Dr Robert Arcidiacono

Rob Arcidiacono is a qualitative researcher and critical sociologist. His PhD research examined how digital and data driven technologies and innovations in agriculture are promoted, critiquing the sustainability claims in documents from the federal government, industry and private sector actors driving the agri-food R&D agenda in Australia. 

Rob completed a BBE (majoring in Industrial Design) at QUT, following which he was a toy designer in Hong Kong. Rob then completed a Master of Development Practice at UQ, which included a participatory research thesis on food sovereignty in East Africa.

At UQ, Rob has lectured and tutored across the Political Sciences (humanitarianism and world politics, inequality and global development, food sovereignty) and the Social Sciences (social impact assessments, qualitative methods, environmental sociology).

Rob has extensive experience in the international humanitarian field. He has led a UNHCR impact assessment on renewable energy access in Za’atari and Azraq Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, consulted with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation in Austria on South-South Cooperation, and managed rural development projects focused on energy access, food security and natural resource management in Afghanistan.

Currently, Rob is a Standby Roster Member for the DFAT Rapid Response Team that provides humanitarian assessments immediately post-disaster in the Asia-Pacific region. Rob is also a member of the National Committee for Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, where he represents Australian small farmers in the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples Mechanism that contributes to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Committee on World Food Security.