Leon Benade

Leon Benade is a Professor in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University (ECU). He holds a Doctor of Education from New Zealand (2012) and has established a national and international reputation in learning environments research. His work focuses on 21st-century learning imperatives, innovative teaching practices, and bicultural education policy. Benade is a Co-Investigator in the 2021 Marsden Fund project exploring Māori flexible learning spaces. He has received several awards, including the 2017 Emerging Researcher Award from AUT.

**Research Interests**

• Innovative Learning Environments
• Educational Philosophy
• Teachers' Work
• Educational Policy
• Cultural Spaces in Education

**Awards**

• 2017 Auckland University of Technology Emerging Researcher Award
• 2021 Marsden Fund Co-Investigator
• 2016 Innovation in Teaching Award

Benade supervises PhD/Master's students on topics like sustainability education and rural Colombian education policy. He has held editorial roles at journals like New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies and New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work. His recent publications (2021–2025) address Māori spatial pedagogy, flexible learning spaces, and peer review ethics in academic publishing.