About
Avril Alba is a Professor of Holocaust Studies and Jewish Civilisation at the University of Sydney, serving as Head of the School of Languages and Cultures. She holds a BA (Hons)/BMus from the University of Adelaide, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD from the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on Holocaust memory, museums, modern Jewish history, and Jewish theology. Key projects include an ARC Discovery Grant on Australian Holocaust memory and an ARC Linkage Grant evaluating Holocaust museum education's impact. She leads the international research group 'The Holocaust and Legacies of Race' with Cape Town and Southampton universities.
Her roles include Project Director/Consulting Curator for Sydney Jewish Museum exhibitions and involvement in projects like 'The Holocaust and Human Rights.' Awards include the 2023 SOAR Prize, 2016 Vice Chancellor's Early Career Research Award, and a 2013 Berlin fellowship. She supervises research on Holocaust memory and trauma museums, with current student Fan exploring memorial engagement in China. Alba is a member of the Vere Gordon Childe Centre and actively participates in conferences addressing Holocaust memory, human rights, and museum ethics.
Her publications include The Holocaust Memorial Museum: Sacred Secular Space (2015) and forthcoming works on transnational Holocaust museums. Media contributions include ABC analyses on Holocaust education and ethical memory. Her work bridges historical research, museum practice, and contemporary ethical challenges.
