Dr Kostas Hatzikiriakidis (he/him) is an early career researcher and postdoctoral research fellow working across the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University.

He holds a cross-disciplinary research profile focused on strengthening the quality and delivery of care across public health, disability, out-of-home care, aged care, and mental health services. His work is driven by a commitment to improving quality of life and outcomes for people and communities who have historically been overlooked by research and service systems. A consistent focus of his research is the use of participatory approaches that centre the voices of people with lived experience and challenge power imbalances between researchers and communities to develop more inclusive, equitable, and responsive research and service systems. Dr Hatzikiriakidis has expertise in evidence synthesis, qualitative research methods, and implementation science, which he has applied across research examining the need for, development and evaluation of interventions to promote health and wellbeing.

The aim of his doctoral research was to understand how people with disability living in supported accommodation experience and engage with physical activity and food, and how the environments and support systems in which they live can shape these aspects of daily life. This research was conducted in partnership with disability service providers, industry representatives, allied health professionals, and importantly, people with disability who were involved as co-researchers throughout the project. The project demonstrated the value of working collaboratively with communities to generate research that is meaningful, relevant and responsive to the priorities and experiences of people with disability.

In his current role as a research fellow in the Ageing and Health Services Team within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, he supports several research projects across aged care and health services, with a focus on improving care quality, service delivery, and psychosocial outcomes for older adults receiving residential and home-based aged care services. He also works as a project manager at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the School of Psychological Sciences, where he supports a program of research exploring the intersection between neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and ADHD, and mental health among children and young people.

Alongside his research, Dr Hatzikiriakidis is an educator with teaching experience in qualitative research methods. He is a co-facilitator of the three-day short course Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health, and has taught more than 200 students since 2023. He has also contributed to teaching in the units MPH5215: Qualitative Research Methods and MPH5217: Implementation and Innovation in Health Care, and is regularly invited to deliver guest lectures and presentations on qualitative research methods and participatory approaches.