Professor Paul Flatau is the Chair and Director of the Centre for Social Impact in the UWA Business School at the University of Western Australia. He holds a PhD in Economics from Murdoch University, a Master of Economics from the University of Western Australia, and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney. Flatau commenced his current role in December 2010 as Chair in Social Investment and Impact. Previously, he served as Associate Professor at Murdoch Business School and as Senior Research Officer in the Budget Policy Section of the General Economic and Financial Policy Division at the Commonwealth Treasury in Canberra. His research specializations include the economics of social policy and practice, labour economics, poverty and disadvantage, housing and homelessness, impact and economic evaluation, outcomes measurement in the non-for-profit sector and social purpose sector, philanthropic giving, and the history of economic thought.

Flatau has produced 106 peer-reviewed academic outputs and 97 published industry reports, alongside 15 unpublished reports. Key publications encompass "Mental Health and Wellbeing and Unemployment" (2000, Australian Economic Review), "Homeownership and Unemployment: The Roles of Leverage and Public Housing" (2003), "Food Insecurity and Socioeconomic Disadvantage in Australia" (2020, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), "The Cost of Homelessness and the Net Benefit of Homelessness Programs: A National Study" (2013), and "The Housing and Homelessness Journeys of Refugees in Australia" (2015). As Director, he has expanded the Centre for Social Impact from one position to around 15 staff, securing $12.543 million in research income across 126 projects in partnership with universities, government, and industry. His evidence-based research has informed national and Western Australian policymakers on homelessness interventions, including Housing First pilots, landlord incentive programs, and tenancy retention initiatives; it has also advanced Indigenous housing, social and health outcomes, and efforts toward the Uluru Statement. In 2017, he shared the UWA Award for Exceptional Contribution to Education Futures.

Professional Email: paul.flatau@uwa.edu.au