Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab

What Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab does

Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab (PowerLab) is an academic research centre founded in 2017 and hosted within the University of Wollongong's School of Health and Society, with affiliated operations at UNSW and the University of Sydney. PowerLab investigates how urban environments and contact with nature affect population wellbeing across the life course, targeting conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, loneliness, and cardiometabolic disease. Its methodological toolkit combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) spatial analysis, multilevel statistical modelling, longitudinal epidemiology, clinical trial design, and ecological momentary assessment.

The lab's flagship programme is the PANDA Trial (Physical Activity in Nature for Cardiometabolic Diseases), a co-designed, community-tailored randomised clinical trial of nature prescriptions for adults aged 45+ with cardiometabolic conditions, recruiting from Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Blacktown in NSW. PowerLab also runs a portfolio of recurring knowledge-exchange and training programmes — PowerFest (annual research festival), PowerTalk (seminars with international speakers), PowerTools (skills workshops), Journal Club (HDR student-led paper discussions), and the HEAL NSW Hub Symposium — and produces peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and media outputs.

PowerLab operates as a not-for-profit academic unit; it has no commercial pricing model and generates no commercial revenue. Funding is derived from competitive grants awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the HEAL Network, supplemented by institutional support from the University of Wollongong. It pursues a community-led and event-driven go-to-market motion: research is co-produced with policymakers (NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Department of Climate Change, local councils, Local Health Districts), health practitioners, third-sector organisations (Health Consumers NSW, Asthma Australia), and members of the public. International research alliances extend to NCSU (USA), UCL (UK), Uppsala University (Sweden), NUS (Singapore), NTU (Taiwan), and the University of Queensland.

Name

Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab

Legal name

Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab

Website

https://powerlab.site

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab (PowerLab) is a University of Wollongong-affiliated academic research centre studying how urban environments and nature exposure affect population health, serving policymakers, health practitioners, and communities through the PANDA clinical trial, peer-reviewed research, and public engagement events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NHMRC Research Grants: PowerLab receives funding through National Health and Medical Research Council grants, including Career Development Fellowships, Centre of Research Excellence funding, and project grants awarded to its investigators.
2. ARC Research Grants: Australian Research Council grants supporting fundamental and applied research projects, including Future Fellowships awarded to lab investigators.
3. NHMRC HEAL Network Funding: The HEAL NSW Hub 2024 Symposium was funded and sponsored by NHMRC and the HEAL Network, indicating dedicated network-level funding for collaborative research in healthy environments and lives.
4. Clinical Trial Institutional Support: Phase 1 of the PANDA Trial was approved by University of Wollongong HREC; Phase 2 approved by WSLHD HREC. Trial registration with ANZCTR (ACTRN12624001450505p). Institutional resources support trial delivery.
5. University of Wollongong Institutional Support: PowerLab is hosted within the University of Wollongong's School of Health and Society, receiving salary support, infrastructure, and administrative services from the university as an affiliated research centre.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PowerLab is an academic research laboratory that conducts population health and environmental epidemiology research examining how urban environments influence wellbeing, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, loneliness, and cardiometabolic disease. Its deliverable outputs include the PANDA clinical trial of nature prescriptions, peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, recurring seminars and workshops (PowerTalk, PowerTools, Journal Club), and the annual PowerFest research festival, delivered in collaboration with policymakers, health practitioners, and the public.

Product overview

PowerLab is a research laboratory focused on population wellbeing and environment research. Its offerings include the PANDA Trial (a clinical trial for nature-based physical activity interventions), educational programs (PowerTalk seminars, PowerTools workshops, Journal Club discussions), and the annual PowerFest research festival. The lab also produces research publications and maintains resources for participants enrolled in clinical studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PANDA Trial (Physical Activity in Nature for Cardiometabolic Diseases) A co-designed, community-tailored nature prescription clinical trial investigating whether structured time in nature increases physical activity in people aged 45+ with cardiometabolic diseases. Phase 1 involved focus groups with public and health/allied practitioners; Phase 2 is a clinical trial in the Wollongong, Shellharbour, and Blacktown areas of NSW Australia.
• PowerTalk Seminar Series A recurring seminar series featuring local, national, and international experts presenting research on topics including restorative theory, diabetes, design policy, and bushfire landscapes. Since 2017, 17 PowerTalks have been presented.
• PowerTools Workshop Series A workshop series offering training in statistics, research methods, and career development for HDR students. Workshops have been led by international experts such as Professor Amanda Sacker (UCL) on longitudinal models and Professor Gavin Turrell on grant writing.
• Journal Club Regular student-led discussion sessions for HDR candidates to critically analyse and evaluate recent research articles in the population health and environment field, running since 2017.
• PowerFest Annual Research Festival An annual research festival bringing together PowerLab staff and students with researchers from different countries to showcase research findings and discuss collaborations. Editions include PowerFest'18, PowerFest'19, the POWERful Ideas Symposium (December 2019), and PowerOn'21 (December 2021).
• PowerLab Research Publications Peer-reviewed academic publications and research papers produced by PowerLab researchers on topics including green space and health, urban environments, diabetes, loneliness, and nature prescriptions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professor Thomas Astell-Burt ranked No.1 globally in Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2023 (Social Sciences)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• HEAL Network (NHMRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2024The Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) NSW Hub 2024 Symposium was funded and sponsored by NHMRC and the HEAL Network. Professor Xiaoqi Feng (UNSW) hosted the event. HEAL Network brings together researchers across environmental health, with lead A/Professor Veronica Matthews (University Centre for Rural Health, USYD) and multiple NSW government and NGO partners participating.
• NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and WatermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2024Dr Aaron Coutts-Smith (NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water) participated in both the panel discussion and the HEAL NSW Hub 2024 Symposium, focusing on climate change and health adaptation strategies and partnerships.
• Asthma AustraliaminorOthers · 31 October 2024Asthma Australia (represented by Angela Cartwright) participated in the HEAL NSW Hub 2024 Symposium panel on Climate Change and Health, contributing to discussions on adaptation strategies and environmental health impacts on respiratory conditions.
• Blacktown City CouncilminorOthers · 31 October 2024Nelson Nolan from Blacktown City Council participated in the HEAL NSW Hub 2024 Symposium panel on Climate Change and Health. Blacktown is also a recruitment site for the PANDA Trial.
• Penrith City CouncilminorOthers · 31 October 2024Andrew Hewson from Penrith City Council participated in the HEAL NSW Hub 2024 Symposium Panel Q&A focusing on Partnerships and Research Collaborations.
• University of Sydney — School of Architecture, Design and PlanningmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2024Researchers from the University of Sydney facilitated the PANDA Trial Co-Design Workshop on 6 May 2024, including Leigh-Anne Hepburn, Bow Yiying Wu, and Mariana Zafeirakopoulos. The workshop brought together PANDA Investigators, consumer representatives, and third-sector organisations to define nature prescription implementation components.
• University of Queensland — Professor Richard FullermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2019Professor Richard Fuller (University of Queensland) delivered the keynote at the POWERful Ideas Symposium (December 2019) on 'Nature Orientation and Biodiversity in Cities'. His research on urban biodiversity and health complements PowerLab's work.
• National Taiwan University (NTU)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2019PowerFest'19 featured fourteen presentations from PowerLab and NTU, including seven students and research staff from NTU's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (led by Professor Chun-Yen Chang). The event fostered collaboration on nature, built environment, and health research between the two institutions.
• UCL — ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2019Professor Amanda Sacker (former Director of UCL's ESRC ICLS) conducted PowerTools training at PowerLab in February 2019 on longitudinal models for life course epidemiology. Professor Anne McMunn (current Head of Research Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at UCL) also presented in 2019, reflecting ongoing UCL-UOW collaboration.
• North Carolina State University — Centre for Human Health and Environment (CHHE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2017An international research alliance between PowerLab (UOW) and NCSU's CHHE was formally established in May 2017, with research collaboration meetings held across May 1-2, 2017. The alliance introduced joint research in population health, environmental, and data sciences. Key attendees included A/Prof Thomas Astell-Burt, Dr Xiaoqi Feng, A/Prof Jane Hoppin, and A/Prof David Reif, along with SMART Data Analytics, National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Australia (NIASRA), and the Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry.
• University of Wollongong — School of Health and SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowerLab is hosted within UOW's School of Health and Society. The school provides institutional support, infrastructure, HDR student supervision, and administrative services. Founding Co-Directors Astell-Burt and Feng hold academic appointments at UOW.
• Uppsala University (Sweden)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowerFest'18 featured a visiting professor from Uppsala University as a keynote speaker. PowerLab has a long-standing collaboration with Professor Terry Hartig at Uppsala's Institute for Housing and Urban Research, involving multiple PowerTalk seminars (2017, 2019) and international research on restorative environments.
• National University of Singapore (NUS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowerFest'18 featured a visiting professor from NUS alongside collaborators from Uppsala and NTU. The Asia-Pacific collaboration on urban greening and health reflects joint research interests in urban nature and population wellbeing.
• University of Wollongong HREC / WSLHD HRECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhase 1 of the PANDA Trial was approved by University of Wollongong HREC (2023/186). Phase 2 was approved by WSLHD HREC (2024/ETH02239). Both ethics approvals are required for the clinical trial conduct.
• RMIT University — Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Liveable CommunitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowerLab has ties to RMIT's NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Liveable Communities, led by Professor Billie Giles-Corti, who has presented at PowerTalk. The CRE focuses on delivering evidence to local, national, and global policymakers on healthy urban environments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Health and Design (Monash University): Monash-based centre studying relationships between built environment design and human health outcomes. Comparable Australian academic setting and built-environment-and-health research agenda, with stronger architecture/design emphasis.
• Centre for Urban Health Solutions (St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto): Canadian urban health research centre evaluating interventions to improve health equity in cities. Comparable in applying GIS and quasi-experimental methods to link urban design to population health outcomes, and in partnering with municipal governments.
• Menzies Centre for Health Policy (University of Sydney / Sax Institute): Australian academic-policy research centre generating evidence for health system and population health decision-making. Comparable mission (research-to-policy translation) and similar Australian funding base (NHMRC, ARC, government partnerships).
• MRC Epidemiology Unit / CEDAR (University of Cambridge): UK research centre studying the determinants of physical activity and diet using longitudinal cohorts and natural experiments. Closely comparable methodology (longitudinal epidemiology, multilevel modelling) and topic overlap (built environment and cardiometabolic outcomes).
• Institute for Housing and Urban Research (Uppsala University): Uppsala-based research institute where Professor Terry Hartig (a long-standing PowerLab collaborator) studies restorative environments and greenspace-health links. Highly comparable research agenda and active seminar/collaboration overlap with PowerLab.
• NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Liveable Communities (RMIT): RMIT-based NHMRC Centre led by Professor Billie Giles-Corti (a PowerTalk speaker and collaborator), focused on evidence for healthy urban planning. Directly comparable as an Australian academic centre producing policy-relevant research on built environment and population health.
• Urban Health Collaborative (Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health): US-based collaborative conducting comparative urban health research across Latin American cities with strong GIS and equity framing. Directly comparable focus on urban environment determinants of health inequities and on training the next generation of urban-health researchers.
• Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), UK: MRC-funded UK centre studying determinants of diet and physical activity with strong built-environment research stream. Directly comparable focus on environmental drivers of chronic disease and on producing evidence for population-level interventions.
• Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (Sax Institute): NHMRC-funded Australian centre co-producing prevention research with policy partners. Highly comparable co-production model, Australian NHMRC funding base, and systems focus on chronic disease prevention.

Broad incumbents

• ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health: Large established global health research institute with programmes on urban planning, environmental epidemiology, and climate-health. Overlaps with PowerLab's urban-environment-and-health agenda at greater scale and with broader disease scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hipowerlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/population-wellbeing-and-environment-research-lab-powerlab-university-of-wollongong

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab