Marnee Shay

I am an Aboriginal woman from the Ngen'giwumirri language group (Daly River, Northern Territory), born in Brisbane and connected to Indigenous communities across South East Queensland. I currently hold the position of Professor and Deputy Head of School in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. My research program is nationally and internationally recognised, with a focus on Indigenous education, codesign in Indigenous education, Indigenous participation in STEM, youth studies, flexi schooling, and education policy. I lead an extensive externally funded research program, including Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and government tenders, and I actively contribute to policy development through advisory roles at both state and national levels. I am a Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures.

I am committed to advancing strengths-based approaches in Indigenous education. My scholarship includes over 100 publications, and I have co-edited two major texts in the field. The first, “Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures” (Routledge, 2021), which received a national award at the Education Publishing Awards Australia. My most recent book, “Strengths-Based Approaches to Indigenous Education Research and Practice” (Routledge, 2025), co-edited with Professor Grace Sarra, further contributes to the growing body of work that centres Indigenous voices and leadership in education.

Throughout my career, I have received multiple awards in recognition of research excellence and leadership, including the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award (2021), the UQ Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Leadership (2024), and the National ACEL Leadership Award (2020). As a qualified and experienced secondary teacher, I remain deeply committed to research translation and applied research that support advancing educational equity. I designed a specialised program aimed at growing the Indigenous Education research workforce, the SoE DEADLY Community, providing mentoring to early career researchers and supervising Indigenous higher degree research students through the creation of an environment that centres Indigenous strengths, knowledges and aspirations.

My work continues to be driven by a belief in the transformative power of education and the importance of Indigenous-led research and practice, underpinned by Indigenous-informed evidence, and a commitment to bridging research, policy and practice.