Jo Barraket AM is Professor of Policy Studies and Director of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute at the University of Melbourne.

Jo is Australia’s premier researcher of social enterprise and a leading researcher of social innovation and the social economy. Her work focuses on how social equity is improved through new ways of organising, resourcing and scaling social change, and the relationships between state and civil society organisations in policy processes. She has led or co-led more than $14 million, including seven ARC grants, in funded research and more than 85 scholarly publications in her areas of expertise. Jo is a regular advisor to governments, philanthropy and industry and has been national expert advisor to the OECD on three initiatives related to public policy and the social economy. Most recently, she was Expert Advisor and lead drafter of the National Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint.

Jo conducts research that generates high quality research publications, as well as outputs such as interactive online tools, policy and practice guides which support the uptake and use of research knowledge. She is passionate about community-engaged and co-productive research in support of a fairer world.

In 2025, Jo was elected to the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the US-based Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship. In 2023, she was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her contributions to education and to developing social enterprise.