Meet the Team

Professor Sue Walker

Leader, Early Years Research Lab; Associate Dean (Research)

Professor Susan Walker’s research interests concern children's developmental outcomes and the role of early intervention in early childhood. Susan has extensive expertise in survey methodology and quantitative data analysis.

Professor Wendy Boyd

Co-Leader, Early Years Research Lab; Chair of Discipline (ECEC); Associate Dean (Education)

Wendy Boyd joined Southern Cross University in February 2009 with professional expertise in early childhood education and care. She taught for 25 years leading a large early childhood centre that was continuously assessed as high quality.

Dr Olivera Kamenarac

Co-Leader, Early Years Research Lab; Senior Lecturer

Olivera Kamenarac is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education (Gold Coast Campus). Her scholarship intersects feminist post-structuralist and post-humanist philosophies of subject formation and subjectivities in education across different countries. With vast international experience in studying educational policies and politics, Olivera is particularly focused on challenging local and global policies, structures, and systems (re)producing injustices for human and non-human be(com)ings.

Dr Charmaine Bernie

Vice-Chancellor Senior Research Fellow

Dr Charmaine Bernie is a Vice-Chancellor Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Education's Early Years Research Lab at Southern Cross University. Charmaine is passionate about early years care and research for children and their families.

Associate Professor Pauline Roberts

Post Graduate Course Coordinator Primary Education, and Post Graduate Course Coordinator Secondary Education

Pauline Roberts is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood studies at Southern Cross University (SCU), based in Perth, WA. Her teaching background includes a range of curriculum and content areas including early years Science and STEM, early childhood leadership, transition to the workforce, research units and advocacy. In her current roles at SCU Pauline is engaged in teaching early childhood leadership units and coordinating post-graduate programs in Primary and Secondary sectors.

Jubilee Smith

Primary Course Coordinator, Lecturer

Jubilee Smith is a primary and tertiary educator with 25+ years’ experience teaching technologies and English. She holds a PhD from SCU on educator decision-making around digital tech. As a researcher with SCU’s Early Years Lab and NSW Screens in Learning project, she explores screen use, pre-service teacher practices, and inclusive co-design. A member of ATTEN, she publishes in tech education and advocates for equitable digital integration.

Kelly Simpson

Associate Lecturer

Kelly is a Higher Degree Research candidate for a PhD with Southern Cross University, investigating outcomes of initial teacher education programs for early childhood teachers. She has extensive teaching experience in early childhood and vocationally, and a deep interest in initial and ongoing teacher education.

Dr Stacey Campbell

Senior Lecturer in English, literacies and language, in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, QUT

Dr Kelly Bittner

Post Grad Course Coordinator (Main and Sydney Campus) Early Childhood Education and Care, Senior Lecturer

Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood with Southern Cross University. Her work as an academic includes a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, lecturer with Macquarie University and senior researcher positions with the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Dr Tracy Young

Post Grad Course Coordinator (Melbourne Campus) Early Childhood Education and Care, Senior Lecturer

Dr. Tracy Charlotte Young is a senior lecturer and researcher in early childhood education and care at Southern Cross University's Faculty of Education. Committed to animal activism, her research focuses on multispecies education, child-animal relations, environmental education, and critical posthumanism. Tracy employs qualitative and post-qualitative methods such as narrative inquiry, ethnographic, speculative, and embodied research/praxis.

Dr Amanda Levido

Undergrad Course Coordinator Early Childhood Education and Care, Lecturer

Dr Amanda Levido is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at SCU. She researches media arts and media literacy education. She is interested in how young children use digital media technologies as part of their learning in both formal and informal learning settings.

Dr Fazlin Mohd Nazir

Post Grad Campus Coordinator (Perth Campus) Early Childhood Education and Care; Associate Lecturer

Fazlin is an Associate Lecturer and Perth Campus Coordinator in Early Childhood Education and Care at Southern Cross University. Her research interests include schools’ partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families in the early years of school, culturally responsive pedagogy and third spaces or culturally safe spaces. Prior to completing her PhD, she worked in marketing, community services and early childhood education as a program manager, centre director and educator.

Dr Ting Wei

Lecturer

Dr Ting Wei is a Lecturer in ECEC, bringing over 25 years of experience as an educator, lecturer, and researcher. Her expertise spans teacher education, curriculum design and evaluation, and child development, with a strong focus on child empowerment. Throughout her career, she has held various leadership roles in both local and international institutions, contributing to teaching, research, consultancy and scholarly publication-further advancing the quality of early childhood education.

Dr Shaila Banu

Lecturer

Dr Shaila Banu is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education. She has demonstrated remarkable achievements in teaching, research, and leadership. Her teaching philosophy highlights the importance of social interaction and guidance which is aligned with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological theory. Her research focuses on the quality of ECEC; play-based pedagogy; pre-service and in-service teachers’ perceptions to play-based pedagogy and STEAM activities.

Evie Moran

Lecturer

Evangeline Moran is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University. Evangeline has experience working in various roles in centre-based services, long day care and standalone kindergartens settings. She is currently studying her PhD investigating how children’s agency is supported within and between the kindergarten and home learning environments. Evangeline was a runner-up for the Outstanding Thesis Award in 2020 and was awarded the Jean Ferguson Memorial Award in 2016.

Anna Zhang

Deputy Director (Operations), Professional Experience, Associate Lecturer, Early Childhood Education

Anna is a strategic leader, educator & emergent researcher with extensive professional experience across China and Australia. She is a dedicated advocate for young children and the early childhood education workforce, with a focus on strengthening preservice teacher preparation through quality mentorship. As an active member of professional associations, Anna combines her pedagogical expertise with sector knowledge to drive equity and excellence in early childhood education and higher education.

Lucia Stacchiotti

Associate Lecturer

Lucia Stacchiotti has over 20 years of experience in ECE, entangling theory, practice, and research. She believes in early education’s power to inspire collective thinking and change. Lucia has mentored students and teachers in Italy and Australia and worked as editor of The Challenge Magazine. She holds Master’s degrees in ECE, Dynamic Ed Approaches, Inclusive Ed, Pedagogy, Human Sciences, and Clinical Pedagogy. She is pursuing a PhD in Ed, exploring belonging in ECC.

Celine Capel

Associate Lecturer

Celine Capel lectures in Early Childhood Education and Care in the Faculty of Education. With 25+ years’ teaching experience in Australia and Asia, she has worked extensively with neurodiverse children and families. She holds an MA in Special Needs Education and is completing a PhD on educator–child collaborative play. Her research interests include Play and Neurodiverse Children, Play Environments, Collaborative Play, Play Co-creation by Educators and Children, and Play Outcomes and Benefits.

Dr Anamika Devi

Program director and lecturer at School of Education in RMIT University

Professor Suzie Garvis

Co-ordinator of Internationalisation, Griffith University, School of Education and Professional Studies

Associate Professor Annette Henderson

Director, Early Learning Laboratory Chair, School of Psychology, University of Auckland

Ms Therese Lovett

Tutor and PhD candidate in Education Futures at UniSA

Professor Andrea Nolan

Professor In Education (Early Childhood), Deakin University