Dr Nikita Sharma
Postdoctoral Research Fellow & Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Social Science
+61 7 336 52839
Researcher biography
Nikita is a quantitative researcher with extensive experience working with large-scale surveys, longitudinal datasets, and administrative records. Her current research helps nonprofits understand their impact and informs their program design and practice to support disadvantaged people. Her work focuses on the integration of immigrants and refugees, volunteer turnover, disaster recovery, labour market inclusion, and wellbeing.
Publications
Journal Article
Kuskoff, Ella, Sharma, Nikita, Stambe, Rose-Marie, Plage, Stefanie and Parsell, Cameron (2025). ‘Moving, moving, moving’: the social forces that perpetuate housing instability for women experiencing intimate partner violence. Housing Studies, 40 (8), 1710-1731. doi: 10.1080/02673037.2024.2367650
Conference Papers
Ahearn, Elizabeth-Rose, Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella, Plage, Stefanie and Parsell, Cameron (2025). Crises within crisis: Addressing Australia’s housing crisis through a digital network of individual vulnerability data. International Research Society for Public Management, Bologna, Italy, 7-9 April 2025.
Sharma, Nikita and Simpson Reeves, Laura (2023). The (un)making of multicultural Australia. TASA 2023, Sydney, Australia, 28-29 November 2023.
Lawrence, Amanda, Ceron, Isabel, Sharma, Nikita and McEachern, Steven (2023). Research infrastructure for the social sciences – the next ten years. eResearch Australasia 2023 Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 16-20 October 2023.
Sharma, Nikita, Ceron, Isabel and Hatherly, Chris (2023). Back to basics: a framework to understand the building blocks of social science research infrastructure. Australian Social Policy Conference 2023, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 11 - 13 September 2023.
Zajac, Tomasz, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Sharma, Nikita and Western, Mark (2023). The effects of educational capital, cultural and linguistic proximity, and age of arrival on the labour market outcomes of foreign-born university graduates in Australia. ISA RC28 Spring Meeting, Paris, France, 23-26 May 2023.
Zajac, Tomasz, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Sharma, Nikita and Western, Mark (2023). The effects of educational capital, cultural and linguistic proximity, and age of arrival on the labour market outcomes of foreign-born university graduates in Australia. RC28 Spring Meeting 2023 'Education and Social Inequality across the Life Course', Paris, France, 24-26 May 2023.
Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Zając, Tomasz, Western, Mark and Sharma, Nikita (2023). Labour market outcomes of university graduates of migrant background in australia: the relevance of cultural, linguistic, and educational capital in the country of origin. XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 25 June-1 July 2023.
Sharma, Nikita (2021). Does quality matter? Immigrants and job satisfaction in Australia. 2021 International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) Conference, Online, 24-28 August 2021.
Sharma, Nikita (2021). Immigrants and job satisfaction in Australia. Western Economic Association International (WEAI) Conference, Online, 17-19 March 2021.
Sharma, Nikita (2018). The economic assimilation of immigrants in Australia: A reappraisal. The Asia Pacific Sociological Association (APSA) Conference, Hakone, Japan, 5-7 October 2018.
Sharma, Nikita (2018). The economic assimilation of immigrants in Australia: a reappraisal. The Asian and Australasian Society of Labour Economics (AASLE) Conference, Seoul, South Korea, 13-15 December 2018.
Generic Document
Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella and Parsell, Cameron (2024). Journey map of a companion: Matching lived experiences with SVdP QLD programs and services. The University of Queensland.
Thesis
Sharma, Nikita (2023). Same-same but different? Country of origin and labour market outcomes of immigrants in Australia. PhD Thesis, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/e49eb10
Seminar Paper
Povey, J., Donoso Rivas, M. F., Sharma, N., Ablaza, C. and Gramotnev, A. (2019). An introduction to social science methods to address big social questions. Research Week. The University of Queensland Australia, The University of Queensland Australia.
Working Papers
Zając, Tomasz, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Sharma, Nikita and Western, Mark (2025). Cultural stratification in the labor market outcomes of university-educated migrants in Australia: the relevance of cultural and linguistic proximity. LCC Working Paper Series. 2025-21. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/cc68c35
Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella and Parsell, Cameron (2025). Community organisations, volunteers, and the road to disaster recovery. LCC Working Paper Series. 2025-13. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/94ab4f6
Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella, Parsell, Cameron and Middlebrook, Nathan (2024). Disasters and Individual Wellbeing: Evidence from Australia. LCC Working Paper Series. 2024-35. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/a7a822d
Sharma, Nikita and Middlebrook, Nathan (2024). Relief, recovery and resilience: learning from disasters. LCC Working Paper Series. 2024-04. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/2722a16
Kuskoff, Ella, Stambe, Rose, Sharma, Nikita, Plage, Stefanie and Parsell, Cameron (2024). Supportive housing for families in Brisbane: Successes and challenges of the housing model. LCC Working Paper Series. 2024-02. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/7a4d8f6
Parsell, Cameron, Sharma, Nikita and Kuskoff, Ella (2023). Ending homelessness through permanent supportive housing: a cost offset update. LCC Working Paper Series. 2023-27. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/31b3388
Sharma, Nikita and Middlebrook, Nathan (2023). Keeping up with the best: a review of emergency relief delivery practices in Australia. LCC Working Paper Series. 2023-23. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/fbc84b8
Ceron, Isabel, Hatherly, Chris and Sharma, Nikita (2023). Doing social science in 2032: charting national research infrastructure priorities. Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2023–32. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.8173275
Research Reports
Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella and Parsell, Cameron (2025). Support That Lasts: An Investigation of St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s Disaster Assistance Program. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
Parsell, Cameron, Perrier, Robert, Anderson, Melissa, Donohue, Brendon, Plage, Stefanie, Constantine, Skye, Sharma, Nikita and Kuskoff, Ella (2025). Tenant engagement with Common Ground Queensland. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Queensland Mental Health Commission.
Young, C., Yousef, N., Burger, S-. A, Zulfiqar, A., MacCormick, J., Maravilla, J., Rossa, K., Dyce, C., Moriarty, S., Sharma, N. and Robinson, M. (2024). My health for life—Evaluation Summary. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: ISSR, University of Queensland.
Parsell, Cameron, Sharma, Nikita, Stambe, Rose, Kuskoff, Ella, Davidraj, Paul and Kozionas, Jade (2024). What does it take and mean to sustain a tenancy and prevent homelessness?. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Sharma, Nikita, Kuskoff, Ella, Hill, Samantha and Parsell, Cameron (2024). A survey of the people contributing to the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland 2024. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Young, Charlotte, Yousef, Noor, Burger, Sarah-Ann, Zuliqfar, Asma, MacCormick, Jack, Maravilla, Joemer, Rossa, Kalina, Dyce, Chloe, Moriarty, Stephanie, Sharma, Nikita and Robinson, Mark (2024). My health for life—Evaluation report. Part of Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s Strategic Evaluation of Prevention Programs project. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: ISSR, University of Queensland.
Sharma, Nikita, Perales, Francisco and Campbell, Alice (2024). Cracking the Rainbow Glass Ceiling: Insights from Social Science. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: ACON Pride in Diversity.
Kuskoff, Ella, Stambe, Rose, Sharma, Nikita, Plage, Stefanie and Parsell, Cameron (2023). Keeping families together: 2023 study report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Micah Projects.
Povey, Jenny, Cook, Stephanie, O'Flaherty, Martin, Burger, Sarah-Ann, Lee, Rennie, Liudmila Druzenko, Karlee O'Donnell, Sharma, Nikita, Lata, Lutfun Nahar, Young, Charlotte, San Martin Porter, Macarena, Hoffstaedter, Gerhard, Martin, Sean, Edwards, Ben, Baxter, Janeen and Reddel, Tim (2022). CRISP Evaluation Plan. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.