADOC collaborations around research and teaching 2017.
Founding of the focussed research group at UniSA called: “Vernacular Knowledge Research Group” to be launched at the Australian Embassy July 2017.
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Cultural Tours, South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| Aceh Indonesian Cultural Arts Institute | INDONESIA |
| Apeirogon | AUSTRALIA |
| Go1 | AUSTRALIA |
| Indonesian Institute of Arts and Culture Aceh | INDONESIA |
| Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia Bandung | INDONESIA |
| Ngadjuri Nation Aboriginal Corporation | AUSTRALIA |
| Oral Traditions Association | AUSTRALIA |
| Private Individual | UNITED KINGDOM |
| South Australian Museum | AUSTRALIA |
| SwitchDin | AUSTRALIA |
| Syiah Kuala University | INDONESIA |
| Udayana University | INDONESIA |
| Universitas Syiah Kuala | INDONESIA |
| University of Alabama | UNITED STATES |
| University of Indonesia | INDONESIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Syiah Kuala | INDONESIA |
| Western Sydney University | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Invited Lecture - Visiting Professorship ProgramUniversity of Indonesia |
2020 |
Journal ReviewerARTEKS: Journal of Engineering Architecture |
2020 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2020 |
Journal ReviewerARTEKS: Journal of Engineering Architecture |
2019 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2019 |
Registered ArchitectArchitectural Practice Board of South Australia (APBSA) |
2018 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2018 |
Memorandum of UnderstandingUniversity of Indonesia, University of Syiah Kuala, University of Udayana, ASA-VERNADOC, Oral Traditions Association |
2017 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2017 |
Registered ArchitectArchitectural Practice Board of South Australia (APBSA) |
2017 |
Best Paper Award: Re-envisioning Lost Built Cultural Heritage",", 139495"University of Syiah Kuala, International Conference on Engineering and Science for Research and Development |
2016 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2016 |
Runner-up Best Paper International Seminar for Vernacular Settlements 8University of Hasanuddin, Indonesia |
2016 |
Registered ArchitectAustralian Institute of Architects |
2015 |
‘Real’ Client Design Projects incorporated into studio teaching:·
Local Exhibition & Design Activities:
International Exhibition & Design Activities:
ACADEMIC INVITATIONS
26-28 Oct 2017 Invited Presenter at the International Seminar for Oral Traditions Association in Mataram, Lombok invited by Prof Pudentia MPSS Director of ATL.
25 Oct 2017 Public Lecture at the Trisakti University Jakarta on “An introduction to the “Aceh Method”: Visualising and Capturing Vernacular Knowledge”24 Oct 2017 presenter for ATN in Jakarta on the talk titled, “The ‘Aceh Method’ as a mode of seeing vernacular knowledge”
18-19 Oct 2017 Keynote invitation but declined it instead for Darren Fong to present on our behalf…for the paper presentation Nichols, Julie, Darren Fong and Naufal Fadhil “The ‘Aceh Method’ as a mode of seeing vernacular knowledge” To be published in the Proceedings for the International Conference on Architecture 2017 (ICRP-AVAN), Unsyiah (Banda Aceh) and UiTM (Perak), 18-19 October 2017, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Hosted by the University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
22-24 Sept. 2017 SUPERSTUDIO judge for UniSA & University of Adelaide SONA run design competition.
31Jan-7Feb 2017 Public lectures for University of Indonesia, Depok Title for Lecture: “Re-Archiving Lost Built Cultural Heritage in Post-tsunamic Aceh.” University of Udayana Bali, University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh. Title for Lecture 1: “Mapping Settlements: Transitions in Conceptual and Pragmatic Design.”
29-30Nov 2016 Public lectures for Professor Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan at the University of Indonesia, Depok. Title for Lecture 1: “Mapping Settlements: Transitions in Conceptual and Pragmatic Design.” Title for Lecture 2: “Reactions to Modernism and Metabolic Metaphors.”
22 May 2015 Chaired a session at the Unmaking Conference, UniSA titled: “Mapping, building and inhabiting spaces.”
3 July 2015 Nichols, Julie. "Baiturrahman: Encountering the Intercultural". Presented at the SABE [School of Architecture and Built Environment] Symposium organised by CAMEA [Centre for Middle Eastern and Asian Architecture] invited to give a paper at the University of Adelaide
7 July 2015 Nichols, Julie "Intercultural Spaces + Ecumenical Crosses". I was invited to attend and present a paper at the 9th International Convention of Asian Scholars [ICAS9] held at the Convention Centre in Adelaide organised by CAMEA [Centre for Middle Eastern and Asian Architecture] for a panel presentation titled "Encountering Islam and the West".
14 August 2015 Presented a keynote guest lecture at the University of Diponegoro’s International Summer School in Semarang, Indonesia. Talk titled: “Mapping Local Wisdom and collaborative knowledge systems at the Baiturrahman Mosque, Aceh.”
13 October 2015 Invited guest speaker with Dr Hans Pieters at AECURN event for ECR and HDRs held at West Bar, Adelaide.
Since 2020:
Designing on Country, Yarning methodologies, First Nations' co-design projects with Vacation Research Scholarship students since 2022, Cultural Centre Design Studios, DFAT NCP funding for South Sulawesi VERNADOC, Final Year Studios incorporating these methods; Awards in 2023 & 2024 for UniSA Creative’s Innovation and Leadership Award for Leading an External Partnership. Nominations 2023 & 2024 for UniSA Unstoppable Award Teaching and Learning Stream for Unstoppable Partnership Award.
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| 110215 - Designing for adaptive reuse in the built environment: concepts, technologies and practice | Current |
| An exploration of spiritual relationships to Country/Place within the Flinders Ranges, Adelaide Plains and Fleurieu Peninsula. How can Indigenous spiritual relationships to Country and non-Indigenous relationship to Place respectfully co-exist? | Current |
| Living in disorder place making beyond domestic space | Current |
| The globalization of Islamic architecture: Study case in Aceh, Erzurum, and Swabi gender, space, culture, and architecture in the Islamic world | Current |
| Aceh¿s urban history: through the lens of early modern mapping | Completed |
| Drawing and imagining Antonio's journal: an expanded drawing practice to activate heritage narratives from the digital archive | Completed |
| Spatial alterity ¿in¿trace two Beirut interfaces | Completed |
