Sakinah Alhadad

Dr Sakinah Alhadad is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University's School of Education and Professional Studies, where she serves as First Year Coordinator for the Bachelor of Education program. She is an active researcher and educator working at the intersection of psychology, learning sciences, and education, with a strong commitment to equity and social justice in higher education.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Psychology from the University of Queensland, a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education from Griffith University, and a Bachelor's Degree with First Class Honors in Psychology from the University of Queensland. She holds the prestigious status of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Alhadad's research focuses on educational wellbeing, belonging, epistemic justice, and social justice within higher education contexts. Her work particularly centers on minoritized and racialized populations from an intersectional perspective, examining how knowledge is constructed, evaluated, and integrated for a diverse, justice-oriented future. Methodologically, she employs interdisciplinary approaches that prioritize collaborative research with rather than on people, partnering with teachers, students, and stakeholders to study conditions that foster educational wellbeing and justice.

Her teaching philosophy is grounded in the pedagogy of care, equity, and justice, drawing inspiration from thinkers like Paolo Freire and bell hooks. She designs innovative curricula across undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional learning contexts using evidence-based, learner-centered, digitally-enabled strategies that put educational dignity and liberation at the center of practice.

Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward understanding educational wellbeing through intercultural exchanges, mental health promotion for university students, and justice-oriented futures for higher education. These works consistently integrate digital technologies, transdisciplinary approaches, and critical methodologies to address educational inequities.

• Member, Griffith Institute for Educational Research (2022-present)
• Member, Griffith University Gender Equality Research Network (2021-present)
• Committee Member, AEL Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee (2022-present)
• Committee Member, School of Education & Professional Studies Research Committee (2022-present)
• Editorial Board Member, British Journal of Educational Technology (2021)
• Member, International Society for the Learning Sciences Education Committee (2021)

Dr Alhadad has secured multiple research grants focusing on educational justice, including projects on creatively imagining racially just futures for higher education, understanding preservice teachers' belonging literacy, and investigating academic women's experiences of sexism and discrimination in Australian universities. Her supervisory work includes both doctoral and Masters students across diverse topics including VR technology readiness, music performance anxiety, and fitness tracking devices for students with disabilities.

Her impactful research project 'Intercultural Literacy and the Everyday: Redefining University Well-being' demonstrated improved student wellbeing through online socialization and creative, arts-based activities, with students reporting changed attitudes toward wellbeing and enhanced social and intercultural communication skills.