Georgina Dimopoulos - Southern Cross University

Finding her academic home: Why Georgina chooses SCU

There’s something about working with a team that cares as much as you do. Just ask Georgina Dimopoulos, our Associate Professor of Law. Georgina says since joining Southern Cross University in 2023, she’s had opportunities to conduct the research she’s most passionate about while also collaborating with colleagues who are equally dedicated to enhancing the student experience.

A chance to genuinely make a difference

“You’re the first person to actually listen to me.” These words have stuck with Georgina Dimopoulos ever since she interviewed the teenage boy who spoke them. For Georgina, they remain a powerful reminder of the importance of her work at Southern Cross University.

As an Associate Professor of Law, Georgina has been interviewing children and young people across Australia to understand their experiences in family court. This work is part of a research project she’s leading, focused on enhancing children’s participation in the family law system. Georgina says it’s critical children are given a voice.

“For a long time, we’ve focused on children needing shielding and protection in a family law and/or family violence context. This has led to a paternalistic approach where children have been invisible and silenced. Children have the right to participate in decision making about their lives. We need to make that happen in practice.”

Georgina is fiercely passionate about her work. She believes this project, along with others she’s working on at SCU, have the potential to make a tangible difference to children's outcomes across Australia’s legal systems.

“It’s a really exciting time to be working in this space. If we can get the message across to people who can change the law for the better, then that will help change children and young people’s lives.”

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Georgina might never have realised her lifelong passion for family law if not for a serendipitous timetable clash in the final year of her undergraduate degree.

“I took an elective in family law, by chance. But from the first class, I found it absolutely fascinating. Since then, I've been drawn to the dynamics of human relationships and understanding how the law can regulate families.”

This passion inspired Georgina to apply for a Senior Lecturer role with SCU in early 2023. It was a bold decision, requiring relocating her family from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, but Georgina describes it as “the best thing” for all of them. At SCU, she has found not only a place that welcomes her expertise but a community that’s welcomed her family, too.

“It’s just the feeling that the uni cares about you and your family as people. It’s this very warm and welcoming environment, and you feel like your career can really thrive and succeed,” Georgina says.

“When I arrived at SCU, the Vice-Chancellor called me and said, ‘I’d like you to be able to make SCU your academic home.’ That has always stuck with me because that’s exactly what this place has become!”

Georgina notes that SCU is also a place for personal and professional growth. In less than two years, she was promoted from Senior Lecturer to her current position. In 2023, she received the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award (Early Career Researcher) and in 2024 the university’s inaugural ‘Inspiring Researcher Award’ as well as a Teaching Excellence Award. She also gained international recognition for her teaching of family law, winning the Excellence in Teaching (Early Career) Award from the International Block and Intensive Learning and Teaching Association (IBILTA).

“It is very humbling to receive this recognition. It does give you that sense of feeling recognised and valued for what you do. And being able to progress to Associate Professor so quickly is something that realistically, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do at a larger institution. I've also had opportunities to develop as a leader, a researcher and a teacher here.”

Teaching with real heart

Georgina’s parents were the first in their families to attend university. As a result, Georgina truly appreciates the challenges students face in their struggles with self-belief, and she values SCU’s emphasis on setting these students up to succeed.

“I’m really proud that here, we’re giving opportunities to students who otherwise mightn’t have them. Some have overcome significant adversity to be here. We have mums with young babies completing degrees, mature-age students who haven’t studied for decades and people caring for elderly or sick family members while studying.”

As a university student herself, Georgina was inspired by incredible lecturers who prompted her to think, question and challenge. At SCU, she’s become known as an enthusiastic, dedicated lecturer who goes above and beyond to develop innovative teaching resources. She frequently reminds her students there’s no such thing as a stupid question and always makes time for an impromptu 15-minute chat between classes. Georgina says the care she puts into her students’ education is typical of staff at SCU.

“We have this level of care across the Law Faculty here. It's this genuine desire to get to know our students, their names and stories and to help them through their degrees. This is something I’ve not experienced elsewhere. And that really stands out for me about SCU.”

The chance to build meaningful connections with students is another reason Georgina feels she’s truly found her academic home here.

“Knowing that I'm in an environment where I can genuinely focus on supporting our students to succeed is something that really matters to me. It makes me happy and proud to be part of the SCU community.”