Dr. Nerkez Opacin
Details
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College: School of GUSS
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Department: School of GUSS
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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nerkez.opacin@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID: 0000-0002-8684-1550
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
- Collaborative projects
- Industry Projects
- Join a web conference as a panellist or speaker
- Membership of an advisory committee
About
Nerkez is deeply passionate about advancing community-engaged research, leveraging his expertise to foster diverse perspectives and drive positive change in areas such as nature-based solutions, social connections and conflict recovery. His approach to community-engaged research encompasses diverse qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Nerkez employs techniques such as interview and observation-based methods, working closely with focus groups, participatory action research, photo-elicitation, and multi-sited ethnography.
Collaborating closely with fellow scholars, local communities, and civil society organisations, he strives to produce research findings that offer actionable insights for guiding practice, informing program design, and shaping policy. Furthermore, Nerkez's research methodology prioritises experiential and reflective learning, specifically fostering community engagement, facilitating reconciliation processes, addressing historical legacies, promoting social participation, and catalysing civic transformation.
Research fields
- 410401 Conservation and biodiversity
- 440107 Social and cultural anthropology
- 420305 Health and community services
- 440402 Humanitarian disasters, conflict and peacebuilding
- 520501 Community psychology
UN sustainable development goals
- 10 Reduced Inequalities
- 15 Life on Land
- 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- 3 Good Health and Well Being
- 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Academic positions
- Research Fellow
- RMIT University
- GUSS
- Melbourne, Australia
- 18 Jul 2022 – Present
- Research Assistant
- University of Melbourne
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Mar 2022 – 16 Jun 2022
- Teaching Associate
- University of Melbourne
- Melbourne, Australia
- 15 Feb 2021 – 30 Jul 2023
- Teaching Associate
- RMIT University
- GUSS
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jul 2017 – Present
- Study Course Coordinator
- Long Island University
- Brookville, United States
- 1 Sep 2015 – 31 May 2021
- Lecturer
- International University of Sarajevo
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 28 Jan 2013 – 30 Jan 2017
Non-academic positions
- Program evaluator and Consultant
- Westport Consulting, Sarajevo
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 15 Jan 2018 – 15 Mar 2021
Supervisor projects
- Resilience, Community and Displacement: A Study of Roma Refugees from Ukraine in Poland.
- 1 Dec 2023
- Exploring the characteristics of nature-dose that lead to positive impacts on well-being in diverse global contexts.
- 15 Nov 2023
Teaching interests
Nerkez has over 12 years of teaching experience across three continents encompassing a wide area of subjects: Community-Based Research - Ethnography, PAR and Empowerment in At-Risk Communities; Critical Analytical Skills; Applied Research Methods; Intercultural Communications; Introduction to International Relations; Foreign Policy Analysis; Post-conflict Peacebuilding and Reconciliation; International Security; Civil Society NGOs and the State; Political Geography and Geopolitics; Global Environmental Politics; Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflicts; Conflict Analysis.
