Gill Matthewson's research focuses on gender and architecture. While she has a background as a practising architect in Britain and New Zealand and continues to design, throughout her career she has returned again and again to the issue of women and architecture. These issues precipitated her MA research which explored the issue of gender as it manifests in architecture by investigating the professional and intellectual presence of three women involved the conception, realisation and interpretation of the Barcelona Pavilion.

The latest manifestation of Gill's research is her PhD thesis 'Dimensions of Gender: women's careers in the Australian architecture profession', which was awarded at the University of Queensland and received a Dean's award for outstanding thesis. Her research is both quantitative - mapping the participation of women in the Australian profession - and qualitative - involving ethnographic research into aspects of the work culture of the profession that produced gender bias.

Gill is a member of the Parlour collective, the activist website promoting equity and diversity in the architecture profession. She is regularly asked to present and contribute to forums discussing gender and architecture.