Professor James Bennett-Levy is a leading academic in Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing at the University Centre for Rural Health (North Coast) , affiliated with the University of Sydney. With an international reputation as a psychotherapy trainer and researcher, his work spans therapist skill development, compassion-focused therapy, and mental health in rural and Indigenous communities. Research Interests: His research focuses on experiential processes in psychotherapy, including imagery, metaphor, and behavioral experiments. He has developed influential models like the Declarative-Procedural-Reflective and Personal Practice frameworks, emphasizing self-experiential training strategies such as Self-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR). Article Trends: Recent work addresses disaster mental health (e.g., floods, cyclones), digital social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) for Indigenous populations, and psychedelic-assisted therapy translation. His publications often intersect clinical psychology, rural health, and cultural adaptation. Scientific Awards: Compassion Focused Therapy Pilot Grant (2017) Integrated Mental Health Atlas Grant (2015) Beyondblue Research Grant (2009-2014) Teaching & Projects: He leads SP/SR-based workshops globally and co-directs the Wellmob SEWB initiative. His current projects include arts-based compassion training for Indigenous Australians and evaluating digital mental health implementation barriers.
Dr. Krestina Amon is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences within the Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health (BIDH) department. She is a core member of the Cyberpsychology Research Group (CRG), focusing on digital health innovations, social media's role in health and education, and technology-based interventions for mental health. Her work spans child/adolescent mental health, serious games for healthcare training, and social media's impact on professional and peer interactions. Dr. Amon holds a PhD and a First Class Honors degree in Behavioural Health Science, alongside a Senior Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Her teaching includes coordinating the units BIDH3008 Digital Health in Practice and BIDH5000 Digital Health Innovation and Implementation . Her research emphasizes: Technology-driven mental health programs for youth Social media platforms for healthcare professional collaboration Impact of biofeedback games on ADHD symptom management Digital recruitment strategies in health studies Awards include the 2024 SEMCAN Good Mentor Award and 2013 Faculty Dean’s Citation for Teaching Excellence. Current projects investigate healthcare professionals' use of online platforms for peer education and interprofessional learning, alongside Pacific Island adolescents' digital health literacy. Her work bridges clinical practice, technology development, and educational innovation. Notable contributions include the Kids Helpline Circles social network platform for mental health support and studies on YouTube/Instagram content analysis for health communication.
Amanda Niland is an academic at the Sydney School of Education and Social Work (University of Sydney) since 2016, following over a decade at Macquarie University. With a PhD in Early Childhood Education and multiple graduate qualifications in music, children’s literature, and Montessori education, her work bridges creative arts, literacy, and inclusive pedagogy. Doctor of Philosophy Grad Dip (Music Studies) MA (Hons) MECh Grad Dip (Children’s Literature) Grad Dip (Montessori Education) Her research focuses on music and creative arts education , children’s literature , and inclusive education , examining how these intersect with young children’s identities and socio-cultural contexts. She employs qualitative methodologies like practitioner inquiry, participatory research with children, and narrative analysis. Recent publications highlight trends in embodied learning , arts-informed pedagogy , and multimodal identity formation . Projects include international studies on music’s role in infant-caregiver bonding and a case study on children co-authoring picture books. Co-researcher: Children as authors and illustrators (2023–2024) Lead collaborator: Infant-directed musical activities (2024) She supervises research students exploring topics like self-regulation in preschoolers and disability inclusion , while also creating picture books that address diversity and inclusion. Her work emphasizes children’s agency, rights, and the transformative potential of arts in early education.
Associate Professor Julia Morris is a Higher Degree by Research Coordinator in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University (ECU) and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on industry engagement in evidence-based educational practices, particularly in learning environments and student engagement. She holds a PhD from ECU (2015) and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Creative Arts and Arts Education (2011). Education: PhD in Education, Edith Cowan University, 2015 Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts), Edith Cowan University, 2011 Bachelor of Arts Education, Edith Cowan University, 2011 Her research emphasizes innovative learning spaces, teacher retention strategies, and arts integration. Key projects include studies on flexible classroom furniture’s impact on engagement and collaborations with schools like Vasse Primary School and Haeata Community Campus. Morris has secured grants totaling over $400,000 for initiatives like 'Participation and Retention in Senior Secondary Schooling' and 'Innovative Learning Environments + Student Experience.' Morris has been recognized with awards including the 2019 Highly Commended Paper from the British Educational Research Association and the 2017 WA Institute for Educational Research Early Career Award. She supervises doctoral and master’s students in areas such as creative media education, Indigenous arts integration, and global pedagogical practices. Her work spans 90+ publications, focusing on topics like STEM education, teacher efficacy, and qualitative research methods. Collaborations include projects with organizations like the Northern Territory Government and Huntington’s Australia, addressing diverse educational challenges.
Dr. Annika Lems is a researcher at the School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, affiliated with the Max Planck Research Group 'Alpine Histories of Global Change'. Her work bridges anthropology with environmental and migration studies, focusing on the intersection of local-global dynamics in European Alpine regions and refugee settlement processes. Affiliation : Australian National University (College of Arts & Social Sciences, School of Archaeology & Anthropology) Research Focus : Mobility/immobility, climate change impacts, cultural heritage, refugee integration, and postcolonial entanglements Her ethnographic research spans the Pitztal Glacier (Tyrol), Bernese Oberland (Switzerland), Vinschgau Valley (South Tyrol), and Nock Mountains (Austria), employing visual methods and collaborations with artists Laura Pan and Ariel Trettel. She explores how communities negotiate belonging through heritage, tourism, and sustainability amidst global pressures. Recent publications analyze spatial fixes in marginalized regions, anti-mobile placemaking tensions, and the existential precarity of unaccompanied refugee youth. Her 2024 book Alpine Histories of Global Change synthesizes four years of interdisciplinary work with a team of anthropologists and a historian. Key methodological contributions include rethinking ethnographic voice representation, experimental anthropological approaches in Europe, and existential kinetics of movement-stasis in containment eras.
Margaret Gooch is a researcher affiliated with James Cook University, focusing on the social dimensions of environmental management in the Great Barrier Reef region. Her work emphasizes community resilience, stakeholder collaboration, and Indigenous governance in conservation contexts. She has authored/co-authored over 30 publications since 2003, with key contributions in coastal resilience, volunteer tourism, and sustainability education. Her research spans disciplines including environmental sociology, policy analysis, and participatory governance. Notable projects include assessments of human dimensions in Great Barrier Reef management, monitoring frameworks for ecosystem health, and education initiatives linking schools with sustainability practices. She has collaborated extensively with organizations like Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. Key research themes include: (1) Indigenous heritage governance, (2) social-ecological resilience in coastal communities, (3) volunteerism in environmental groups, and (4) policy implementation challenges in natural resource management. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in conservation planning and community development.
Michael Crowe is an academic affiliated with James Cook University, specializing in health research methodology and evidence-based practice. His work focuses on developing and validating critical appraisal tools for qualitative and quantitative research, with notable contributions to the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT). He has conducted extensive research on telehealth applications, physiotherapy practice standards, and healthcare workforce policy. His research interests span telemedicine assessment techniques, rural healthcare training alignment, and disability health outcomes. Crowe holds a PhD from James Cook University (2011) and has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed publications since 2009. His studies often emphasize methodological rigor and interdisciplinary approaches, such as comparing qualitative and quantitative research designs. Education: PhD in Health Research Methodology (James Cook University, 2011) Key Contributions: CCAT development, telehealth assessment frameworks, and workforce re-entry models Collaborations: Regular co-authorship with Lorraine Sheppard, Anne Jones, and other health sciences researchers Crowe’s publications highlight trends in healthcare innovation, including digital health applications (e.g., telehealth goniometry tools) and systematic reviews evaluating extended scope physiotherapy roles. His work underscores the importance of standardized appraisal methods to ensure research quality and clinical decision-making reliability.
Associate Professor Scott Hawken is a faculty member at the University of Adelaide, affiliated with the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering within the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology. He serves as the Program Director for the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design and is actively involved in teaching, research, and supervision at the postgraduate level. Position: Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture Role: Program Director, Master of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Faculty: Sciences, Engineering and Technology School: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering Email: scott.hawken@adelaide.edu.au Dr. Hawken holds a PhD awarded in 2012 for his work mapping archaeological landscapes of Angkor using remote sensing. His research bridges landscape architecture, urban design, and landscape archaeology, emphasizing biodiversity-positive design, green infrastructure, and the use of advanced geospatial technologies. He is a national leader in promoting biodiversity in urban landscapes and chairs AILA's National Biodiversity Positive Working Group. His research interests span critical urban scholarship, radical political ecology, and the application of GIS, remote sensing, and geodesign in urban contexts. He has led international workshops across Asia, Europe, and North America and has consulted for the United Nations on urban development and human rights. His recent work includes editing a special issue for Urban Studies that integrates archaeology with contemporary urban planning and exploring biocultural digital twins and patch urbanism. The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong interdisciplinary trend, combining archaeology, urban studies, smart cities, and sustainability. His work consistently applies geospatial methods to historical and contemporary urban challenges, focusing on resilience, equity, and ecological integration in cities. Dr. Hawken has received recognition through editorial board appointments for Environment and Urbanisation ASIA and the Journal for Knowledge Based Development , and he regularly reviews for top journals. He was invited to deliver a keynote address to the Japanese Society of Landscape Architects in 2023. He is passionate about mentoring and is currently supervising or seeking PhD students in areas such as cultural landscapes, landscape archaeology, smart cities, green and blue infrastructure, and urban megaprojects. He has secured research grants related to urban resilience and digital transformation and has led the Smart Cities Research Cluster at UNSW in the past. Dr. Hawken leads research initiatives that integrate archaeological insights with modern urban design, particularly through his work on Angkor and rapid urban greening. He collaborates with government agencies, professional bodies, and international institutions to advance sustainable and equitable urban futures.
Associate Professor Lisa Fitzgerald is a public health sociologist at the School of Public Health , University of Queensland. Her work focuses on the health and wellbeing of marginalized populations, particularly those affected by HIV, sexual health disparities, and social determinants of health. She coordinates postgraduate courses in public health and qualitative research methods. Qualifications : Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, University of Canterbury; Masters (Coursework), University of Canterbury; Doctor of Philosophy, University of Otago. Research Interests : Qualitative Longitudinal Research Social Determinants of (Sexual) Health Community and Participatory Research Methods Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grants : 2023-2026: Sociology of health data for sexually diverse populations (ARC Discovery Project) 2020-2023: Migrant networks and sexual health literacy 2019-2023: Sexual health trajectories of gender-diverse youth Supervision : She supervises PhD students exploring topics like Indigenous public health, queer rural experiences, sex worker health, and HIV self-testing. Her research has informed policy on HIV services, sex work, and harm reduction, with a focus on community partnerships and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Dr. Sarah Goodwin is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University's Department of Human Centred Computing, specializing in geospatial analysis and information visualization. She leads the Embodied Visualisation research group and holds roles as Director of Engagement for Human-Centred Computing and co-Director of the Monash Grid Innovation Hub. Her work focuses on creating visual solutions for complex data, including energy grid analysis, cancer prevalence visualization, and urban data exploration. Dr. Goodwin has over 20 years of experience in academic and professional roles, collaborating globally with institutions like the giCentre (City University London) and RMIT University. Education: She holds a PhD in Geographical Information Science (City University London, 2015), MSc in Geographical Information Systems (City University London, 2007), and BSc (Honours) in Geography (University of Manchester, 2003). Research Interests: Geovisualization, energy data analytics, urban data visualization, HCI, and geostatistical modeling. She has developed tools like Gazealytics and led projects such as the Australian Cancer Atlas and the Australia's Discourse Explorer. Teaching: She teaches Data Exploration and Visualisation (FIT5147) and Research Methods at Monash, impacting over 1000 students annually. She has also taught at RMIT University. Grants & Awards: Recipient of the IEEE InfoVis Best Paper Honorable Mention (2016). Active in conferences like IEEE VIS (General Chair, 2023) and organizes workshops on EnergyVis and CityVis. Labs & Teams: Involved with the Immersive Analytics Lab and collaborates with Monash Energy Institute and Data Futures Institute. Her work aligns with UN SDGs on sustainable cities and energy systems.
Dr Louise Phillips is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on children's citizenship, civic action, and storytelling pedagogies, emphasizing community engagement and social justice. She leads projects such as The Walking Neighbourhood and has contributed to studies on school attendance policies and global citizenship education. PhD in Education from Queensland University of Technology (2010) Key areas: child rights, early childhood education, and participatory methodologies Her work bridges theory and practice through creative approaches like child-led walks and arts activism. Recent projects include investigating data citizenship in Singaporean schools and global testing practices in Bangladesh. Publications span books like Young Children’s Community Building in Action and over 50 journal articles in outlets such as Educational Review and Global Studies of Childhood . She collaborates internationally on initiatives like the Spencer Foundation-funded Civic Action and Learning with Young Children . Her research highlights the importance of youth voice in environmental and policy decisions, as seen in studies on adult attitudes toward child participation in governmental decision-making.
Dhaval Vyas is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Queensland, Australia. He leads the Compassion Lab research group and is a former ARC DECRA Fellow (2018-2022). His educational background includes a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from University of Twente (Netherlands), a Master's degree in Computer Science from Lancaster University (UK), and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Gujarat University (India). Dr. Vyas's research focuses on designing technology solutions for underserved communities. His work spans Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), with specific emphasis on supporting health and wellbeing in low socioeconomic status communities, refugees and asylum seekers, women in crisis situations, rural communities in developing countries, and older adults. He has developed innovative approaches to democratizing making practices through e-waste recycling and has created applications for men's sheds to coordinate activities. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on refugee integration, making practices in underserved communities, health technology for older adults, and sustainable design. His work often combines ethnographic approaches with participatory design methods to develop technology solutions that genuinely address community needs. Scientific Awards: ARC DECRA Fellow (2018-2022) Dr. Vyas actively supervises PhD and Master's students, with current projects focusing on designing technologies for humanitarian entrants, refugee entrepreneurial pathways, smart homes for people with disabilities, and inclusive AI design for developing countries. His research has generated significant media interest, particularly around e-waste recycling initiatives and smart home technologies for assisted living. The Compassion Lab, which he leads, maintains a strong user-centric focus, studying issues at the grassroots level and involving community members directly in the design and development of technological solutions.
Professor Michele Grossman AM holds the Research Chair in Diversity and Community Resilience at Deakin University's Alfred Deakin Institute. She co-convenes the AVERT Research Network and directs the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (CRIS), focusing on community contributions to countering violent extremism. Her research examines how communities build resilience against violent extremism through bystander reporting mechanisms, youth resilience measurement, and cross-cultural trust relations. Recent projects include international studies on intimate bystander reporting thresholds in Canada, the UK, and Australia. Publications demonstrate methodological innovation in terrorism research ethics, mixed-methods approaches to extremist discourse analysis, and arts-based interventions for radicalization prevention. Scientific Awards: Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to tertiary education and social welfare initiatives Walter McRae Russell Prize for 'Entangled Subjects: Indigenous Cross-Cultures of Talk, Text and Modernity' She leads major grants including $875,247 from the Australian Research Council for 'Understanding the drivers and motivators of extremist violence' and $210,123 from the US Department of Homeland Security for bystander reporting research. Current doctoral supervision focuses on clinical assessment of high-risk individuals.
Professor Bernardo Figueiredo is a faculty member in the Department of Economics, Finance & Marketing at RMIT University, Australia. His research focuses on globalization's impact on consumption and marketing practices, with expertise in consumer culture theory, customer experience design, and ageing consumers. He has held roles in industry, including at Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and as CEO of SMEs in the art sector. His awards include the RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Learning and Teaching and the Best Competitive Paper at the Anzmac Conference (2019). He supervises research projects on topics like ICT literacy in older adults, diaspora consumer experiences, and luxury electric car market sustainability. He is affiliated with the Consumer Wellbeing Group and Consumer Culture Insights Group. Industry Experience: Marketing roles at multinational corporations, government auditing, and SME leadership. Research Keywords: Value co-creation, consumer technology engagement, inclusive design, brand visual aesthetics. Impact: Pioneered the ‘Shaping Connections’ project to improve digital and social inclusion for older Australians through peer mentoring programs.
Heather Horst is Professor of Design Anthropology at the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning , University of Sydney. She holds additional affiliations as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Digital Anthropology, University College London, and as Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University. PhD (University of London), MA (California), BA (Minnesota) Her research explores material culture , mobility studies , and the mediation of social relations through technology, homes, and clothing. Current projects include the ARC Discovery Project Fashioning Fiji (2020-2025) and a $2.9M ACIAR initiative on mobile financial services in Laos and Cambodia (2022-2026). In recognition of her contributions, Heather was elected Fellow of the Academy of the Humanities, Australia (2023) . She has supervised 11 PhD students to completion and co-developed the HOMAGO framework for informal learning environments, now widely adopted in afterschool programs globally.
