Mai, Giang Thi Thanh is a PhD candidate, teaching academic, and senior research assistant at the School of Social Science. Her research interests include migration, urban and rural sociology, and social inclusion. Before beginning her PhD journey in Australia in 2022, Mai carried out several research projects in Vietnam on migration, poverty, ethnic disparities, and inequality. She has also conducted interdisciplinary studies combining sociology and psychology.
Beyond academia, Mai has extensive experience working with international and non-governmental organizations, serving as a Program Coordinator for development aid and community projects in Vietnam, which focused on poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, gender equality, and community development. These experiences have equipped her with strong skills in working with diverse populations, particularly marginalized groups.
Mai’s PhD research stems from her direct engagement with communities, where she worked with families in rural Vietnam whose parents migrate for work abroad, leaving their children behind. Her study explores how these families collectively sustain their relationships and how migrant parents engage in caregiving for their children from a distance.
Qualifications:
- Master of Development Practice (2011), Faculty of Social and Behavioral Science, University of Queensland, Australia
- Master of Economics (2006), Faculty of International Economics, National Economics University, Vietnam
- Bachelor of International Relations (2001), Faculty of International Economics, Vietnam Institute for International Relations, Vietnam
Publications:
Perales, F., Mai, G.T.T., Erin, N., Access to Inclusive Public-Toilet Options and the Wellbeing of Trans and Gender-Diverse Employees: Novel Evidence from a Large Australian Workplace Survey. International Journal of Transgender Health. Accepted: 13/2/2025.
Morris, A., Jolle, J., Yiran, L., Mai, G.T.T., The impacts of eviction on private renters in two Australian states. International Journal of Housing Policy. Accepted: 29/1/2025
Van Luot, N., Thanh Mai, G. T., Beazley, H., Anh Thu, N. T., Thu, T. H., Lam, T. Q., & Hoang, N. H. (2024). The prevalence and factors associated with sexting among Vietnamese adolescents: a gender-specific analysis. International Journal of Mental Health, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207411.2024.2377843
Luot V. Nguyen, Nhung H. D. Nguyen, Ha K. T. Truong, Mai T. T. Giang, (2022). School Problems among Left-Behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents: A Study in Vietnam. Heath Psychology Report, https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2022.115657
Nguyen, L. V., Tran, T. H., Nguyen, T. T. A., Nguyen, D. B., Beazley, H., & Giang, M. T. T. (2020). Exposure to sexually explicit Internet material among adolescents: a study in Vietnam. Health Psychology Report. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2020.99394
Le, A., Giang, M., and Nguyen, L. (2019), Measuring Self-esteem Needs Satisfaction among Vietnamese Adults Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 5(1), 38-54
Nguyen, L., Nguyen, Q., Nguyen, C., Giang, M. (2019), Academic Motivation and Stress Coping Strategies in University Students, Journal of Psychology, 4(4), 81-97
Giang, M., Nguyen, L., Pham, H. (2019), Social Skills of Left-behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents in Rural Vietnam, Journal of Social Psychology, 5(5), 12-20
Giang, M., Nguyen, L., Beazley, H., and Nguyen, D., Self-esteem among Left-behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents in Rural Northern Vietnam, Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 5(4), 595-615
Presentations
Maintaining a sense of family withing a transnational social field: Emotional labor performance by left-behind children of Vietnamese labor migrant parents (2024). The IAG 2024 Conference, The Institute of Australian Geographers and The University of Adelaide.