Dr Merrilyn Crichton completed her Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology), Honours in Sociology and PhD at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She held sessional teaching positions at QUT, the University of Queensland and Australian Catholic University (Brisbane), as well as conducting research for QUT and the Griffith University Abilities Research Program before relocating to CSU Wagga. Dr Crichton has conducted research into rural and regional eMental Health, rural and regional disability mobility and has more recently begun to conduct research into the links between rural and regional well being and the environment (especially drought and water governance). Her teaching and research focus is broadly located in the areas of social inequality and rural community sustainability/development. Dr Crichton supervises postgraduate theses in which sociology and rural and regional social issues feature. Recently these have included volunteering amongst retirees, symbolic ethnicity, and Ugandan rural and regional HIV/AIDS. Her external professional activities have included a term as co-chair of the rural social issues thematic group of The Australian Sociological Association, board member of Wagga Wagga's Disability Advocacy Network, and membership of CSU Green's campus environmental committee.

Current teaching responsibilities are in:

• community analysis,
• introductory sociology, and
• social inequality.

• Rural social issues – mental health, marginality and social exclusion/inclusion;
• role of civil society in service provision for traditionally excluded/isolated/vulnerable people;
• social impact of water resourcing (policy and practice) in regional Australia.