Penny Edmonds

Professor Penny Edmonds is the Matthew Flinders Professor of History at Flinders University, specializing in colonial and postcolonial histories, heritage, and reconciliation. She is affiliated with the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne (2006). Her research focuses on British imperialism, settler colonialism, and transnational histories of Australia and the Pacific. She has led initiatives such as the ARC Future Fellowship project 'Eyewitness to Empire' and contributed to landmark apologies for colonial injustices, including the 2021 apology by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Awards include the 2024 Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the 2018 TRACE Award.

Education: PhD in History, University of Melbourne (2006).

Research Interests: Colonialism, race, reconciliation, humanitarianism, slavery, gender, museums, and public history. Recent projects include studies on Eliza Batman, Pacific Islander labor, and the cultural significance of extinct species like the thylacine.

Awards & Grants: ARC Future Fellowship (2012–2017), Digital Technologies Prize (2025), and numerous publications on colonial violence and memory.

Labs/Teams: Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts (Flinders University), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Board.