Susan Irvine

Professor Susan Irvine is a leading academic in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), holding a professorial position in the School of Education. She specializes in ECEC policy, workforce development, and leadership, with a focus on bridging policy and practice. Her research addresses quality standards, professional learning, and health promotion in early education contexts.

Dr. Irvine earned her Doctor of Philosophy from QUT and has held leadership roles in tertiary education, government policy, and direct service provision. She currently serves as Head of the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at QUT. Her teaching spans early childhood, vocational, and higher education, emphasizing adult learning principles and career pathways in ECEC.

Her research portfolio includes multi-disciplinary projects on workforce development, policy implementation, and quality improvement in ECEC settings. Notable projects include national studies on ECEC workforce qualifications and collaborative investigations into sleep practices and pedagogical leadership. She actively contributes to policy advisory groups at state and national levels, influencing frameworks like the National Quality Improvement Research Project.

Recent publications highlight her work on educator professionalization, stakeholder engagement in policy reform, and translational neuroscience applications in early education. Her articles often analyze systemic structures impacting ECEC quality, with a focus on integrating child perspectives into policy decisions.

In teaching leadership, Professor Irvine redesigned QUT's Master of Education program and expanded online postgraduate offerings. She chairs the Queensland Early Childhood Teacher Education Network and mentors educators through professional learning programs, reflecting her commitment to career advancement pathways in ECEC.