Associate Professor Supriya Mathew

Principal Research Fellow

Qualifications:

PhD Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, 2013; MTech Ocean Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, 2007; MSc Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, 2002;

Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:

Co-supervise

Location:

Alice Springs Office, Northern Territory

Biography:

Supriya Mathew is an environmental health researcher leading the climate change research program at Menzies. 

Her PhD developed a framework to assist local governments in Australia and India prioritise adaptation options under economic and climatic uncertainties. Her doctoral research framework was converted into an MS Excel-based decision-making tool, which was used by local governments nationally and internationally.

Her research team focuses on improving climate resilience in remote Australia through citizen scientist-led research data collection, collation of lived experiences of residents of remote Australia and co-designing of adaptation and mitigation solutions with remote residents and stakeholders. She is currently the lead chief investigator in active grants totaling more than $6M. 
She is co-leading the rural and remote health theme and the Northern Territory Community of Practice of the national Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) network. She is also part of the leadership team of the Rural, remote and regional sharing approaches for research education (R3SHARE) network. 

Associate Professor Supriya Mathew
Email
Research Themes
  • Climate change
  • Social determinants of health
  • Indigenous health
  • Primary health care and health systems research
  1. HEAL network to tackle health impacts of climate change

    HEAL network to tackle health impacts of climate change

    Date

    Charles Darwin University and Menzies researchers are part of the 100 researchers in the new HEAL network, which aims to protect the health of Australians impacted by climate change

  2. New network to protect the health of Australians impacted by climate change

    New network to protect the health of Australians impacted by climate change

    Date

    Menzies was today announced as a partner in the new national research network ‘Healthy Environments And Lives’ (HEAL), which aims to protect the health of Australians impacted by climate change.

  3. $10 million national network to build resilience to the human health impacts of environmental change

    $10 million national network to build resilience to the human health impacts of environmental change

    Date

    The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) welcomes today’s announcement by Minister for Health Greg Hunt of the $10 million Special Initiative in Human Health and Environmental Change.

  4. Citizen Scientists to help in important national research projects

    Citizen Scientists to help in important national research projects

    Date

    $499,323 for the Menzies School of Health Research to run its “Air in Alice” program.

  1. Mathew S, Bhatta M et al 2025, Why are solar microgrids not the norm in remote Central Australia? Exploring local perception on solar energy and health, Journal of Cleaner Production, 2025; 486(144370)
  2. Mathew S, Periera G, Zander KK, Thakur R and Ford L 2023, Environmental health injustice and culturally appropriate opportunities in remote Australia. The Journal of Climate Change and Health; 14.100281
  3. Mathew S, Fitts MS, Liddle Z, Bourke L, Campbell N, Murakami-Gold L, et al. 2023, Telehealth in remote Australia: a supplementary tool or an alternative model of care replacing face-to-face consultations? BMC Health Serv Res. 23(1):341.
  4. Mathew S, Fitts MS, Liddle Z, Bourke L, Campbell N, Murakami-Gold L, et al. 2024, Primary health care utilisation and delivery in remote Australian clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Primary Care. ;25(1):240.
  5. Talukder MR, Islam MT, Mathew S, 2024 et al. The effect of ambient temperatures on hospital admissions for kidney diseases in Central Australia. Environmental research 259:119502.
  6. Mathew S, Fitts MS, Russell DJ, Liddle Z, Johnson R, Niclasen P, Reeve DM, Zhao Y, Wakerman J: 2024, Factors That Influence Medical Retrieval Decisions in Remote Central Australia: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Paramedicine, https://doi.org/10.56068/TBUP2966
  7. Race D, Gentle P. and Mathew S. 2023, Living on the margins: Climate change impacts and adaptation by remote communities living in the Pacific Islands, the Himalaya and desert Australia. Climate Risk Management. 40:100503.
  8. Mathew S, Mathur D, Chang A.B, McDonald E, Singh GR, Nur D, Gerritsen R 2017 Examining the effects of ambient temperature on pre-term birth in central Australia, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(2), 147; doi:10.3390/ijerph14020147
  9. Mathew S., Trueck S. and Henderson-Sellers A. 2012 Kochi, India case study of climate adaptation to floods: ranking local government investment options, Global Environmental Change 22(1), 308-319
  10. Race D., Mathew S., Campbell M., & Hampton K.2016 Understanding climate adaptation investments for communities living in desert Australia: Experiences of indigenous communities. Climatic Change DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1800-4

See the full list of publications here.