Prior to becoming an academic, I worked as an economic development consultant and Japanese/English interpreter. I have lived in Australia, USA, Indonesia and Japan. Currently employed as a senior research fellow at UWA, I played a lead role in an industry-funded research agenda examining globalisation and economic development in Perth, Western Australia. This work balances fundamental research with applied outputs to inform strategic policy and decision making for local and state government.

I am currently funded by two competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) grants which seek to innovate on current methods of urban network analysis. An ARC DECRA Fellowship examining innovation in the peripheries, where I am looking at transformations in the agricultural sector in Japan and Australia. And an ARC Discovery Project exploring the globalisation of Australian cities through a network analysis of data from 12 of the world's largest stock exchange. It is a highly unique data set giving insights into globalisation patterns across all industry sectors.

My work is grounded in its multi-scale spatial focus on the uneven distribution of resources (mining, energy, innovation, wealth) as well as an understanding of the urban and socio-economic factors that increase economic competitiveness and mitigate uneven development. I employ social network analysis (SNA) and econometric statistical analysis to unpack flows and interactions between local economic agents (both labour and corporate) and understand how cities connect at the global scale. My research seeks to bridge disciplines of economic geography and urban studies primarily through SNA examining city competitiveness at two levels – its comparative advantage in the global economy as well as specific industry-based competitiveness. This two-scale global/local approach is novel and challenging, but I believe most likely to generate new insights and better understandings on the dynamics of Australian competitiveness within the global system.

-Australian Academy of Sciences, National Committee for Geographical Sciences, Committee Member

-Institute of Australian Geographers, Honorary Secretary

-Geographical Research, Editorial Board Member

-Graduate Research Coordinator, Department of Geography and Planning

Select funding awards:

1. Martinus, K. (2021) Battery Industry Stage 1 for Future Batteries Industries CRC.
2. Martinus, K. (2021) Kwinana Refinery knowledge flows. BHP NickelWest.
3. Martinus, K., Pauli, N., Kragt, M. & Heyworth, J. (2020) Novel virus and landscape restructure: human as hosts, vectors and agents of environmental change. Downforce, Oxford, UK.
4. Martinus, K. & Wilson, J.(2019) Future Batteries Industries Cooperation Research Centre (FBI-CRC): Governance Pilot Study for Future Batteries Industries CRC.
5. Martinus, K. & Boruff, B. (2019) Agritourism in the South-West of Western Australia: A Preliminary Investigation. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, CRC Honey Bee Products. 
6. Martinus, K. (2018) UWA Fellowship Support Grant for Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award (DECRA) activities. 
7. Biermann, S., Olaru, D., Martinus, K., Smith, B., Cardell-Oliver, R., Sun, C., & Standing, C. (2018) RailSmart Wanneroo. In collaboration with City of Wanneroo (2018-2021) of Federal Government Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. Winner of Federal Government Award for Best Integration of an Individual Technology https://smart-cities.com.au/awards/2019-winners/
8. Denham, T., Dodson, J., Kellet, J., Martinus, K., Maginn, P., Whitzman, C., Hamilton, C. & Palm, M. (2018) NGAA Transformational Projects. Specially commissioned report by National Growth Areas Alliance and the City of Whittlesea. 
   
9. Martinus, K. (2017-2020) Labour Proximities in Institutionally-Thin Innovative Peripheries. Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award (DECRA, Project No. DE170100727) (2017-2019). 
10. Tonts, M., Derudder, B., Sigler, T., Martinus, K. & Searle, G. (2017-2021) The Globalising Economies of Australian Cities. Australian Research Council Discovery Award (2017-2020, Project No. DP170104359). 
11. Sigler, T. & Martinus, K. (2015) Brisbane as Globally Connected City. University of Queensland and University of Western Australia collaborative project. Brisbane Marketing, Brisbane Queensland. 

1. Corporate Geographies
2. Innovation precincts, Smart Cities
3. Resource Economies and uneven development

4. innovation and the peripheries

GEOG2204 - International Field Work in Geography; GEOG3302 Local Places, Global Contexts; GEOG3306 - Regional Development and Planning; PLNG5411- Urban and Regional Analysis; PLNG1101 - Geographies of Global Cities; GEOG1102 - Globalisation, Environment and Development