Susan Danby

Professor Susan Danby is a distinguished academic at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), holding a Professorship and serving as Co-Program Leader for Childhoods in Changing Contexts within the School of Education. Her academic credentials include a PhD from the University of Queensland, alongside international qualifications in Early Childhood Education. She has held prestigious roles such as Australian Research Council Future Fellow (2012–2016) and membership in the ARC College of Experts. Her research focuses on early childhood language, social interaction, and digital technologies, employing qualitative methods like conversation analysis and ethnomethodology.

• Education: PhD (University of Queensland), MEd (Loyola University), BEdSt (University of Queensland), DipT (Brisbane College of Adv. Ed.)
• Professional Affiliations: Australian Association for Research in Education, American Educational Research Association, Early Childhood Australia, and International Pragmatics Association.

Research Interests

Professor Danby’s work explores early years language, childhood studies, and early literacy, with a focus on digital technologies in children’s social worlds. Her projects include investigations into mobile technologies in preschool contexts, helpline interactions, and children’s participation in decision-making. She emphasizes ethical considerations in child-centered research and has pioneered methodologies for studying pediatric palliative care consultations and teletherapy.

Grants & Projects

• ARC Future Fellowship: Investigating mobile technologies in young children’s everyday worlds ($889,328, 2012–2016)
• ARC Discovery Project: Interacting with knowledge, interacting with people: Web searching in early childhood ($464,971, 2011–2013)

Awards & Recognition

• 1999 AARE & AECA Doctoral Thesis Awards
• QUT Faculty of Education Research Supervision Award (2015)
• Keynote speaker at international workshops (e.g., University of Zurich, 2016)

Teaching & Mentorship

Professor Danby has led postgraduate course reforms, including the revised Master of Education program at QUT. She mentors early career academics and has supervised over 10 doctoral candidates, many of whom have won national/international awards. Her work extends to governance roles in university committees and policy development.

Labs & Collaborations

Her research collaborations include the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (ACDC) and projects with institutions like the Royal Children’s Hospital and Kids Helpline. She contributes to editorial boards of journals like Journal of Early Childhood Literacy and Childhoods Today.