Dean's Keynote: Professor Julie McLeod and Professor Jill Blackmore

You are invited to our next Dean's Keynote Series event on Thursday, 11th June 2026 from 2.00-3.00pm AEST.

The Dean's Keynote Series theme for 2026 is: Dissecting Influence: Critical Insights into Education and Education Research.  

We welcome all to attend this most important event.

Abstract

Education research is critical to a thriving democracy and economy as it informs policy and practice in early childhood, schools, universities, vocational and community education with long term social, political and economic benefits for all. The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) have joined with Australian education research organisations to lead the development of a Decadal Plan for Australian Education Research 2026-35. This plan aims to identify the priorities and opportunities for education research to shape policy, funding and practice over the next 10-years. This presentation will report on emerging themes derived from the consultation process and welcomes discussion on the issue raised, including  what is required to develop a new social contract for education and a new agenda for educational research. 

Julie McLeod is Professor of Curriculum, Equity and Social Change at the University of Melbourne, where she has previously been Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Capability).  Her research crosses over history and sociology of education, motivated by questions about education, identities and social change, including the temporalities of reform and genealogies of educational common sense, particularly in relation to radical and progressive movements.

She has specific interests in youth and futures, feminism and curriculum, citizenship and social differentiation, and in biographical, archival and longitudinal methods. Current ARC projects include ‘Progressive Education and Race:  A transnational Australian history, 1920s-50s’ and  Making Futures a longitudinal study of youth identities, generational change and education.

She was President of the Australian Association for Research in Education (2023-2025), co-editor of History of Education Review (2018-2024), is current President of the Australian and New Zealand History of Education Society (2026-2028) and an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia.  

Jill Blackmore AM PhD FASSA is Deakin Distinguished Professor of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, former President of the Australian Association of University Professors and the Australian Association of Educational Research. She undertakes research from a feminist perspective of education policy and governance; school autonomy reform; gender equity reform; leadership and organisational change; international and intercultural education; gendered labour markets and employability, and teachers' and academics’ work, health and wellbeing.

She has undertaken research with principal and parent organisations, unions, governments and NGOs. Current projects she co-leads are ARC Linkage (Australian Education Union, Australian Council of State School Parents and Australian Secondary School Principals Association) (2024-8) Attracting and Retaining a Culturally Diverse Teacher Workforce; ARC Discovery (with Ly Tran) The Geopolitics of Transnational Student Mobility.