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Professor Jason M. Lodge is an educator, psychological scientist, and an internationally recognised authority on learning, educational technology, and artificial intelligence. His work focuses on translating evidence into effective and practical strategy for public and private sector organisations, including, but not limited to, educational institutions and departments of education and training.

He serves as an expert advisor on learning and AI to prominent international bodies, including UNESCO and the OECD. In Australia, he advises the National Ministerial Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Education and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). For TEQSA, he led the development of the Assessment Reform for the Age of Artificial Intelligence resource, a framework that has informed assessment policy and practice globally.

In 2025 he received an Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) for Teaching Excellence, adding to earlier recognition including a UQ Award for Teaching Excellence, the Australian Psychological Society's Distinguished Contribution to Psychological Education, and the inaugural ASCILITE and CAULLT Award for Outstanding Leadership in Digital Learning in Higher Education. His experience includes academic leadership roles at The University of Queensland, board memberships for higher education institutions, and extensive public speaking and media commentary on the future of education and learning.

Dr Stephanie MacMahon is a Senior Lecturer in the Science of Learning and in Arts Education, teaching in both the ITE and post-graduate programs in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, and is the program coordinator for the Science of Learning Field of Study. She has over 20 years’ experience as a P-12 educator and school leader, and draws on this experience to support her students in understanding how research can be used meaningfully in educational practice.

Stephanie is also the Co-Founder and Program Director of the UQ Learning Lab: a group of multi-disciplinary researchers, educators, and industry partners who collaborate to transform learning, teaching and training in diverse school and post-school contexts through the science of learning. Her research within the UQ Learning Lab are in human connection and learning, and in understanding how to effectively mobilise insights from the Science of Learning into practice in diverse educational and workplace learning contexts, collaborating with partners to develop, implement and evaluate contextually relevant, actionable, scalable and sustainable solutions to real-world teaching, learning and training needs. Stephanie is a member of the UNESCO Science of Learning Alliance.

Her teaching and leadership in the Science of Learning have recently been recognised with a UQ Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2025), an Australian Council for Educational leaders (ACEL) National Excellence in Leadership Award, and the ACEL Miller-Grassie Award for Outstanding Leadership in Education (2025).

Stephanie collaborates widely with multi-disciplinary researchers on science of learning projects using a range of methodologies.

Dr Catherine Manathunga is Associate Professor in the School of Education Policy and Implementation at the Victoria University, Wellington. Her research interests include postgraduate supervision, interdisciplinary research education, the history of teaching and learning in universities, and the professional development of supervisors and researchers.

Catherine is an historian and draws together expertise in historical, sociological and cultural studies research to bring an innovative, interdisciplinary perspective to higher education research, particularly focusing on doctoral education and the history of university teaching and learning. She currently researches in the following areas:

• Postgraduate Supervision : power, identity and culture in postgraduate supervision; power and desire in team supervision pedagogy
• Supervisor Educational Development : post-colonial interpretations of supervisor educational development;
• Research and Innovation Leader Development : research graduates attributes and outcomes in universities and industry; ongoing professional development for researchers in public and private sector research organisations; interdisciplinary research;
• History of Australian Teaching and Learning : a genealogy of the development of teaching and learning in Australian universities.

She currently supervises RHD students in the areas of effective teaching and learning in higher education, supporting international students' learning, evaluating effective teaching and learning and in development aid policy.

Career counselling: theory and processes; Career development theory; Career programs; Qualitative career assessment; Supervision

Dr McMahon teaches in the areas of career development theory, career guidance and counselling, and supervision. She is particularly interested in the career development of children and adolescents and how young people may be supported by career programs. In the area of career counselling, she is interested in the application of constructivist approaches especially the use of qualitative career assessment. Within the area of supervision, she is interested in assisting guidance officers and school counsellors develop their supervision practices. Her recent focus within this area is on the use of technology to support rural and remote personnel.

Dr Jodie Miller is an Associate Professor in mathematics education, in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on improving the educational outcomes of students most at risk of marginalisation in school, particularly in the fields of Mathematics and Indigenous education.

Jodie is internationally recognised for her research in early algebraic thinking and evidenced based strategies to support engagement in mathematics in primary school settings. She leads research projects with a focus on classroom and mathematical practices, teacher professional development, culturally responsive teaching, and examining student understanding. This research has been conducted in countries including Australia, New Zealand, and Germany.

In addition to this, Jodie’s recent research collaborations focus on examining excellence in Indigenous education. This work is led by Associate Professor Marnee Shay, where the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are brought to the forefront to re-imagine the notion of excellence in Indigenous education.

Dr Carmen Mills is an Associate Professor in Teaching, Learning and Classroom Pedagogy in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, where she is the Director of Teaching and Learning. Her research interests are informed broadly by the sociology of education. She has an international reputation for significant research contributions in the areas of social justice in education, schooling in disadvantaged communities and teacher education for the development of socially just dispositions. As a socially critical researcher, informed by the work of Pierre Bourdieu and others, she is concerned to explore questions related to whose interests are served by the social arrangements evident in educational contexts and how these arrangements might be structured more equitably. She is experienced in undertaking empirical research with others from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, bringing her particular experience in interviewing and observation, her empirical interest in equity and social justice, as well as her understanding of Bourdieuian theoretical concepts, to these research teams.

Dr Shiralee Poed is an Associate Professor within the School of Education at the University of Queensland. Her career spans more than 30 years, and includes working as a teacher and leader in Australian state, Catholic and independent primary, secondary and special schools. She was awarded the 2023 International Positive Behaviour Leadership Award for her extensive leadership of Positive Behaviour for Learning in Australia, and internationally.

Jenny leads the Wellbeing, Equity, and Inclusion Research Group: Transforming education, employment and human service systems through evidence, innovation and partnership at the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland. She is a Psychologist and obtained her BA Honors, MA and PhD from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. Before coming to ISSR, Jenny worked as a Chief Researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa in the area of education effectiveness.

Jenny’s research focuses on advancing wellbeing, equity and inclusion across education, employment, and human service systems. She evaluates programs and policies that support marginalised populations navigating complex service systems. Jenny’s work integrates lived experience with rigorous analysis of the services, institutions, and policy environments that shape life trajectories, identifying evidence-based levers for change within families, organisations, and government systems. She is a mixed-methods researcher with expertise in integrating large-scale population and administrative data with survey and in-depth qualitative data to generate nuanced, practice-relevant insights. Through large-scale evaluations and long-term research partnerships with government and community organisations, Jenny produces generalisable knowledge with demonstrable real-world impact, while strengthening research and evaluation capability within the human services sector. Her research is grounded in participatory and co-production approaches, ensuring that people with living or lived experience are meaningfully involved in shaping research design, interpretation, and impact.

Jenny has worked closely with Government Departments and Ministries both in Australia (e.g., Tasmania DHHS; Australian DoE; Qld DoE; CESE NSW; Australian DSS; Qld DCSSD; Department of Home Affairs) and internationally (e.g., South Africa, Eritrea, Cambodia and the Solomon Islands) to gather research evidence from a wide range of disadvantaged communities to inform policy. Jenny is a Chief Investigator on an ARC Linkage project which investigates how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children experience Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) using elicitation methods and a longitudinal qualitative research design to provide evidence to improve service agencies’ understanding of children’s experiences in OOHC and how agencies can best support families, carers and communities to promote the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children in OOHC. This research will improve service provider capability and test Government reform interventions. Jenny leads large-scale complex commissioned evaluations and is currently leading the following evaluations: FamilyLinQ Evaluation and the Journi Online Road Safety Education Program Evaluation.

In addition to leading a research group and complex evaluation, Jenny delivers hands-on professional training and capability-building in evaluation, statistical, and social research methods for policymakers, practitioners, and service leaders, contributes as an Associate Investigator to research for the ARC Centre of Excellence on Families and Children over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre), and supervises HDR and placement students.

Dr Emily Ross is Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning, Director of Primary Preservice Programs, and Lecturer in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. She has extensive experience in curriculum implementation, supporting school leadership teams and teachers to implement some of the most exciting and cutting-edge curriculum initiatives. She has led the design and implementation of key curriculum and assessment initiatives for the state of Queensland and at a national level. Emily's doctoral research on curriculum interpretation and implementation has shaped government policy in Queensland. It has influenced the method and messaging for implementation support of the Australian Curriculum, and the professional development and resources that have been developed to aid teachers in the curriculum planning work. After completing her doctoral studies, Emily was asked to lead the project for the renewal of the QCAA Australian Curriculum website, including the redevelopment of over 500 curriculum support resources.

Emily's expertise in curriculum development and implementation has continued to be drawn upon by several national organisations, including the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and Education Services Australia. Through these organisations, she has been invited to continue to serve on Advisory Groups and National Expert Panels to support the development and delivery of the Australian Curriculum and resources to support its implementation in Australian schools.

Previously, Emily held senior leadership positions at the QCAA, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the interim National Curriculum Board, as well as in Queensland government and independent schools. Emily’s research focuses on curriculum and assessment policy and its implementation, particularly in areas of STEM education.

Dr. Steven Rynne is an Associate Professor in Sport Pedagogy and Coaching as well as the Director of Engagement and Partnerships with the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland, Australia. The major theme that runs throughout Steven’s work is learning in sport. Within this broad theme he has worked and conducted research with a variety of peak domestic and international sporting bodies aimed at fostering high performance through learning (e.g. how elite coaches learn their craft) and understanding outcomes for sport participants (e.g. sport for reconciliation). Steven teaches undergraduate and graduate students, is a cycling coach and registered HPE teacher, and has been immersed in junior and community sport settings for more than two decades.

Associate Professor Lynda Shevellar has over 20 years in tertiary education. She joined The University of Queensland in 2009. Based in the School of Social Science, Lynda is the winner of an Australian Award for University Teaching Excellence (AAUT) in Society and Culture (2025). Previously she has won an early career award for teaching excellence in 2011, a University of Queensland Award for Teaching Excellence in 2019, and an Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2019). She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the Principal Practitioner - Participation and Engagement (Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation), and is one of the Deputy Associate Deans (Academic) - Students, for the HASS Faculty. Lynda has previously held roles in government and the community sector and is influenced by over thirty years of experience in community development, the disability sector, mental health, education, and psychology.

Lynda's research explores three closely aligned agendas: understanding the experience of people who live with heightened vulnerability; developing the awareness, agency and capacity of communities to respond to social disadvantage and inequality; and aligning community development theory and education to inform practice in working alongside people who live with heightened vulnerability. Lynda has a particular interest in the development of inclusive learning communities, through creative teaching practices, participative research strategies, and engaged citizenship.

Lynda currently coordinates the courses SOSC2288: Community Development - Local and International Practice; and SOCY1070: Inequality, Society and the Self.

My research interest may be seen to lie within one or more of the following areas

· Postcolonial sociologies of education

· Critical governmentality studies

· Student mobilities.

· Studies of globalization and transnationalism in relation to education institutions, policies and practices

· International higher education governance

· Development and education

These interests probably have something to do with my personal biography. I am a first generation ‘education migrant’ whose parents migrated to Australia at the tail end of the 1970s, their postcolonial dream unraveled by the cultural politics of new nationhood. We came to live in Western Australia at the end of one mining boom (this one was Japan driven), and the start of a major economic restructuring project that would transform the Australia economy, and the lifestyles and livelihoods of many of its citizens. I finished high school and then majored in Microbiology at the University of Western Australia, before working for two years in a genetics laboratory on the molecular aspects of change in anaerobic bacteria. I subsequently moved disciplines to the social sciences, completed a degree in Social Work, and worked for a decade in a number of areas ranging from child protection and juvenile justice to ‘educational development assistance’, multicultural counselling, refugee settlement and international student advising. In 1999, I commenced my PhD studies. My thesis investigated the workings of the education export industry using postcolonial and poststructuralist frameworks. It critically appraised the concept of globalisation and its use to govern international education. Through this work, I developed an interest in the different actors in the cast of globalization - international students, transnational scientists, and refugees and asylum seekers.

My more recent research has focused on emerging education hubs in Singapore and Malaysia and the transnational mobilities of ‘knowledge workers’ recruited to these emerging knowledge spatialities. I am also investigating the temporal reach and recontextualisation of colonial knowledges and practices on assembling ‘postcolonial’ subjectivities in the context of Southeast Asia. I have a strong interest in empirical work and welcome enquires from students who are interested in deep and substantive engagement with theoretical frameworks. Being a cultural, professional and disciplinary hybrid, I am keen to work across disciplines.

I am actively involved in three research projects at present, all concerned variously with investigations of mobility:

• Globalising Universities and International Student Mobilities in East Asia, Funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore
• Transnational Knowledge Workers in the Life-and Technosciences, Funded by the University of Queensland
• Inbound and Outbound Student Mobility, Funded by the University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Christine Slade PhD GCProfLearning BA (Com Plan & Devt) PFHEA ATCL

Assessment, Academic Integrity and GenAI

In my role as Associate Professor in Higher Education, in the Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation (ITaLI) I contribute to the UQ strategic priorities, with leadership responsibilities in assessment, academic integrity and generative artificial intelligence. My purpose is to empower institutions, educators, and students to navigate the complexities of generative AI with confidence and ethical competence. I aim to foster a culture of integrity that enables students to thrive as critical thinkers and ethical leaders, committed to serving the common good in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

Michelle Smith is a Associate Professor in Physiotherapy and a Titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist. She is Program Director for the Masters of Sports Physiotherapy and Masters of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy programs at UQ, Co-director of the International Ankle Consortium, Co-director of the Sports Injury Rehabilitation and Prevention for Health (SIRPH) research unit and Associate Editor of Physical Therapy and Sport.

The overarching theme of Michelle's research is lower limb joint health. Her research focuses on the prevention and management of lower limb joint injuries and pathologies across the lifespan to enable unrestricted participation in sport, physical activity and work. There are three key areas of her research:

1. To improve understanding of ankle injuries and osteoarthritis across the lifespan: Ankle sprains are the most common injury seen in emergency departments and are a primary cause of ankle osteoarthritis, which in light of its post-traumatic nature, often affects young adults. To optimise outcomes and participation for people with ankle pathologies, my research characterises impairments and participation restrictions in the continuum from ankle injury to osteoarthritis and establishes the efficacy of interventions to manage these conditions.
2. To understand the effectiveness and implementation of injury prevention strategies: While neuromuscular exercise program and taping/bracing have been shown to decrease injury risk, translation of research into practice is limited. My research investigates the implementation of injury prevention initiatives in adolescent athletes and involves stakeholders to better understand barriers and facilitators.
3. To evaluate the implementation of lower limb osteoarthritis interventions: Exercise and education for hip and knee osteoarthritis have been shown to improve quality of life and functional outcomes. My research investigates the implementation of such programs in public hospitals and private physiotherapy practices on patient outcomes and service delivery.

Michelle has presented her research and delivered keynote and invited presentations at national and international multi-disciplinary conferences. She teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate physiotherapy curriculum in the areas of musculoskeletal health and sports injuries. She has been recognised for her high teaching quality and impact at both School and Faculty levels through receipt of Teaching Excellence Awards. She is the Chair of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences External Engagement Committee and Deputy Chair of the Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Group of the Austrailan Physiotherapy Association. She is a member of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Foot and Ankle Working Group, International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium, and Australian Foot and Ankle Research Network.

Associate Professor Stahl's research interests focus on the relationship between education and society, socio-cultural studies of education, student identities, equity/inequality, and social change. Currently, his research projects and publications encompass theoretical and empirical studies of youth, sociology of schooling in a neoliberal age, gendered subjectivities, equity and difference as well as educational reform.

To date his scholarship has focused upon:

· Social and educational inequalities

· Learner Identities

· Student mobilities

· Masculinities

· Widening participation

He holds a PhD in Education (University of Cambridge), a Masters degree in International Education (New York University) and a Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education and English (Indiana University). He is a member and former SIG Convener for the Australian Association of Researchers in Education (AARE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Associate Professor Stahl was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council (2017-2019) where he researched the relationship between extreme disadvantage, masculinities and widening participation (DE170100510). In 2019, he was ranked by The Australian newspaper as one of the top 40 researchers in Australia who were less than 10 years into their career. Dr. Stahl is particularly interested in qualitative research methods, visual research methods and ethnography. At the University of Queensland, Dr. Stahl's teaches at the Undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels.

Recently, he was awarded two ARC Discovery projects: Including the voice of boys and young men in their health and well-being education (DP250102623) and Investigating how boys and young men experience their digital lives (DP250104014).

His research has been published in a range of international journals, including the Pedagogy, Culture and Society, the Journal of Educational Policy and Gender and Education. His books include Identity, neoliberalism and aspiration: educating white working-class boys (2015, Routledge), Ethnography of a neoliberal school: building cultures of success (2018, Routledge), Working-class masculinities in Australian higher education: policies, pathways and progress (2021, Routledge) and Gendering the First-in-Family Experience: Transitions, Liminality, Performativity (2022, Routledge) co-authored with Sarah McDonald.

He has held leadership positions in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).

Prior to working as a researcher, Stahl taught in secondary schools in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Associate Professor Sally Staton is an applied developmental scientist whose research focuses on how early life experiences, environments, and the systems that support children shape lifelong learning, development, brain health, and wellbeing. As an ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellow and Leader of the Brain Health and Early Development Research Group at The University of Queensland's Child Health Research Centre, she works at the intersection of developmental science, policy, and practice to generate and translate evidence to support children, families, and communities.

Her research examines how early experiences and the physical and social environments in which children and families live, learn, and grow influence health and development across the life course. A major focus of her work is understanding how early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments, sleep, and the design of physical and interactional spaces support children's development. She currently leads the ARC-funded Building Futures project, which is generating evidence to inform the design of early childhood learning environments, and recently completed the STARs study, a landmark longitudinal investigation of sleep development in children aged 1–5 years.

Working closely with governments, educators, non-government organisations, communities, and philanthropic partners, Sally co-designs and translates research to inform policy, practice, and systems change. She also leads the Brain Builders Initiative, a major research and translation program focused on applying contemporary knowledge of brain development across the systems and workforces that support children and families.

Sally has authored more than 200 publications and research outputs. Her work has informed national and international policy and practice, including reforms to Australian early childhood legislation and contributions to policy recommendations from organisations including the OECD and WHO. In recognition of her research impact and science communication, she was named one of Australia's Young Tall Poppy Scientists and invited to participate in the United Nations Science Summit on Brain Health. Her overarching goal is to ensure that research is translated into practical action that helps children, families, and communities thrive.

Dr Michalis Stylianou is a senior lecturer with the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland. His research interests focus around creating active and healthy schools using comprehensive and coordinated approaches that involve school staff, parents, and the community. Michalis is also a member of the Active Healthy Kids Australia research working group, a collaboration among Australian children’s physical activity and health researchers who advocate for actions to increase the physical activity levels among Australian children using the Physical Activity Report Card for Children and Young People as the core monitoring metric.

Karen Thorpe is Australian Research Council, Laureate Professor and Group Leader in Child Development, Education and Care at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. Her research is grounded in the understanding that early learning experiences shape brain development and are critical in establishing trajectories of health, social inclusion and learning across the lifespan. A particular focus of her work is early care and education environments including parenting, parent work, quality of care and education, and the early years workforce.

Karen leads a multi-disciplinary team of developmental scientists undertaking large scale longitudinal studies with embedded studies to explicate mechanisms that enable or limit children’s life chances. She was Foundation Psychologist on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at the University of Bristol, UK; led the evaluation of the Preparing School Trial for Queensland Government; led the Queensland team of the E4Kids study of quality in Australian Early Education and Care and a recent data linkage project with Queensland Government to track participants through their school journey. In partnership with Queensland Government, Goodstart Early Learning and the Creche and Kindergarten Association she led a large population study of the Australian ECEC workforce (ARC Linkage). Her current research, as a chief investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families across the life course, and through an ARC Laureate fellowship, is to examine barriers to providing high quality early learning services in developmentally vulnerable communities.

In 2013 and again in 2019 Karen was named by the Australian Financial Review as among Australia's 100 Women of Influence for the impacts of her research on educational and family policy. In 2020 she was recognised by Australian Government, Advance Global Awards for her international contribution to education. Karen chairs the Australian Early Years Reference Council for Evidence for Learning, Australia whose remit is to build a strong evidence-base in early childhood education and care with focus on translation into policy and practice. She is also director on the board of the Australian Research Council for Children and Youth and advisor to the national board of Beyond Blue – Be You.