Melissa Johnstone

Melissa is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Queensland, and a MA in Psychology from the University of Auckland. Shas been a lecturer at both the University of Queensland and Macquarie University. She has lectured in psychology, health promotion and public policy, and previously worked at the Australian Institute of Family Studies on the Evaluation of the 2006 Family Law Reforms.

Melissa’s research focuses on equity, life course transitions and wellbeing. She has substantial experience in research that impacts policy and practice, having worked closely with Government Departments (at state and federal level) in Australia. She has extensive experience in mixed methods research, including using administrative data together with survey and qualitative data. She has also been involved in the evaluation of federal policy change, as well as the evaluation of state-wide health prevention programs and was Project Manager for the the development of the Student Equity in Higher Education Evaluation Framework (SEHEEF). Melissa recently led the Modes of Delivery in Higher Education project on behalf of the Department of Education, and is currently leading the Phase 1: Implementation of the SEHEEF for the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education by undertaking consultations with the Australian Higher Education sector.