2025 Network Awards – Established, Applied Research
What the judges said
The panel noted that Pham’s research combines academic rigour with policy translation at international scale. It advances understanding of climate-responsive finance and has demonstrably shaped SDG policy across Asia-Pacific. The breadth of collaborations (World Bank, DFAT, GIZ, UNESCAP) and depth of outputs (A*/A publications, global taskforces, $6m funding) provide compelling evidence of excellence, innovation and impact. This submission exemplifies how Australian business research can deliver tangible policy reform and societal value globally.
The initiative
Pham’s research addresses three interconnected Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). It pursues two aims:
- examine how financial markets, corporate behaviour, and climate risks affect stability, transparency, and resilience; and
- generate evidence-based solutions to support inclusive and sustainable growth.
This research has:
- Advanced understanding of how market design and corporate behaviour affect stability and resilience.
- Provided empirical evidence on how climate change shapes market liquidity, tax behaviour, and social protection.
- Expanded conceptual boundaries of climate-responsive finance, demonstrating mechanisms that social protection and sustainable investment reduce inequality.
- Delivered evidence informing financial regulation and SDG policy frameworks.
Policy translation at UNESCAP, Word Bank and IGCC forums
Thu Phong Pham at the UNESCAP Forum on Sustainable Development
World Bank Carbon Finance Roundtable
AIGCC workshop with Cambodia government delegates
Measurable outcomes
Policy and societal impact: Pham’s research has directly shaped financial and climate policy reforms. The US Government cited her work as one of only six empirical studies guiding reforms on swap market transparency. DFAT projects informed Vietnam’s 2045 economic vision, GIZ used findings in Cambodia’s 2025 social protection reforms, and the World Bank integrated outputs into poverty frameworks. UNICEF (2021) and the French Government (2020) applied Pham’s studies in education and poverty policies. Importantly, eight of her publications were the only academic research featured in UNESCAP’s 2025 SDG Goal Profiles (SDGs 8 & 17), shaping Priority Actions for 53 Asia–Pacific countries (4.3 billion people).
Global recognition: Pham was selected by the UN Under-Secretary-General to present at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (2025), one of the UN’s most influential events. She has also been invited to deliver a seminars at the World Bank (2024), address 200+ policymakers at Vietnam’s 40 Years of Reform consultation, and join the 2023 Blue Carbon Credits expert panel.
Scholarly impact: Since 2020, Pham’s research has received 473 citations. Her disaster-impact study achieved an InCites CNCI of 4.52, over four times the world average, ranking it among the highest-impact outputs globally. 80% of Pham’s publications involve international collaboration, with citations from 86 countries. Three 2025 publications were ranked as SSRN Top 10 Papers, placing them among the most downloaded in the field. Over 70% of outputs achieved PlumX 100% benchmarks, with coverage in international media.