Dr Grace McQuilten has pioneered research on the model of social enterprise in the arts in Australia and has used the vehicle of art and design to advocate for social inclusion, with a particular focus on new migrant and refugee communities.

Grace has a multidisciplinary approach that engages with a range of fields including art, design, architecture, sustainability, sociology, business and international development. Her research in the last five years has resulted in the implementation of new models of social enterprise across Australia, the success of two ARC Discovery projects, an international monograph on arts-based social enterprise and the generation of over $500,000 in research funding.

As the leader of the Contemporary Art and Social Transformation research group in the School of Art at RMIT, Grace has spearheaded the development of new research teams, labs and interdisciplinary projects with a high level of industry and community engagement.