Matt Lumb

Dr. Matt Lumb serves as the Associate Director of the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education (CEEHE) at the University of Newcastle, Australia. His work is situated within the College of Human and Social Futures, where he contributes to research and practice aimed at addressing persistent inequalities in higher education through a unique 'praxis-based' social justice framework. He collaborates closely with the UNESCO Chair in Equity, Social Justice and Higher Education led by Professor Penny Jane Burke.

Lumb's research career developed from extensive professional experience in community development, having worked with UNICEF in Australia and overseas (including Zambia, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Fiji), as a teacher in NSW public schools, and with Australian Red Cross. His academic journey culminated in a PhD from the University of Newcastle investigating unintended consequences of university outreach connections.

His research interests focus on community development, critical pedagogy, educational access, equity, evaluation methodologies, international development, social inequalities, social justice, sociology of education, and widening participation. Lumb's work emphasizes sophisticated participatory methodologies that make evaluative processes more generative, delivering nuanced understandings of the dynamics that produce program impact. He challenges deficit models in equity work and promotes counter-hegemonic democratic practices in evaluation.

As a prolific researcher, Lumb has secured over $440,000 in research funding across eight grants between 2017-2025, including significant projects like the 'Reclaiming My Place Healing and Recovery Project' ($100,000) and the 'International Review of equity in higher education' ($114,627). His collaborative work spans Australia, Ghana, and England, focusing on gender-based violence impacts on higher education access, equity in STEM fields, and developing frameworks for transformative equity.

Lumb actively contributes to the Gender Justice Hub initiative, which connects research with policy and practice to address gender-based violence in higher education contexts. His work with the UNESCO Chair program builds international communities of praxis through peer-mentoring programs dedicated to achieving gender parity in and beyond higher education.