Announcing international research collaborations on work, inequality and AI in later-life finance
(L-R) Dr Christa Viljoen, Professor Karen Elliott, Dr Flavia Manuella Uchoa de Oliveira, Dr Mary Zhang
The University of Birmingham's Centre on Household Assetrs and Savings Management (CHASM) is excited to welcome two new International Visiting Fellows for 2026, advancing global research in labour precarity, gendered inequality, financial wellbeing and the future of AI‑supported financial decision‑making.
CHASM’s International Visiting Fellowship Scheme (IVFS) has supported collaborations with researchers worldwide since 2018, contributing to a broader strategy of building international research alliances between the University of Birmingham and leading institutions worldwide. This year, the Centre welcomes Dr Flavia Manuella Uchoa de Oliveira, from Fluminense Federal University in Brazil, and Dr Christa Viljoen, from Adelaide University in South Australia.
Every year, each International Visiting Fellow is hosted by a CHASM academic whose research expertise corresponds to the Fellow’s specialist area. In 2026, Dr Christa Viljoen will work with Professor Karen Elliott on the project Navigating the AI Frontier: Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence in Older Adults’ Financial Planning, drawing on shared interests in financial wellbeing, financial inclusion and the ethical use of emerging technologies.
We are also pleased to announce that Dr Mary Zhang will be joining CHASM as a Core Team Member this year. She will host Dr Flavia Manuella Uchoa de Oliveira as they collaborate on Income, Time, and Social Reproduction in 6x1 Work, examining how the movement to end the 6-day working week reflects wider dynamics of precarity, labour division, and the struggle for free time in Brazil.
Dr Christa Viljoen is a Lecturer in Finance and Financial Planning at Adelaide University. She completed her PhD in 2024 on the financial planning of older Australian women, examining the distinct circumstances of homeowners, retirement‑village residents and renters. Her research interests include finance, financial literacy, housing and women’s economic wellbeing, and she has co‑authored publications with collaborators in Australia, South Africa and Ireland. A Chartered Accountant and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she is a committee member of Women in Economics Network and is the Director of their Schools Outreach Program for 2026. She is passionate about the financial security of women and is a Catherine House ambassador, supporting women who are experiencing homelessness.
The project examines how AI is currently used and how it might be better designed to create safe, accessible environments that support older people with financial decision-making, with reference to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory frameworks. The research focuses initially on Australia and the United Kingdom, with scope to extend to other economies.
“The CHASM International Visiting Fellowship (IVFS) is a wonderful opportunity for Christa and me to collaborate on our shared research interest in the financial wellbeing of older adults. From our separate research experiences in Australia and the UK, we each understand how rapidly the financial landscape is changing for older people, and how much is at stake as AI adoption impacts the landscape. Together through the IVFS, we are examining one of the most pressing intersections in this space: ageing, financial inclusion, and the risks and opportunities that AI presents.”
- Professor Karen Elliott
“The CHASM International Visiting Fellowship will give me the invaluable opportunity to travel to Birmingham and collaborate, in person, with leading international experts in July 2026. This provides an excellent setting to advance research, and equally, contributing to practical strategies to mitigate risks and leverage opportunities presented by artificial intelligence for older people to assist with managing finances. I very much look forward to working with the CHASM team, especially Professor Karen Elliott, and to develop opportunities for sustained future collaboration.”
- Dr Christa Viljoen
Dr Flavia Manuella Uchoa de Oliveira is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Administration at the Fluminense Federal University Business School, where she is a core member of the Graduate Program in Business. She also serves as an associate in the Graduate Program in Psychology at the University of São Paulo (USP). She holds a PhD in Social Psychology of Work from USP and has undertaken postdoctoral research at Cardiff University (2021) and at USP, where she is currently completing further postdoctoral studies.
In recent decades, working and living conditions have deteriorated to such an extent that worker movements around the world have risen up against the precarity they experience.
One such movement in Brazil, Life Beyond Work (Vida Além do Trabalho – VAT) calls for an end to the practice of working six days with only one day of rest. Support for change is strong: seven in ten Brazilians now favour ending the 6x1 schedule. Black women play a central role in this movement, reflecting both their vulnerability and their significant contribution across paid work, domestic labour and community roles.
Their experiences highlight how reproductive and paid labour intersect, revealing the social division of labour that shapes everyday life beyond formal employment.
“In collaboration with the VAT movement, we will look at how the struggle for reducing working hours articulates with the dynamics of income, savings, debt, and the social division of labor, deepening the understanding of poverty and precarity in Brazil in contrast to the global context. We seek to understand how the struggle for ‘free time’ can serve as a method for reflecting upon the material and symbolic conditions of life.”
- Dr Flavia Uchoa de Oliveira & Dr Mary Zhang
Chair and Professor of Practice in Finance and Fintech
Professor Elliott is committed to creating sustainable and responsible outcomes for business, society, and the planet.
Associate Professor
Mary joined the University of Birmingham as a 125th Anniversary Fellow and Associate Professor of International Social Policy in 2024
