Dr Robert G (Jerry) Schwab has been appointed as Director of The Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR). A long-time member of CAEPR's academic staff, he is a recognised leader in the field of Indigenous policy research.

Dr Schwab carries out research related to Indigenous education, literacy and youth policy. He has been involved with educational research and development in Australia and overseas (USA, Canada, United Arab Emirates and Egypt) since the mid-1980s. Since joining CAEPR in 1995, he has carried out primary and secondary research on issues as diverse as Aboriginal community-controlled schools, notions of educational 'failure' and 'success' among Indigenous students, Indigenous workforce development and Indigenous education outcomes at the primary, secondary and post-compulsory levels. He has carried out numerous consultancies and conducted evaluations for a range of Commonwealth Departments, NGOs and Indigenous organisations. He has long standing research interest in the relationship between schools and communities. His recent research has focused on Indigenous youth and new media, learning, philanthropy and Indigenous land and resource management as an avenue for the educational and social re-engagement of Indigenous youth in remote regions.

More information on Dr Schwab's research projects and selected publications is available at his ANU researcher profile.

Dr Schwab was previously co-Deputy Director of CAEPR and takes over leadership of CAEPR from Professor Matt Gray who has been appointed Director of the Australian Centre for Applied Social Research Methods (AusCen).