Paul Maginn is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences, Political Science and International Relations, at the University of Western Australia. He serves as Director of the UWA Public Policy Institute, appointed full-time in July 2024 following an interim role from July 2023. Previously, he coordinated the Administration and Governance stream of the Masters of Public Policy and was the inaugural Programme Coordinator for undergraduate and postgraduate Urban and Regional Planning degrees from 2007 to 2020. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Maginn is an urban planner and geographer by training. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Regional Analysis and Development from the University of Ulster (Coleraine), a Postgraduate Diploma in Town and Country Planning from Queen's University Belfast, and a PhD in Urban Regeneration, Community Power and the (In)Significance of 'Race' from London South Bank University. His career includes researcher roles at Lemos and Crane in London, postdoctoral fellowships at London South Bank University (2002) and Edith Cowan University (2003-2005), and Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of South Australia (2005-2007) before joining UWA in 2007.

Maginn's research explores the intersections of people, place/space, policy, and politics, with key interests in strategic metropolitan planning and planning reform, urban policy and politics, urban regeneration/renewal, social and cultural aspects of suburbanism, multiculturalism and diversity, COVID (sub)urbanisms, qualitative methods in urban/housing policy, and geographies and regulation of the sex industry. He has authored or co-edited books such as Peripheral Centralities: The Lost and Past Urbanity of the Suburbs (2025), Suburbia in the 21st Century: From Dreamscape to Nightmare? (2022), (Sub)urban Sexscapes: Geographies and Regulation of the Sex Industry (2015), and Planning Australia: An Overview of Urban and Regional Planning (2nd ed., 2012). As Editor-in-Chief of Urban Policy and Research (2015-2023), he shaped urban studies discourse. Awards include the Australasian Cities Research Network 2021 Medal and Planning Institute of Australia National Award for Planning Excellence - Cutting Edge Research/Teaching (2016). He co-convened the Australasian Cities Research Network (2017-2021), co-chaired State of Australian Cities Conferences (2009, 2019), chaired the World Planning Schools Congress (2011), and delivers public lectures on topics like urbanism and the Voice Referendum.

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