Matthew Krehl Edward Thomas

Associate Professor Matthew Krehl Edward Thomas SFHEA is an Associate Head of School, Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University. He is an established researcher who critiques the systems in which educators are formed and works to enhance teaching at a system level, focusing on the development of highly capable, relational teachers for a more equitable society. His research is centered on enhancing initial teacher education globally, with a particular interest in critically disrupting dominant power relations by examining the structures of teaching and learning (power, time, social justice) and how these privilege learners unevenly.

• Associate Head of School, Teaching and Learning (2025-present)
• Director of Professional Experience (2021-2024)
• Course Director: Master of Teaching (Overall) (2019-2021)
• Global Experience Academic Coordinator: Oceania, Europe, Asia (2018-2021)
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Professor Thomas's research interests span Initial Teacher Education, Sociology of Time & Education, Systems Thinking, Human Rights, Surveillance Capitalism, and Pedagogy & Curriculum. His work seeks to critically disrupt dominant power relations by examining the structures of teaching and learning and how these privilege learners unevenly. His most recent research explores the intersection of temporality and commodification of personal data, with several publications examining how AI surveillance transforms educational norms through a Foucauldian lens.

His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on teacher education challenges, with particular attention to classroom readiness, mentorship practices, and the impact of surveillance technologies on educational environments. The research demonstrates significant engagement with theoretical frameworks including Bourdieu's concepts of practice architectures, Foucault's theories of surveillance, and critical pedagogy approaches to examining power dynamics in education. His work addresses practical concerns in Australian teacher education while contributing to international scholarly conversations.

• Renaissance Scholar Award (2023, School of Education)
• Teaching and Assessment Approaches that are Effective in Supporting Student Learning Award (2023)
• Vice Chancellors Award: Safer Learners (2023)
• Curriculum design that is innovative, motivates and inspires (2022)
• 2017 ESRI REDI inaugural Travelling Fellow

Professor Thomas is actively involved in several major research projects funded by the Department of Education and Training Victoria, including 'Isolation, placement poverty and learning to teach in the Bush' ($216,024.09) and 'Implementing a Multi-Provider Professional Practice Model in Victorian Regional Communities' ($208,330.00). He currently supervises seven doctoral and master's students across a range of topics including AI in educational decision-making, teacher identity formation, and microaggressions against female academics of color. His supervision approach emphasizes relational teaching and critical engagement with structures of power in education, positioning him as a significant contributor to teacher education research and practice in Australia and internationally.