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Dr Ali Reza Alaei

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Ali Reza Alaei is currently a lecturer of Information Technology and Computer Science at Southern Cross University. He worked as a research fellow and post-doctoral research fellow at the Griffith School of ICT, Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and University of Tours, France on several projects. He has also a rich working experience at industries.

Key research topics:
Document image analysis, big data, biometrics, sentiment analysis, human visual system modelling, pattern recognition, classification.

Dr Leticia Anderson

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

I have a dual research specialty on race relations and Islamophobia in Australian society and on culturally inclusive and community engaged education and training.

Key research topics:
Race and racism, critical race theory, islamophobia, racism and the media, critical pedagogy, cultural competence, intercultural communication, transformational learning and teaching, intercultural parenting, suicide prevention.

Professor Yvonne Brunetto

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Yvonne Brunetto is currently Professor, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts. Professor Brunetto's PhD (Griffith University) was achieved in 2000 with her thesis Implementing Policies within an Institutional Framework. She has undertaken numerous research projects examining the different types of management support and their effects on professional, first response, and administrative employees.

Key research topics:
Business and management, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement, policy and administration, management, business.

Dr Vinh Bui

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Vinh Bui received PhD in Electrical Engineering from University of New South Wales in 2008. He has been with the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University, Gold Coast since 2017. Before SCU, he held various positions at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

Key research topics:
Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and internet of things in tourism, healthcare and education.

Dr Leigh Carriage

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Leigh Carriage is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music in the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. Leigh completed her PhD, Doctorate in Philosophy (Composition) at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney University. Creative research continues to be at the heart of her academic practice.

Key research topics:
Music composition, music performance, songwriting, performing arts, voice pedagogy, practice-based research, collaborative recording, women in music, improvisation.

Associate Professor Michael Charles

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Associate Professor Michael Charles is a member of the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. He is currently the School Director Higher Degree Research and the Coordinator of the Doctor of Business Administration, as well as a member of the School Executive and SCU’s Higher Degree Research Committee. He has a PhD from the University of Queensland and a Master of International Business Studies from the Queensland University of Technology. He has published over 80 refereed journal articles, together with numerous book chapters and refereed conference papers. His current research mainly focuses on infrastructure policy (particularly pertaining to transport), public values and infrastructures, research policy, collaboration and engagement between industry and academia, and history (mainly of the ancient world, with a particular interest in ancient Persia, elephants in warfare and ancient sexuality). He is also increasingly interested in research pertaining to the supervision of HDR candidates.

Key research topics:
Policy, management, infrastructure, history.

Adjunct Senior Lecturer Dr Angela Coco

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Catholics experiences of conflict with the church, Catholic social movement called 'Women and the Australian Church', Pagan organising and communicating in online/offline spaces, Universal Medicine (New Religious Movement).

Key research topics:
Social sciences, new religious movements, catholicism, paganism, sense-making.

Associate Professor Grayson Cooke

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Born in New Zealand and based in Australia, Dr Grayson Cooke is an interdisciplinary scholar and media artist, and Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University. Dr Cooke is an award-winning media artist whose work shows regularly in galleries and festivals around the world. He has presented media art and live audio-visual performance works in Australia and internationally, and has exhibited and performed in major international festivals such as the Japan Media Arts Festival, NeMaf in Seoul, VIDEOFORMES in France, TIVA in Taipei, the FILE Festival in Sao Paulo, WRO Media Art Biennale and the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York, with exhibitions at key venues such as MONA in Hobart, the National Art Centre in Tokyo, and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.

Key research topics:
Media art, art/science, the archive.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Moya Costello

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

I commenced at SCU in 2008 and ended my full-time continuing position 2017. I'm currently Adjunct Lecturer. I am a writer and have worked as an editor. I've taught at the universities of Canberra, Adelaide and Flinders, TAFE and to community groups; given single seminars at the universities of Western Sydney and South Australia.

Key research topics:
Creative writing, ecocriticism, australian literature, food and wine studies, gothic studies, fabric and affect, experimental writing, art writing, murray bail, creative writing pedagogy, fictocriticism, prose poetry.

Adjunct Lecturer Tom Dick

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Tom has lived in Vanuatu for 9 years, and in Thailand for 2 years. He has worked on various festivals and events as a producer for 15 years. Tom's PhD project explored the intersection of kastom, art and tourism in a case study on the Vanuatu Women's Water Music. He is currently teaching leadership and research at Southern Cross University.

Key research topics:
Events, tourism.

Adjunct Senior Lecturer Dr Kay Dimmock

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Kay is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. She is a teaching and research scholar who works with undergraduate and postgraduate students. Kay supervises higher degree research students in areas related to tourism management, marine tourism including scuba diving tourism. Over recent decades she has taught internationally supporting students in Thailand, India, Singapore and Indonesia.

Key research topics:
Marine tourism, outdoor leisure, tourism management, teaching tourism in higher education.

Adjunct Associate Professor Rob Garbutt

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Director of Community Engagement, Southern Cross University, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts.

Key research topics:
Cultural studies, place and belonging, environmental humanities, creative research.

Dr Evgeny Guglyuvatyy

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Evgeny Guglyuvatyy is Senior Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University. His PhD from UNSW was a comparative study of the climate change policies. He also holds a Master’s degree in Law from Nottingham University a LLB degree from Chelyabinsk State University. Evgeny’s teaching and research experience spans over number of years at various Universities including the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney and others. He specialises in taxation law, climate change law and policy, commercial law, and forest policy. His research and publications are focussed on taxation law, international tax, forest policy, climate change law and policy and legal aspects of cryptocurrencies.

Key research topics:
Climate law and policy, tax law, forest policy, cryptocurrencies and law.

Dr Jennifer Harrison

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

BBus (with Dist.) Hons I, University Medal (SCU) PhD (UNE). Jennifer has over 20 years higher education experience and has held several leadership positions including Department Head for Accounting, Finance and Quantitative Methods and School Director of Higher Degrees Research Training. She has also coordinated MBA, MPA and Honours courses as well as overseeing the School's SCU Online offerings. Prior to entering academia, she held accounting positions in the advertising industry.

Key research topics:
Accounting, finance, financial literacy and education.

Dr Lynda Hawryluk

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Lynda Hawryluk is a Senior Lecturer in Writing and Course Coordinator of Creative Writing programs at Southern Cross University. Lynda lectures in Writing units and supervises Honours, Masters and PhD students. An experienced writing workshop facilitator, Lynda has been published in both academic and creative publications.

Key research topics:
Creative writing, poetry, literary studies.

Dr Matt Hill

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Matt Hill is a Senior Lecturer and the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Contemporary Music degree at Southern Cross University. He completed a PhD At James Cook University in the area of music technology and composition. He is a composer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.

Key research topics:
Music composition, music analysis, film music.

Dr Wes Hill

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr. Wes Hill is an art historian, art critic, curator and artist who lectures in art theory and visual culture studies. Speciality research areas include modern, postmodern and contemporary art, the hipster, and the delimitation of critical/aesthetic/ethical taste in cultural practice. His most recent publications are "Art after the Hipster: Identity Politics, Ethics and Aesthetics" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and "How Folklore Shaped Modern Art: A Post-Critical History of Aesthetics" (Routledge, 2016). His writing is regularly published in magazines and journals such as Artforum, Frieze, Broadsheet, Eyeline, Artlink and Art and Australia. Wes has been awarded multiple Australia Council for the Arts grants, in 2004, 2008 and 2012, as well as multiple Arts Queensland grants, in 2004, 2006, 2012. In 2008 he was awarded the Art Gallery of New South Wales Dyason Bequest, for which he undertook a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. Curated exhibitions include "Archie Moore" (NCCA, Darwin) "Outside Thoughts" (CAT, Hobart) "This is what I do" (Metro Arts, Brisbane), and 'Speech Acts' (UTS Gallery, Sydney). As an artist he specialises in the medium of installation, collaborating with Wendy Wilkins as ‘Wilkins Hill’ at institutions such as Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Artspace (Sydney), and the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.

Key research topics:
Art history, contemporary art, creative industries, art and industry, art and fashion, media arts, cultural studies, hipster.

Dr Amanda (Mandy) Hughes

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Mandy is a passionate and experienced teacher, researcher and filmmaker with a commitment to encouraging a love of learning to foster social justice. She has more than a decade's experience working in higher education and has also worked in secondary schools, community and international development and in media, including working in television for ABC and SBS.

Key research topics:
Refugee and multicultural studies, food studies, regional issues.

Professor Robyn Keast

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Robyn Keast is Professor in Southern Cross Business School and the former Chair of the Collaborative Research Network: Policy and Planning for Regional Sustainability. She has an extensive research portfolio, covering as examples - governance, government/community relations, social and public policy, police-corruption, interest-based negotiation and asset management. She is internationally recognised for her research on networked arrangements and collaborative practice, where she has published extensively and translated her research into practice-based tools, including a Collaboration Decision Support Tool, and 15 Fact Sheets on Collaborative Practice for the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Young People, recently adapted for the agricultural sector.

Key research topics:
Collaborative practice and networked arrangements, integrative service delivery, governance.

Dr Erika Kerruish

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Erika completed her undergraduate studies in philosophy at the Australian National University and her doctorate in philosophy at the University of New South Wales.Erika's research examines sensory, affective and cultural aspects of our interactions with digitally driven technologies.

Key research topics:
Human computer interaction, sensory studies, continental philosophy.

Adjunct Fellow Jo Kijas

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Jo Kijas is a consultant historian and Adjunct Fellow at SCU. Her recent consultancies have been focused around water, rivers and wetlands. She established the history major at SCU in 1995. Her PhD was on a history of internal migration and place contestation in northern NSW. Working as part of a dynamic team on her return to the Far North Coast in 2006, she was the historian who designed and developed content for the extensive Lismore City Council’s heritage interpretation walk `The Wilson River Story Sites'.

Key research topics:
Environmental, community and regional history, oral history.

Associate Professor Michael Kortt

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Michael is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. His publications have appeared in Administration & Society, Australian Journal of Public Administration, Economic Record, Local Government Studies, Public Administration Quarterly, and Public Management Review.

Key research topics:
Public administration, local government.

Dr Geoff Lamberton

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Geoff was a corporate and chartered accountant before entering academia. He teaches ethics and sustainability and sustainable business management. His research interests include sustainability accounting and the ethical change required for the transition to a sustainable society.

Key research topics:
Ethics, sustainability, sustainable business management, accounting, ethical change.

Adjunct Professor William MacNeil

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Professor William MacNeil is the inaugural holder of The Honourable John Dowd Chair in Law, the Professor of Jurisprudence, and the Dean of Law, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts. From 2018-2021, Professor MacNeil was also Head of Southern Cross University's Lismore Campus. Born in Canada, educated there, in the UK and the USA, Professor MacNeil has taught or worked at Griffith University (as Professor and Dean, Griffith Law School), the University of Hong Kong (as Lecturer, Faculty of Laws) and the London School of Economics (as Research Assistant, Department of Law). He emigrated to Australia in 1998 and lives with his partner, Pamela, in iconic Byron Bay.

Key research topics:
Jurisprudence & legal history, law and literature (including film, television, art, and other aesthetic media), human rights.

Adjunct Professor Kevin Markwell

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

I have been teaching, supervising HDR students and undertaking research in tourism studies for almost 30 years. My disciplinary background is geography but much of my research is situated within a multidisciplinary framework.My research is multi-disciplinary social science focused on: animal-human relations in tourism; tourism, leisure and sexual identity; social constructions and experiences of nature within tourism/leisure. My publications include 4 books, 20 book chapters and 50 refereed journal articles.

Key research topics:
Other studies in human society, tourism, hospitality and tourism.

Associate Professor Annie Mitchell

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Annie Mitchell is an Associate Professor in Southern Cross University’s Contemporary Music Program and Course Co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Contemporary Music Honours Program. Annie has a PhD in Music (Third Stream Composition), Masters Degree in Education (Adult Education in Music), Bachelor of Arts (Music) and Diploma of Education (Music/History). Her Doctorate included the composition of two jazz concerti plus thesis.

Key research topics:
Music composition, arts and humanities, music, classical music, musical analysis, theory and history.

Adjunct Associate Professor Warwick Mules

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Warwick is a scholar and writer working in the field of continental philosophy and critique and their application to art, film and nature. He is also general and founding editor of Transformations, a journal of theoretical, cultural and media studies. Warwick is Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland. He has held positions at Griffith University and Central Queensland University.

Key research topics:
Art, film, nature, cultural and media studies.

Dr Scott Niblock

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Scott has been a lecturer with the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University (SCU) since 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Business with First Class Honours and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Finance from SCU.Scott’s research is driven by financial econometrics using time-series data and other empirical approaches. He is particularly passionate about funds management performance, behavioural finance, financial capability and wellbeing, responsible investing, and carbon markets. Scott has published widely in prestigious academic journals and won numerous competitive research grants.

Key research topics:
Funds performance, options, market microstructure, financial wellbeing, financial capability, behavioural finance, responsible investing, carbon markets.

Associate Professor Jennifer Nielsen

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Jennifer is an experienced legal academic with a sustained record of innovation and academic leadership in teaching, research and community engagement. As a socio-legal scholar, she engages law critically. She is an Executive Member of the Australasian Law Academics Association, and was the School’s Dean/ Head of School from 2009-2011.Jennifer has a solid record of publications and grant funding, and her work reflects her commitment to social justice and inclusion. Much of her work applies critical race and whiteness theory to reveal how mainstream Australian law privileges ‘white’ interests over those of First Nations’ peoples and ‘non-white’ groups.

Key research topics:
Discrimination law, critical race and whiteness studies, critical legal studies.

Dr David Noble

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

David is a lecturer and researcher focusing on public policy and administration for university-industry collaboration, innovation and national systems of innovation. He has more than 30 years of experience in middle and senior management roles in the for-profit, not-for-profit, and tertiary education sectors.

Key research topics:
Collaboration, university-industry collaboration, project management, Innovation, concierge services, national systems of innovation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation ecosystems.

Professor John Page

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr. John Page is a Professor of Law in the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts. He is a scholar of property law and critical property theory. His research interests include the nature of property rights in public lands and public resources; property in diverse contexts; geographic, historic, and contemporary; and the intersection of property, place, and the environment. John is a Managing Editor of Legalities: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Law & Society, an Editor of the Journal of Law, Property and Society (New York, USA), and sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of Polemos: Journal of Law, Literature and Culture.

Key research topics:
Property and legal theory, property law, public space and public property.

Dr Alessandro Pelizzon

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Italian by birth and Australian by choice Dr Alessandro Pelizzon is currently Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts. Alessandro completed his LLB/LLM in Law in Italy specializing in comparative law and legal anthropology.His PhD thesis, conducted at the University of Wollongong, focused on native title and legal pluralism in the Illawarra.

Key research topics:
Legal anthropology, comparative law, ecological jurisprudence.

Dr Rohan Price

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Rohan Price authors books on the role of colonial-era law and order policies to political development of South East Asia, South East Queensland and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). His most recent monograph project, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Colonialism, applies philosophical perspectives to the South East Asian occupations of the British in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong during the Cold War years, arguing that colonially acquired continuities in the role of the common law and surveillance culture have had a profound and lasting impact on public order management. Nietzsche, Heidegger and Colonialism also explains the Hong Kong protests of 2014 and 2019 in terms of frustrated landlordism that challenge its discourses about freedom or democracy. His other monograph publishing project, Nietzsche and Colonial Nostalgia assesses the nomos of 19th century Queensland and Tasmania for evidence of nostalgia as a nihilistic and unachievable ideal resounding in the modern-day perpetuation of trauma caused by refutation of Indigenous assertions about the past. Rohan was named a finalist in the Van Diemen's History Prize in 2020 for his public history essay on state recognition of Palawa descendants, "The Eternal Return of Tasmanian Trauma".

Key research topics:
Histories of east and south east asia, nietzsche and heidegger, regulation of organic food in asia pacific.

Dr Jean Renouf

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Jean S. Renouf is an academic, a firefighter and a dad. He also spent years working in war zones and natural disasters. All of this informs his interest for climate change, community regeneration and resilience, and non-traditional security. At Southern Cross University, Dr Renouf is a lecturer with the School of Arts and Social Sciences. He teaches in the area of social sciences, and researches how climate change affects community security, national security and international security. Dr Renouf has completed his PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); his Masters degree at the Paris Institute for Political Studies (aka Sciences Po Paris) and his Bachelor of Law at the University of Paris-West. Jean has taught at several universities in Europe and Australia and led and completed large-scale research projects in Afghanistan, Haiti, Central African Republic and the Congo. Prior to this, Dr Renouf worked as an international aid worker, leading and managing aid projects in the most challenging environments, including in Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, North Korea, Yemen, and more.

Key research topics:
Climate change, community resilience/regeneration, ethical security.

Associate Professor Nicole Rogers

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Nicole was a founding member of the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University and has developed and taught in over sixteen units in the School's LLB degree since it was introduced in 1993. She has served as the lawyer on the University's Human Research Ethics Committee since 2004.

Key research topics:
Climate interdisciplinary studies, wild law, law as performance.

Dr Tom Round

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Tom Round has an Arts/Law degree from the University of Queensland, and a PhD from Griffith University. Tom has lectured in the SCU School of Law & Justice since 2004, and also worked in the Commonwealth Department of Immigration.

Key research topics:
Administrative law, civil rights/constitutional law, electoral laws and voting systems.

Adjunct Professor Barbara Rugendyke

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Barbara has been an academic for over 25 years. A Human Geographer, Barbara is particularly interested in global inequality, the myriad of factors causing this, and in sustainable development. At heart, the focus of her teaching and research is on social justice for less advantaged people and communities. Following fifteen years as a teacher and researcher at the University of New England, Barbara served as Dean of Graduate studies. Subsequently, she joined the staff at the Australian Catholic University as Head of School of Arts and Sciences in Victoria and later served as Dean and Head of School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University. Barbara thoroughly enjoyed these management roles, particularly the opportunity to mentor colleagues towards improved teaching and research outcomes and promotion.

Key research topics:
Community development, sustainable development inclusive communities, homelessness humanitarian settlers in community, NGO development, sustainable tourism.

Dr Pascal Scherrer

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Pascal Scherrer is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Australia. Pascal has a background in environmental science and ecotourism and holds a PhD from Griffith University (Australia). He is a member of the IUCN World Commission of Protected Areas (WCPA) and serves on the Regional National Parks advisory board.

Key research topics:
Sustainable tourism, visitor management, sustainability.

Professor Darshana Sedera

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Darshana Sedera is well-known and well-published academic in the field. He has an impressive list of high quality publications, contributing to the theory and practice.

Key research topics:
Innovation, entrepreneurship, impact of digital technology.

Dr Carolyn Seton

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Carolyn Seton currently works at the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University. Carolyn does research in Human-computer Interaction, Databases and Computer and Society.

Key research topics:
Cognitive load theory/educational psychology, digital literacy for older people, user experience/HCI.

Dr Gregory P Smith

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Gregory is an academic, social researcher and author. He has been with Southern Cross University since 2007. He completed his PhD in 2016 which focused on the issues faced by adults who experienced out-of-home care. He now lectures in the Social Sciences. Understanding disadvantage in society is always a challenge. Gregory's research investigates the most socially disadvantaged in our society - the homeless and vulnerable. He also explores issues such as shame, stigma and identity in these populations using methodologies within the qualitative paradigm.

Key research topics:
Social vulnerabilities, homelessness, out-of-home care, low socio-economical challenges.

Dr Uwe Terton

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Uwe has held academic roles in undergraduate and postgraduate design and serious games programs at several Australian universities. Uwe’s most recent projects have involved interdisciplinary research in collaboration with education, allied health, and mental health professionals from various fields of expertise. Uwe is a protagonist of digital fabrication and creative technologies.

Key research topics:
Computer supported education, serious games, digital fabrication, internet of things, creative technologies, eco-design, human centred design.

Dr Marian Tubbs

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Marian Tubbs is an artist living and working between the Northern Rivers, Sydney and the Sunshine Coast. Her broad research interests include vision technologies, poor materialities and language or text in art. Marian holds a PhD from UNSW Art & Design and is a Senior Lecturer in Art and Design, at Southern Cross University, previously she was Lecturer in Photomedia at National Art School where she also sits on the academic board.

Key research topics:
Contemporary art, continental philosophy, ecologiesfeminism, digital practice, assemblages, virtual and augmented reality.

Emeritus Professor Betty Weiler

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Betty Weiler is currently Professor, School of Business and Tourism. Betty Weiler holds a PhD from the University of Victoria (Canada) and has been researching in tourism in Australian Universities since 1989. Betty is also an Emeritus Faculty Member, Southern Cross University.Betty has been a highly visible and proactive scholar, researcher and mentor in the field. She is a widely published researcher, a multi-award winning PhD supervisor and a Fellow of the Council of Australasian University Tourism and Hospitality Education. Much of Betty's research focuses on the tourist experience and visitor management in protected areas, and she is one of the world’s leading scholars on the role of the tour guide. A particular area of interest is the use of persuasive communication to influence visitor behaviour and as a management tool. Betty has undertaken visitor and tour guiding research in several countries including in Australasia, North America and Central America. She has collaborated with a range of industry and government partners, particularly managers of protected areas and wildlife attractions, and managed or co-managed dozens of funded projects.

Key research topics:
Sustainable tourism, tourist behaviour, tour guiding.

Associate Professor Adele Wessell

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

"Adele Wessell is an Associate Professor in History with the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. Through an interest in environmental history Adele turned to the study of food, it's production, preparation and consumption. Adele's research is in the field of Food History. She has published on food as communication, nonhuman animals and tastescapes as an expression of the impact of eating on land use.

Key research topics:
Food history, environmental history.

Dr Simon Wilde

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Dr Simon Wilde is a lecturer with the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, based at the University's Gold Coast Campus. In addition to his doctoral studies, which investigated destination competitiveness in a regional Australian context, Simon's broader research focus is in the areas of digital marketing and SME marketing issues.

Key research topics:
Digital marketing, internet studies, e-commerce.

Professor Nan Bahr

Faculty of Education

Professor Nan Bahr is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students) and Dean of Education at Southern Cross University, and holds Adjunct Professor status at Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology. As a parallel career, she has served in the Australian Defence Force for 37 years with key positions for training, training development, and leadership in the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police.

Key research topics:
Education, educational psychology, developmental education, adolescent development, teacher education, responsive curriculum, music/arts education.

Dr Anne Bellert

Faculty of Education

I am an experienced, innovative, successful educator and leader seeking new challenges. My passion is to develop and promote inclusive education and engaged, authentic learning for ALL students. My committments to student-centred learning, online education, effective pedagogy and developing teachers’ capacity through collaboration and inspired leadership drive my academic work.

Key research topics:
Inclusive education, learning difficulties, online learning.

Associate Professor Wendy Boyd

Faculty of Education

Wendy commenced her PhD at QUT in 2005 having been Director of a community based early childhood (EC) centre for 24 years. At each assessment point the centre was rated as providing high quality EC education and care. She is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education coordinating initial teacher education programs including EC teacher education programs.

Key research topics:
Quality of early childhood education and care, education principles and practices, leadership, sustainability in education, professional learning.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Tess Boyle

Faculty of Education

Dr Tess Boyle is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University. Before commencing work in the tertiary sector, Tess was a primary school teacher and author of classroom texts and resources. The highly successful Science and Technology Today series, co-authored by Tess, has sold over 180,000 copies in Australia and overseas.

Key research topics:
Critical participatory action research, ethical practices, middle leading, continuity of learning, early years, practice theory.

Emeritus Professor Marilyn Chaseling

Faculty of Education

Marilyn Chaseling has 30 years of teaching experience. During 21 of these years Marilyn has been appointed to leadership positions. Marilyn has strong links with the teaching profession and understands the nexus between school and university.

Key research topics:
Social sciences, business, management and accounting, medicine, nursing.

Dr Peter Cook

Faculty of Education

Peter J. Cook is the Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students) at Southern Cross University, Australia with an institutional responsibility for the Transitions program. Additionally, Peter is a Senior Lecturer in Arts Education in the Faculty of Education. Peter has a long record of successful Arts teaching experience and curriculum implementation with students from selective, Performing Arts and comprehensive schools in primary, secondary, tertiary and early childhood sectors.

Key research topics:
Dance, arts and creativity education, a/r/tography, transitions to higher education.

Professor Amy Cutcter-Mackenzie-Knowles

Faculty of Education

Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, as well as the Research Leader of the ‘Sustainability, Environment, the Arts in Education’ (SEAE) Research Cluster. Amy has been recognised nationally and internationally for her teaching and research excellence.

Key research topics:
Education systems, humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management), science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy, environmental education, childhood nature, education philosophy, curriculum and pedagogy, climate change education, posthuman theory.

Adjunct Lecturer Aidre Grant

Faculty of Education

Dr Grant's work as a lecturer in teaching and learning is as an academic developer, working with issues related to quality teaching and learning. She assist teachers to create rich and meaningful teaching practices.

Key research topics:
Complementary and alternative medicine, education systems, spirituality and health.

Emeritus Professor Martin Hayden

Faculty of Education

Professor Martin Hayden is Professor of Higher Education in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University. He has wide-ranging experience as a scholar in the field of higher education. He has produced or contributed to a large number of books, articles and reports, and has attracted significant research and development grants. Professor Hayden has completed commissioned works and consultancies for a wide range of international agencies, including UNESCO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and ASEAN. In Australia, he has undertaken projects for multiple Commonwealth Government agencies. He is a regular reviewer of articles submitted to peak international journals in the field of higher education.

Key research topics:
Higher education, educational administration and supervision, educational assessment, evaluation and research.

Adjunct Associate Professor Sue Hudson

Faculty of Education

Dr Suzanne Hudson (PhD) has lectured in university settings since 2000. She has been employed at both Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Southern Cross University (SCU). Her teaching career spans over 30 years and during this time Suzanne has held a range of leadership roles. With over 30 publications, her research focuses on professional experience, mentoring, teaching in rural and remote communities, preparedness for teaching and community engagement. Dr Suzanne Hudson has received a national citation and a program award from the Office of Learning and Teaching for the Teacher Education Done Differently (TEDD) project that includes the well-recognised Mentoring for Effective Teaching (MET) program.

Key research topics:
Initial teacher education, mentoring pre-service teachers, mentoring beginning teachers, preparing pre-service teachers for teaching in rural and remote areas, preparedness for teaching.

Dr Sarah James

Faculty of Education

Dr Sarah James is a researcher and Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University (SCU). She has acted in the role of Director of Professional Experience, and has had over 15 years teaching experience in public and international school contexts.

Key research topics:
Education, preservice teacher education, initial teacher education, mentoring, literacy and reading, general capabilities, professional experience.

Professor Lexi Lasczik

Faculty of Education

Lexi Lasczik is Professor, Arts & Education in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University, Australia. She is currently Deputy Dean (Research & Higher Degree Research Training) in the Faculty of Education, and Deputy Research Leader of the Sustainability, Environment and the Arts in Education Research Cluster [SEAE]. Lexi is an expert educator with almost 40 years experience in the Visual Arts. She is also a practicing artist whose chosen mediums are painting, photography, poetry, walking and creative writing.

Key research topics:
A/r/tography, arts & environmental education, movement studies, including walking inquiry.

Dr Marianne Logan

Faculty of Education

Marianne is the Associate Director of Higher Degree Research (PhD & Masters by Thesis) and coordinator of Honours in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University. Marianne is a lecture in Science and Technology Education and is one of the founding executive members of the Sustainability Environment and Education Research Cluster. Marianne is passionate about inspiring learners in science, sustainability and the environment and providing platforms for their voices to be heard.

Key research topics:
Science and sustainability education, environmental education, school/university partnerships.

Professor David Lynch

Faculty of Education

David Lynch is Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Research Director for TeachLab, located at the Gold Coast Campus. He is the author of numerous books and articles on teacher education and teaching improvement: specializing in Whole of School Teaching Improvement. His research and development interests form the basis of a rethink on teaching, teacher education and the role and skills required of school leaders to effect whole school teaching improvement. David's background is in primary education has been a teacher and senior state school principal in early professional life. His academic career includes positions as professor of education, head of campus, sub-dean, and head of the Faculty of Education at a number of universities. Two of David's key books include "Creating the Outstanding School"(2015) and "Preparation Teachers in Times of Change" (2012). Davids's research/ project income is circa $4M.E.

Key research topics:
Teacher education, school improvement, school leadership.

Dr Christos Markopoulos

Faculty of Education

Dr Christos Markopoulos has extensive experience in mathematics education for undergraduate and postgraduate education students in Europe (Greece) and in Australia. Currently a Senior Lecturer at Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University, he has developed and taught Mathematical Education units for pre-service teachers. Dr Christos Markopoulos has been awarded the following awards: 2020 SCU School of Education Teaching and Learning Award. 2017 SCU Vice Chancellor’s Citation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. 2016 SCU Excellence in Community Engagement Award.

Key research topics:
Mathematics education, teacher education, curriculum development.

Dr Lewes Peddell

Faculty of Education

Lewes Peddell is Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, with a focus on Mathematics Education. Prior to coming to Southern Cross University in 2018, he was Director of Research, Learning and Enterprise at Canterbury College (QLD) where he also served as Director of Arts Academy, Acting Director of Curriculum and taught Music and Mathematics.

Key research topics:
School improvement and leadership, music education, mathematics education.

Dr Jemma Peisker

Faculty of Education

Jemma Peisker is an Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University, Australia. Jemma has a Graduate Diploma in Education, a Bachelor of Fine Art, Honours in Fine Arts, Bachelor of Education Honours (First Class), and Doctor of Philosophy. For her Honours work, Jemma was awarded the Southern Cross University Medal for Research in 2015, and received the Australian Postgraduate Award for her Doctoral Studies in 2016. Jemma was also awarded the Higher Degrees Research Excellence Award in 2018.

Key research topics:
Material engagement, optimal experience (flow) in education, teacher education, a/r/tography.

Dr Alicia Phillips

Faculty of Education

Alicia joined Southern Cross University in 2015 with a wealth of teaching experience in educational contexts ranging from early childhood education and care settings, primary schools and tertiary education. Alicia is the Course Coordinator of the early childhood courses.

Key research topics:
Quality, national quality framework, foucauldian theory.

Associate Professor Louise Phillips

Faculty of Education

Associate Professor Louise Phillips is Director of Higher Degree Research in the Faculty of Education, and Coordinator of the Doctor of Education program. She is a professional storyteller and early childhood teacher with more than 30 years of experience working with children across various settings, more recently as a researcher and tertiary educator.

Key research topics:
Curriculum and pedagogy, children's rights, children's citizenship, storytelling, arts-based research.

Dr Bradley Shipway

Faculty of Education

Keen interest in critical realism and the philosophy of education, and supervises postgraduate students in these areas. Critical Realist philosophy: lineage, developments and applications, Critical Realist and postfoundational/poststructural research methods, Emancipatory educational pedagogy, Civic & Citizenship Education Teacher professional development, Impact of social structures and mechanisms on teaching and learning. The interface between constructivist learning theory and realist educational philosophy.

Key research topics:
Application of critical realism to the field of education, democracy & civics education, philosophy of ed & emancipatory education.

Adjunct Associate Professor Robert Smith

Faculty of Education

Dr Robert James Smith, DipTeach(SecEngHist)(NRCAE), BA, GradDipHum, MLitt, MA(Hons), PhD (UNE), MACE, MACEL Research is focussed on cultural tradition and with an Australian or regional focus. Its approaches come from the fields of language, literature and history. Its foundations were in nearly 20 years' experience of teaching school students. Output has ranged from full-length local histories (Byron Bay, Lismore), to extensive editing (Australian Folklore), to regular conference presentations.

Key research topics:
Cultural tradition, language, literarture, history, Australian folklore.

Dr Angela Turner

Faculty of Education

Angela Turner is a Design and Technology teaching/research scholar, and the Course Co-ordinator for the Bachelor Technology/Bachelor Education (Secondary) degree. Her post-doctoral work is positioned in cross-cultural food settings that is project and inquiry driven through integrated interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Angela has been recognised for teaching leadership through multiple awards.

Key research topics:
Food, health and wellbeing, environmental education, STEAM teaching, learning and assessment.

Adjunct Associate Professor Judith Wilks

Faculty of Education

Dr Judith Wilks is Adjunct Associate Professor and Member of Emeritus Faculty at Southern Cross University and also Adjunct Associate Professor with the Nulungu Research Institute of the University of Notre Dame Australia. She is an experienced educator with a significant research, teaching and community engagement track record in regional education services delivery in both the higher education and schooling sectors.

Key research topics:
Curriculum and pedagogy, education systems, teacher education and professional development of educators.

Dr Royce Willis

Faculty of Education

Royce Willis has a background in psychology and more recently involved in education research, including blended learning, school improvement, and mechanisms to support teacher professional learning. Specifically, Royce's research has involved scale development and a focus on psychological constructs, such as wellbeing, belonging, and anxiety, and how these affect teachers and students.

Key research topics:
Environmental psychology, school improvement, school leadership, blended learning.

Adjunct Associate Professor Tony Yeigh

Faculty of Education

Tony Yeigh is an experienced lecturer and researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in inclusive education, research design, lecturing, and lesson planning, he is a strong education professional with a PhD focused in Educational Psychology. His research interests include Blended Learning, School Improvement, School Leadership, Initial Teacher Education, Educational Mindfulness and "wicked" problem solving.

Key research topics:
Blended learning, educational mindfulness, inclusive education, positive psychology/positive education, school leadership, school improvement.

Dr Chris Zehntner

Faculty of Education

Dr Chris Zehntner is a lecturer in education at the Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, Australia. He works within the Faculty of Education initial teacher education programs.Dr Zehntner is a qualitative researcher in the field of 'Sociology of sport’. He is interested in the athlete experience/ athlete welfare/ coach education and the barriers marginalised groups face in sport participation and coaching.

Key research topics:
Sociology of sport, coaching, power and knowledge in sport.

Associate Professor Christina Aggar

Faculty of Health

Christina has held academic roles in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs at several Australian universities. Christina’s most recent projects have involved interdisciplinary research in collaboration with health care professionals from various fields of expertise. Christina is currently the Conjoint Academic with Northern NSW Local Health District.

Key research topics:
Clinical nursing: primary (preventative), clinical nursing: tertiary (rehabilitative) nursing, primary health care, transition programs for new graduate nurses, clinical skills education, chronic care and rehabilitation, workforce development, interprofessional education, allied health, mLearning, digital technology to support learning.

Adjunct Dr Alison Alcock

Faculty of Health

An accomplished sport scientist and accredited High Performance Manager, Alison is passionate about driving high performance cultures and behaviours, and delivering individual performance-focused solutions to help elite athletes perform at their best on and off the field. Alison holds a PhD in biomechanics and performance analysis and has worked in both the UK and Australia's high performance sporting systems and across more than 20 sports.

Key research topics:
Athlete wellbeing, athlete pathways and development, kinematics, sports science, exercise science, exercise performance, knee.

Dr Kachina Allen

Faculty of Health

Kachina'a research interests are varied and past research has included work on perception and processing (e.g. auditory, visual), attention, neuroimaging, and psychophysics.

Key research topics:
Psychophysiology, neuroimaging, attention, perception.

Dr Alex Barwick

Faculty of Health

Alex is a podiatrist and lecturer with an interest in preventative foot care. Alex gained her PhD through the University of Newcastle in 2016 examining pathological processes of the diabetic foot. Since, she has held a lecturer role at Southern Cross University, teaching into the podiatry, pedorthics and honours programs.

Key research topics:
Diabetes, chronic disease, lower limb.

Dr Kyle Bennett

Faculty of Health

Dr Kyle Bennett is an Early Career Development Fellow in Sport and Exercise Science. He is an accredited Sports Scientist (Level 1) with Exercise and Sports Science Australia, who has extensive research and practical experience in youth sport. He has liaised with multiple youth sporting teams, academies, and member federations including Newcastle Jets, Northern NSW Football, Liverpool International Football Academy, and North Coast Football.

Key research topics:
Skill acquisition, expertise, youth sport.

Dr Michelle Bisset

Faculty of Health

Michelle Bissett is currently Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Health, based at the Gold Coast Campus. Michelle is a registered occupational therapist with extensive clinical and academic experience. Michelle’s research relates primarily to the occupational engagement of older adults across community and residential care environments. This work is motivated by her commitment to ensure that older adults age well and maintain opportunities to stay connected in their communities. She also pursues research related to university teaching and learning to ensure that students experience high-quality educational experiences.

Key research topics:
Occupational therapy, older adults, allied health, education, curriculum development, residential care, community participation, occupational performance and engagement.

Dr Joanne Bradbury

Faculty of Health

I am a clinical researcher with interests in nutrition and mental health. My Ph.D. was in nutritional pharmacology, and current research interests include nutrition and complementary medicine, stress and positive mental health, and research methods and biostatistics. My current appointment is Senior Lecturer, Evidence-Based Healthcare at SCU.

Key research topics:
Nutritional pharmacology, complementary medicine, mental health.

Adjunct Professor Suzanne Broadbent

Faculty of Health

Sue’s research initially focused on the effects of long-term endurance training on lymphocyte function and haematology in older men and women, and also in Ironman triathletes compared to sedentary men. Her research has expanded to include immune system function (in high-intensity cycling and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME); intermittent and graded exercise for CFS/ME; higher intensity exercise for cardiac patients; exercise rehabilitation for prostate cancer survivors and pulmonary patients; the use of supplements and “immune system boosters” for athletes and sportspeople; use of Nintendo Wii for falls prevention and balance training for older adults with chronic conditions; vibration treatment for muscle soreness after eccentric training and downhill running.

Key research topics:
Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME exercise management, intermittent and graded exercise, CFS/ME aquatic exercise rehabilitation, exercise effects on lymphocyte and NK cell function, effects of immune system “boosters” in athletes, exercise programs for cancer survivors (prostate cancer, leukemia), indigenous dance for maintaining bone density and functional movement in post-menopausal women, exercise for cardiac and pulmonary conditions, hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary exercise rehabilitation, exercise rehab for Parkinson’s Disease patients.

Dr Jessica Browne

Faculty of Health

Dr Jessica Browne (BBiomedSc (Hons) PhD) has expertise in the field of molecular microbiology and immunology. Her research focuses on understanding immunity to, and the interactions of, human mucosal pathogens (e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis) in order to understand pathogenic mechanisms and the immune response required for an effective otitis media (OM) vaccine.

Key research topics:
Middle ear disease, infection and immunity, antimicrobial activity.

Dr Eric Brymer

Faculty of Health

My research focuses on understanding experience, behaviour and behaviour change, particularly as it pertains to wellbeing. I am especially interested in learning about the impact of the environment on behaviour and wellbeing and working out how that learning might be useful for realising our own potential and securing the potential of our planet.

Key research topics:
Nature and health, performance, adventure, wellbeing, extreme sports.

Dr Andrea Bugarcic

Faculty of Health

Following the completion of her PhD, Andrea held post-doctoral research fellow positions at Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University and Institute for Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, where her primary research interests were regulation of intracellular protein trafficking in viral infection and Parkinson’s disease. As a Lecturer in School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Andrea designed and delivered several biology undergraduate subjects and evaluated implementation of novel assessment tasks within practical biomedical curriculum while building a research profile in educational research. In 2015, Andrea moved into educational leadership role within complementary medicine field, firstly as a Head of Department - Biosciences and then as Director of Education at Endeavour College of Natural Health where she continued her educational research while driving quality in curriculum development and delivery. Here she was also involved in developing undergraduate and postgraduate programs, submitting applications for TEQSA program accreditations and building scholarship profile of the College as a whole. Andrea joined National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University as Senior Lecturer in 2020.

Key research topics:
Molecular and cell biology, herbal medicine and evidence use in clinical practice.

Dr Paul Butterworth

Faculty of Health

Dr Butterworth is the course co-coordinator of the Podiatry and Pedorthics programs in the School of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Cross University. Dr Butterworth completed his Bachelor of Podiatry in 1997; Master of Podiatry in 2008. In 2012 he developed the Bachelor of Podiatry and Bachelor of Pedorthics programs at Southern Cross University (SCU). Following AHPRA accreditation, he developed the first double degree in Podiatry and Pedorthics in Australia. In 2015, he was awarded fellowship with the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. In 2016, he completed his Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice. His PhD was completed in the same year.

Key research topics:
Chronic disease, mental health, diabetes.

Professor Andrew Cashin

Faculty of Health

Dr Andrew Cashin is Professor of Autism and Intellectual Disability, School of Health and Human Sciences. Andrew conducts a Nurse Practitioner clinic for people with autism, their families and those that work with people with autism at the Southern Cross University Health Centre.

Key research topics:
Mental health nursing, human development, autism, intellectual disability.

Dr Yingyan (Lisa) Chen

Faculty of Health

Dr Lisa Chen’s recent PhD was embarked on evaluating the implementation of same-day discharge following percutaneous coronary intervention. She has many years’ nursing experience both overseas and in Australia, and she is passionate about cardiac nursing research in hopes of improving outcomes for cardiovascular disease patients.

Key research topics:
Knowledge translation, cardiovascular research, mix-methods study.

Associate Professor Mike Climstein

Faculty of Health

Course Coordinator of the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology program at Southern Cross University Adjunct Assoc. Professor in the Physical Activity, Lifestyle, Ageing and Well-being Faculty Research Group, University of Sydney Co-Director of the Water Based Research Unit.

Key research topics:
Clinical exercise physiology, water-based research: surfing, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, surf lifesaving, skin cancer, world master games/veteran athletes.

Dr Sheri Cooper

Faculty of Health

Sheri is an Accredited Practising Dietitian - Nutritionist, and Credentialled Diabetes Educator with 20 years’ experience working in the areas of public health nutrition and chronic disease management. Sheri has worked in a range of clinical roles in private practice, community health, and in academic positions at Edith Cowan University and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Key research topics:
Chronic disease management, public health nutrition, food literacy.

Associate Professor Rosanne Coutts

Faculty of Health

Key research topics:
Sport and exercise science, sport and exercise psychology, exercise physiology.

Dr Zachary Crowley-Mchattan

Faculty of Health

Zac completed his undergraduate (2006), Honors (2007) and PhD (2013) at Southern Cross University and has been a lecturer at SCU since 2012. Zac is broadly interested in investigating the control and learning of motor skills in both functional and sporting contexts. His primary area of research is in neuromuscular control and adaptation with a focus on muscle contractions and cross education. He is also involved in research in the field of skill analysis and acquisition in sport.

Key research topics:
Neuromuscular control and adaptation, skill acquisition and motor learning.

Dr Luke Del Vecchio

Faculty of Health

Highly Qualified health and exercise science professional with more than 17 years of experience teaching, leading, motivating and researching in a wide range of environments, including medical and government programs. Highly motivated, energetic, and passionate about evidenced based practise. Flexible, with an aptitude for tertiary level, fast-paced, and diverse education.

Key research topics:
Exercise physiology, masters athletes, martial arts, combat sports, strength and conditioning.

Adjunct Associate Professor Michelle Donelly

Faculty of Health

Key research topics:
Inclusive communities, participation and engagement, occupational performance.

Dr Frances Doran

Faculty of Health

Dr Frances Doran is a Senior Lecturer at Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW with the School of Health and Human Sciences. Frances has a background in social sciences, public health, nursing and health promotion. Frances has worked predominately in the higher education sector and has simultaneously maintained a strong connection with community based women’s services through research and management roles. Her research and publications have encompassed a range of women’s health areas including gestational diabetes, women’s access to health care including abortion, evaluative research on community based model of women’s health and partnerships between community based women’s health, Aboriginal health centres and the University. Her research, professional and personal life is driven by a strong commitment to feminism, social justice and health.

Key research topics:
Health, human sciences.

Dr Elizabeth Emmanuel

Faculty of Health

Spent many years as a clinician in the nursing, midwifery and mental health fieldWork. Specialty area includes perinatal mental and physical health. Worked nationally and internationally in various settings. Currently in a teaching/ research role in the tertiary sector.

Key research topics:
Complementary and alternative medicine, mental health nursing, midwifery, nursing, specialist studies in education, womens health, the maternal role and maternal distress, quality of life, infant care, childbearing.

Adjunct Associate Professor Roger Engel

Faculty of Health

Dr Roger Engel is a chiropractor and osteopath with over 30 years clinical experience. He has practised in a variety of settings including urban and rural private practice and private and public hospitals, both inside and outside Australia. Dr Engel is an Adjunct Associate Professor with SCU and Senior Lecturer with Macquarie University.

Key research topics:
Chiropractic, public health and health services not elsewhere classified, osteopathy, manual therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation.

Dr Kitty-Rose Foley

Faculty of Health

I worked as a paediatric Occupational Therapist in private practise after graduating from a Bachelor of Science(Occupational Therapy)Hons at Edith Cowan University. I then completed my PhD at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, WA. Following this, I undertook a 3.5 year postdoctoral fellowship at UNSW Sydney which involved co-leading the development of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Autism in Adults (ALSAA). In 2018, I moved into a teaching/research position at Southern Cross University, Gold Coast. Research interests include exploring the health, wellbeing and participation of children, adolescents and adults with intellectual and development disabilities. Specifically, I have a passion for working with autistic adults to improve participation and quality of life.

Key research topics:
Health, wellbeing and participation for children, adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Dr Kathomi Gatwiri

Faculty of Health

I am an award-winning researcher and a senior lecturer. In 2019, I was named the Early Career Researcher of the year at SCU, and in 2017, the "Young Kenyan of the Year." I have a Bachelor of Social Work (First class honours), Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy and an interdisciplinary PhD in Social Work and Cultural Studies. My PhD research was published in highly ranked international journals and as a book, titled, African womanhood, health, sexuality and incontinent bodies: A case of Kenyan women living with vaginal fistula. I am committed to producing high impact research that has real world applications and that which is accessible for communities of practice and for the general community. I am a regular online contributor for the international publication The Conversation and the Australian public broadcaster SBS. My media work has ensured that my research has been shared with a much wider audience including articles that have achieved tens of thousands of online reads and shares.

Key research topics:
Trauma and adverse experiences, decolonizing education/practice, race and immigration.

Adjunct Associate Professor Wendy Gilleard

Faculty of Health

Mechanics of human movement. Particular interest in the movement and posture adaptions to increased mass and dimensions as seen in pregnancy and obesity.

Key research topics:
Biomechanics, human movement and sports science, sports sciences.

Professor Gillian Gould

Faculty of Health

Experienced general practitioner and public health researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry. A wealth of experience in collaborative research and innovative co-design with Aboriginal organisations. Skilled in epidemiology, research design, qualitative research methods, lecturing, and prevention. Strong healthcare services professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in public health from James Cook University.

Key research topics:
Effective health services, healthy lifestyles, pregnancy & babies, stress and addictive disorders, women's health, aboriginal health, refugee health, smoking cessation research in pregnancy, tobacco control.

Professor Sandra Grace

Faculty of Health

Dr Sandra Grace is currently Professor, School of Health and Human Sciences. Dr Sandra Grace is a health services researcher with extensive experience as a practitioner in private practice and as a curriculum developer, teacher and clinical supervisor in higher education. Sandra's current role includes enhancing the scholarship and practice of osteopathy through teaching, student supervision, research and publications.

Key research topics:
Chiropractic, complementary and alternative medicine, curriculum and pedagogy, human movement and sports science, other medical and health sciences, primary health careInter-professional education and practice, clinical pedagogy, models of health care, osteopathy.

Professor Anne Graham

Faculty of Health

Professor Anne Graham is the Founding Director of the Centre for Children and Young People (CCYP). A primary school teacher and sociologist by background, Anne has worked in teacher education for 20 years.Under Anne's leadership the Centre for Children and Young People has built the reputation of Southern Cross University as a key player regionally, nationally and internationally in providing high quality, high impact interdisciplinary research aimed at improving policy and practice in key areas of children and young people's lives. Anne also holds a conjoint Professorial appointment at the University of New South Wales.

Key research topics:
Children and young people's wellbeing, children and young people's participation, ethical research and practice involving children.

Emeritus Professor Iain Graham

Faculty of Health

Iain Graham, Professor of Healthcare Development, is the current Dean and Head of School for Health and Human Sciences. He is also the Director of Clinical Services overseeing the University Health Clinic. Professor Graham has been in this role since April 2007. Prior to this appointment, Iain was the Dean of Health at the Institute of Health and Community Studies, and Professor of Nursing, at Bournemouth University, UK. Iains role is to lead the evolution of the School at Southern Cross University, and position it so that the School can meet the major changes, and challenges, expected in the 21st Century for both the Health Service and Higher Education as it pertains to the health professions. It should be noted that every health care system in the world, and by inference, every University which hosts a Nursing, Allied Health or Medical School, is facing reform and change. The worlds demographic and epidemiological profile is moving. Consumer expectation is rising, and every government seeks to provide a cost effective, quality based, and safe health care system. Therefore, Professor Graham is positioning the School so that it can work with such change, and re-position itself for an exciting future. Iains motto is: Be strong locally in order to be heard internationally.

Key research topics:
Health policy domestic and international, primary care and mental health, evidence based care linked to role and scope of practice.

Professor Peter Hassmen

Faculty of Health

Key research topics:
Sport and exercise psychology, overtraining syndrome and burnout in athletes and coaches, mental health in sport.

Dr Emily Hindman

Faculty of Health

Key research topics:
Health and human sciences.

Dr Louise Horstmanshof

Faculty of Health

Dr Louise Horstmanshof has been researching and publishing for over 20 years. She has led two Australian Department of Health (formerly HWA) grant projects for SCU. Her team won a community engagement award for their work in linking professional entry students from Nursing and Allied Health with community aged care.

Key research topics:
Transition, ageing, developing the health workforce.

Dr Ya-Luing Huang

Faculty of Health

Dr. Ya-Ling Huang has her Masters and PhD in Nursing, and is a registered nurse in Australia and Taiwan. She is a teaching and research academic, Faculty of Health (Nursing Discipline) at the Southern Cross University and a visiting research fellow at the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS) as well as an adjunct research fellow at the Griffith University with various experiences in clinical, education and research. Previously, she has worked as a research coordinator and clinical nurse researcher (emergency department) at the GCHHS and  has successfully mentored clinicians and nursing students in clinical research and published in peer-review journals. She has been involved in research projects which attracts more than a quarter of a million in research grants and award as a principal and associate investigator.  Her research interests focus on clinical research in acute care settings and research evidence-based practice.

Key research topics:
Acute care (emergency, respiratory), Ssb-acute care (palliative, end of Life), vulnerable populations (older people, cultural and linguistic diversity), research evidence-based practice, qualitative and mixed methods research and cultural and social Aapects.

Professor Mark Hughes

Faculty of Health

Professor Mark Hughes is a social worker and has worked in health, aged care and mental health settings in both Australia and the UK. He has also worked as a social work academic at the University of Queensland, the University of New South Wales, and Goldsmiths College, London. Professor Hughes is Discipline Chair for Social Work and Community Welfare in the Faculty of Health.

Key research topics:
Aged care, social work practice, LGBTIQ issues.

Professor John Hurley

Faculty of Health

Professor John Hurley is a credentialed mental health and general nurse with qualifications in gestalt psychotherapy, counselling, emotional intelligence and adult education. John is the School Director for Higher Degree Research in the School of Health and Human Sciences and is an internationally recognised academic in his field. He has accumulated over 30 years’ experience as a mental health practitioner in acute community psychiatric services and maintains his clinical capabilities and applied research through working with young people at Headspace Coffs Harbour.

Key research topics:
All mental health related topics, emotional intelligence, education for health professionals.

Professor Marie Hutchinson

Faculty of Health

Professor Marie Hutchinson is a Professor of Nursing, with a particular interest in vulnerable patient populations and health care equity. Professor Hutchinson leads research programs in domestic violence, workplace bullying, nursing practice and patient safety, nursing workforce, health service leadership and moral engagement. She is an experienced supervisor and committed to mentoring clinical leaders. Professor Hutchinson is recognised internationally for her contributions to nursing and healthcare scholarship, with more than 140 publications across a diverse field.

Key research topics:
Health of vulnerable populations, health workforce, clinical outcomes.

Adjunct Associate Professor Ev Innes

Faculty of Health

Associate Professor Ev Innes is a member of the Emeritus Faculty of Southern Cross University, having been an academic at SCU and the University of Sydney for over 30 years.

Key research topics:
Occupational therapy, ergonomics, occupational rehabilitation, workplace injuries, occupational health.

Dr Peter James

Faculty of Health

Dr Peter Bai James is a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) at Southern Cross University. In addition to his undergraduate qualification in Pharmacy, Peter has postgraduate qualifications in ethnopharmacology (MMed) and public health (PhD). Prior to doing his PhD, he worked as an associate lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone and as a Drug regulatory officer at the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Government of Sierra Leone.

Key research topics:
Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, primary healthcare, public health and health services, low and middle income countries, integrative healthcare, traditional medicine, mental health, clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice, maternal and child health.

Adjunct Associate Professor Elaine Jefford

Faculty of Health

Dr Elaine Jefford. Midwifery author, academic, and researcher at Southern Cross University, Australia. Her research focus is within the field of midwifery decision-making and abdicating one’s professional accountability, the impacts of this in relation to risk, safety and quality of care provision and the potential to achieve and realise the ambitions of Sustainable Development Goal Three of good health and well-being. Other research interests include continence and perinatal mental well-being.

Key research topics:
Maternity, women's health, education.

Professor Julie Jomeen

Faculty of Health

Julie Jomeen is a UK registered nurse and midwife, Professor of Midwifery, and Dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Cross University, Australia. She relocated from the University of Hull, UK in 2020 where she was Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences and led a Research Group for Maternal, Reproductive Health for the last 13 years. Julie's role as Dean at SCU is to lead and develop the School of Health and Human Sciences, to respond to health and wellbeing challenges; to work in partnership with our healthcare partners to produce high calibre graduates, providing solutions to workforce challenges across a diversity of professions and providing contemporary healthcare leaders who understand health in a global context. Further to support SCU to develop its research profile, working in partnership to address problems with local relevance but global significance.

Key research topics:
Midwifery, nursing, paediatrics and reproductive medicine, psychology, public health and health services, maternity care, perinatal psychological health, interventions on maternity care, perinatal mental health, psychological aspects of childbirth, choice and decision making.

Dr Desiree Kozlowski

Faculty of Health

Desirée is a highly engaged and successful researcher and educator in psychology. Experienced lead researcher and multidisciplinary collaborator with a focus on strengths-based interventions for building personal resources to support positive mental health and psychological wellbeing. Internationally published author. Collaborator with the multi-nation 'Toward Gender Harmony Project'. Strength in translational research with particular focus on health workforce and disadvantaged students. Lead researcher for the National Pleasure Audit 2021.

Key research topics:
Emotional intelligence, gender, pleasure - especially its links with health, creativity, resilience, productivity, and wellbeing.

Dr Richard Lakeman

Faculty of Health

Richard has worked in the mental health field as a clinician, researcher, manager and academic in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. He originally trained as a nurse and latter as a psychotherapist. He has primarily worked with people with complex needs as a psychotherapist, in acute care and in community settings.

Key research topics:
Positive psychology, psychotherapy, programme evaluation.

Associate Professor Romy Lauche

Faculty of Health

Associate Professor Romy Lauche has background and qualifications in psychology (M.Sc.), and medical sciences (Ph.D.). She has spent three years as a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, before she returned to her home country of Germany to commence a Research Director position in a Department for Integrative Medicine. Early 2020 she joined the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University as Deputy Director of Research.

Key research topics:
Complementary, traditional and integrative medicine, chronic disease management, clinical research.

Associate Professor Matthew Leach

Faculty of Health

Associate Professor Leach is Deputy Director of Education at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University. A/Prof Leach holds qualifications in nursing [BN], naturopathy [DipAppSc(Nat)], nutrition [DipClinNutr] and clinical research [BN(Hons) and PhD]. He also has extensive clinical, research and teaching experience.

Key research topics:
Evidence-based practice, health services research, complementary and integrative medicine.

Dr Mitchell Longstaff

Faculty of Health

I completed a PhD at the University of Newcastle, Australia in 2000. Since then I have taught and conducted research at Arizona State University (USA), The University of Greenwich (UK), and Southern Cross University since 2009.My research relates to fundamental and applied cognition (working memory, eyewitness memory), discrete/dynamic motor control, psychomotor skills (handwriting, drawing, aiming) and factors affecting these (dual-task performance, neurological degradation, individual differences, sex differences, anxiety). It has applications in education, development, forensics, ergonomics and neurological assessment, with Cognitive Psychology and Evolutionary Psychology as its theoretical foundation.

Key research topics:
Cognitive psychology, memory/working memory, movement science/motor control.

Associate Professor Deb Massey

Faculty of Health

Deb's clinical background is cardiac nursing. She teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum. Deb researches in the area of patient safety, particularly the deteriorating patient. She also undertakes research in learning and teaching.

Key research topics:
Acute care, patient safety, mixed methods.

Associate Professor Bernice Mathisen

Faculty of Health

Associate Professor Bernice Mathisen, BSpThy, MSc, PhD, is Discipline Lead and Course Coordinator in Speech Pathology at Southern Cross University, Queensland, Australia. From 2011-2018, Bernice was Discipline Lead in Speech Pathology, La Trobe Rural Health School (LRHS), Bendigo, Australia. Formerly at The University of Newcastle and Director of the Interdisciplinary Dysphagia Clinic (IDC) from 2001-2006, Bernice has 47 years experience in Australia and in the United Kingdom (University College, London) with a broad spectrum of research, teaching, clinical service and senior administrative roles. She received the University of Newcastle ‘Excellence in Teaching Award’ (2001). She has published widely in swallowing and disability and more recently in spirituality and palliative care. Bernice was the convenor of the Working with Developing Communities (WWDC) (VietNam) Program at The University of Newcastle and taught into the first professional speech pathology course in Vietnam in 2009. She continues to have an interest in global citizenship in allied health professionals.

Key research topics:
Speech pathology, spiritual care in allied health, swallowing in children and adults.

Associate Professor Lynne McPherson

Faculty of Health

Lynne McPherson is currently Associate Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences where teaches in social work and social welfare. Prior to becoming an academic, Lynne spent more than 25 years as a senior social work manager and practice leader in child protection and the wider child, youth and family sector. She has undertaken roles as a practitioner, manager, training consultant and senior policy advisor. Lynne became a social work academic just over a decade ago, initally based in Melbourne at La Trobe University. Lynne joned the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University in 2016 as an academic who is engaged in teaching and research.

Key research topics:
Clinical social work practice, social work.

Adjunct Associate Professor Rudi Meir

Faculty of Health

Lynne McPherson is currently Associate Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences where teaches in social work and social welfare. Prior to becoming an academic, Lynne spent more than 25 years as a senior social work manager and practice leader in child protection and the wider child, youth and family sector. She has undertaken roles as a practitioner, manager, training consultant and senior policy advisor. Lynne became a social work academic just over a decade ago, initally based in Melbourne at La Trobe University. Lynne joned the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University in 2016 as an academic who is engaged in teaching and research.

Key research topics:
Human development, allied health sport science, exercise science, coaching strength and conditioning, sports injury, fluid loss, exercise technique, training program design.

Associate Professor Gail Moloney

Faculty of Health

Dr Gail Moloney is currently an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Psychology in the School of Health and Human Sciences.My research interests fall broadly in the area of social and community psychology. I am particularly interested in drawing from theory to understand and design strategies and interventions for pressing social and health issues. Current and previous research interests include: social representations theory, social identity theory, organ donation, transplantation and registration on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) , blood donation, social understandings of dementia, community and the re-settlement of forced migrants, the depiction of minority groups through cartooning, and climate change.

Key research topics:
Social identity, climate change, organ donation registration, social perceptions of dementia, blood donation, social psychology, social representations theory, community and the resettlement of migrants.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Beth Mozolic-Staunton

Faculty of Health

Beth is an experienced Occupational Therapy practitioner, lecturer and researcher. Beth is currently the coordinator of the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy degree program at Southern Cross University, which is offered at Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour campuses.

Key research topics:
Paediatrics, allied health, occupational therapy, early intervention, school-based practice, health and early childhood education workforce capacity building, service-learning and practice education, disability, health workforce development, child development, community health, health promotion and primary healthcare, inclusive education, autism spectrum disorder, occupational therapy education and training.

Emeritus Professor Stephen Myers

Faculty of Health

Steve completed his PhD studies in 2004 at Queensland University of Technology where he was the recipient of an NHMRC “Dora Lush” postgraduate scholarship to study steroid hormones and cancer. He then moved to the University of Queensland, Australia in 2006 to pursue a career in the genetics of metabolic disease and has published widely in the field of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and type 2 diabetes. Steve’s other research interests include understanding the impact of nutritional processes that facilitate better health outcomes for type 2 diabetes.

Key research topics:
Herbal medicine, integrative medicine, evidence based medicine, health and wellness, complementary medicine, naturopathic medicine, nutritional medicine.

Adjunct Professor Susan Nancarrow

Faculty of Health

I am an Adjunct Professor in health services research with a particular interest in the health workforce, models of health service organisation and delivery and the sociology of the professions.

Key research topics:
Workplace relationships, nursing/police management, organisational behaviour.

Dr Paul Orrock

Faculty of Health

Paul J Orrock PhD MAppSc (Res) GradCertHEd ND DO is an osteopathic clinician and academic, has a masters by research in biomechanics and a doctorate in the development of models of clinical evidence, and has published and presented the findings internationally. Paul has had a private practice for 30 years. Paul has completed projects on the health workforce and the development and assessment of clinical reasoning. His doctorate explored the osteopathic profession using mixed methods and developed a pragmatic clinical trial method reflecting whole practice. He is interested in developing models of complex interventions for testing in clinical trials.

Key research topics:
Clinical effectiveness, clinical reasoning, problem/cased based learning.

Dr Dylan Poulus

Faculty of Health

Dylan's research explores the factors associated with psychological high performance in competitive and elite esports, with a specific focus on stress and coping and mental toughness in e-athletes.

Key research topics:
esports, sports psychology, stress, coping, mental toughness.

Dr Anna Praskova

Faculty of Health

Dr Anna Praskova is a Lecturer in Psychology. She graduated from Griffith University in 2010 with Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), and in 2014 with a PhD in the field of career developmental psychology. She went onto a Principal Research Fellow role with Metro North Mental Health, and, later, worked as a Career Development Practitioner and Lecturer at the SCU and the USQ. Since the opening of the psychology degree at the SCU Gold Coast in 2019, she accepted her current lecturing role in the School of Health and Human Sciences where she enjoys her teaching, supervision, and research responsibilities.

Key research topics:
Career developmental psychology, psychometrics and scale development, career calling and meaningful work.

Dr Steve Provost

Faculty of Health

I completed a PHD at UNSW in the 1980s. Since then I have worked at ANU, Macquarie, the University of Newcastle, and SCU (from 2001).My background is in the experimental study of learning, but during the first decade of this century my focus was on the scholarship of teaching and learning. I held grants from the Committee for Advancement of University Teaching, and was involved in the Disciplinary Review funded by the Office for Teaching and Learning. Since the establishment of the psychological laboratories (in 2012) have been re-engaging with experimental psychology, psychophysiology and behaviour analysis.

Key research topics:
Psychophysiology, learning, experimental analysis of human behaviour.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Kylie Radford

Faculty of Health

Dr Radford is a clinical neuropsychologist, conjoint senior lecturer at UNSW, and Research Fellow leading the Aboriginal Health and Ageing Group at NeuRA. She completed her PhD in 2010 at the University of Sydney. Her diverse clinical research experience has involved studying early onset dementia, alcohol dependence, and cognitive rehabilitation for acquired brain injuries, mild cognitive impairment and epilepsy, as well as population brain ageing. This has included experience in a range of research methodologies, such as randomized controlled trials, multicentre studies, longitudinal observational cohort studies, development of psychometric instruments and validation studies.

Key research topics:
Ageing and older people, indigenous health, aboriginal and torres straight islander peoples, aboriginal health, dementia, alzheimer's disease, cognition.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Basia Radlinska

Faculty of Health

I am a Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Supervisor and Clinical Lead with a passion for Mental Health and values-driven work and practice. My main areas of clinical interest are complex trauma and mood disorders, although I have training and expertise across a range of clinical presentations and modalities, including CBT, CBT-E, TF-CBT, DBT, Schema Therapy, IFS and ACT, in both individual and group settings. I have a passion for working with people, whether it be clinically, or as a Clinical Supervisor and Manager. I have a strong interest in building and supporting cohesive clinical teams of like-minded professionals, working together to improve the wellbeing of clients, and building the capacity of mental health services to meet the evolving needs of the community. Given my background in Medicine and Neuroimaging (PhD in Neuroplasticity), I am passionate about translational research and evidence-based clinical practice, that breaks down the silos between research, education and practice.

Key research topics:
Trauma, mental health, neuroscience.

Adjunct Lecturer Rae Rafferty

Faculty of Health

Workforce Development Leadership Coaching Resilience Grounded Theory RCT.

Key research topics:
Leadership, coaching, leadership and coaching training and research, leadership development, team building, executive coaching, team management, nursing management.

Dr Liz Reimer

Faculty of Health

Liz has over 20 years’ experience in the child protection-related research, policy and practice regarding family work and parenting programs. Recent employment experience includes Senior Research Officer at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and Senior Policy and Research Officer for the Inquiry into the Child Protection System in the Northern Territory.

Key research topics:
Family work, community development, relational practice.

Dr Liz Rix

Faculty of Health

Elizabeth (Liz) Rix is a registered nurse, researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Health and Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University, NSW Australia. Her experience as a specialist renal nurse with NSW Health was the foundation for her doctoral studies, which focused on addressing systemic and individual racism, with the aim of improving accessibility and acceptability of mainstream renal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with end stage renal disease requiring dialysis. She is fortunate to have Bundjalung Elders, renal patients and their families and Aboriginal Health Workers provide their cultural and lived experience/expertise to guide her work.

Key research topics:
Cultural safety, Indigenous health, decolonising and Indigenist research methods, addressing institutional racism, decolonising practice for individuals and institutions, chronic disease prevention and management, and improving access to mainstream health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Adjunct Professor Sally Robinson

Faculty of Health

Sally leads the Disability Research Program at the Centre for Children and Young People at SCU. Sally's interests and expertise centre on the use of creative methods to engage young people with cognitive disability in research to express their perspectives on key issues. She uses participatory and inclusive research approaches with young people with disability in a range of areas, but has particular interests in personal safety and abuse; relationships and paid support; and ethical practice. Sally has contributed to a wide range of research and evaluation in the social policy arena over the past decade, focusing particularly on safety and harm, accommodation and social exclusion concerns of people with disability. She is actively engaged in community and government policy debates, frequently advising on the development of policy and practice on abuse and abuse prevention, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and community inclusion for children and young people. Prior to life as a researcher, Sally has a long history of advocacy and support work with people with intellectual disability. She has worked with people with intellectual disability for over 25 years.

Key research topics:
Disability, children, young people, belonging, abuse, safety.

Dr Nedeljka Rosic

Faculty of Health

Dr Nela Rosic has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (University of Queensland) and experience in xenobiotic enzymes, directed evolution and drug discoveries. She has been awarded competitive fellowships and grants, including the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) by Australian Research Council.

Key research topics:
Medicinal science, environmental stress, host-microbe interaction.

Dr Erica Russ

Faculty of Health

Dr Erica Russ is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Field Education in Social Work and Community Welfare at Southern Cross University, having previously taught at the University of New England and the University of Queensland. Prior to moving into academia, Erica had extensive industry experience in Social Work across both urban and rural areas, focusing on child, youth, and family, services with particular expertise in the areas of child protection and out-of-home. Erica has also managed policy units, and a staff support program, and provided industry training on child protection practice, vicarious trauma, wellbeing and resilience. Erica’s research interests include social work workforce and workforce wellbeing, child welfare including hearing children’s voices in research, rural social work and social work field education.

Key research topics:
Social work, child welfare, human services workforce, rural social work, work integrated learning.

Dr Nasim Salehi

Faculty of Health

Dr. Nasim Salehi has started her work in health-related areas in 2004, including healthcare leadership and health promotion (teaching, research, and practice). She has been involved in multidisciplinary research projects, focusing on providing advanced models of care through improved health and wellbeing (particularly prevention and health promotion), reducing disparities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness of services. She undertook a diverse range of managerial roles within different teaching hospitals, assisted with developing hospital strategies and policies; implementing new procedures/technologies; ensuring quality delivery of healthcare services; budget planning; and workforce management. Her main research projects are focused on Holistic health; Family-inclusive models; Digital health, particularly in the social aspect of health; Online education; Young individuals as agents of change; and Effective and efficient care provision.

Key research topics:
Public health/health promotion, health services management/healthcare leadership, health and community services, social capital, social determinants of health, social policy and practice, social psychology, mental health and wellbeing, health psychology, citizen science, digital health, health education.

Adjunct Associate Professor Christina Samios

Faculty of Health

Dr. Christina Samios has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Queensland and is a registered psychologist. She worked as Assistant Professor of Psychology at Bond University for a decade specialising in teaching statistics for psychology. She joined Southern Cross University in 2019 and is the Gold Coast Campus Lead and Psychology Honours Course Coordinator.Dr. Samios’s research focuses on health and wellbeing in individuals and couples by studying factors, such as savouring and self-compassion, which promote wellbeing. She is interested in meaning making in times of stress and implications for meaning in life. She also studies the cultural life script as a meaning framework.

Key research topics:
Psychological adjustment and wellbeing, meaning-making and positive psychological processes, couple adjustment and interpersonal relationships.

Associate Professor Sally Sargeant

Faculty of Health

Dr. Sally Sargeant has shaped an esteemed career in teaching, research and service in health psychology and medicine within UK and Australian universities. She is currently Associate Professor of Psychology and Health Communications at SCU and served as Deputy Dean of Health and Human Sciences here from 2017-2020. Originally from the UK, she achieved her PhD in Health Psychology from Loughborough University, and assumed her first academic position as a lecturer in psychology at Keele University. She relocated to Australia in 2012, to lead the implementation of health psychology in medical curricula at Bond University for five years, before arriving at SCU in late 2017.

Key research topics:
Critical health psychology, health communications, health professions education, qualitative methods, discourse and conversation analysis, psycho-oncology, medical education.

Dr Janet Schloss

Faculty of Health

Dr Janet Schloss has a background as a naturopath and clinical nutritionist and completed her Phd at School of Medicine, University of Queensland. Janet has worked extensively conducting clinical trials, particularly contract research at the University of Queensland, the Mater Hospital, the Princess Alexandra hospital, the Office of Research at the Endeavour College of Natural Health and now with the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine. In addition, Janet has a private practice seeing patients for over 20 years.

Key research topics:
Clinical trials - nutraceuticals, herbal medicine, medicinal cannabis, diet; oncology and chronic disease, medicinal cannabis.

Dr Kirstine Shrubsole

Faculty of Health

Kirstine is a speech pathologist with a specific clinical and research focus on post-stroke aphasia and improving implementation of evidence-based practice. She is an early career researcher with a developing national and international profile in Implementation Science in aphasia.

Key research topics:
Implementation science, stroke rehabilitation, acquired communication disorders.

Dr Chris Stevens

Faculty of Health

Chris's research is focused toward improving sports performance in hot environments with cooling strategies, heat acclimation programs and nutritional strategies and products.

Key research topics:
Environmental physiology, sports training, sports performance.

Adjunct Associate Professor Lynette Stockhausen

Faculty of Health

Associate Professor Stockhausen has a strong research and publication record in nursing and education. She is a reviewer for a number of national and international nursing journals. Lynette’s research has been exploring ways to integrate a range of learning and teaching pedagogies with computer assisted technologies and the workplace as a learning environment. Lynette has also been expanding conceptualisations of reflective practice to develop a model that includes cultural considerations. However, most of Lynette’s research stems from investigating learning and teaching that takes place in clinical settings.

Key research topics:
Nursing, nursing education, nursing leaership, evidence based practice, critique.

Associate Professor Christian Swann

Faculty of Health

Christian's research focuses on the psychology of sport, exercise and physical activity. His specific expertise is on improving quality of experience (e.g., flow, enjoyment), promoting mental health, and understanding how best to use goal-setting.

Key research topics:
Sport and exercise, goal setting, psychology of performance.

Professor Jon Wardle

Faculty of Health

Professor Jon Wardle is Foundation Director of the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) and Maurice Blackmore Chair of Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University. In addition to clinical qualifications in nursing and naturopathic medicine, Jon has postgraduate qualifications in public health, law and health economics and holds visiting positions at Boston University, University of Washington and University of Oxford.

Key research topics:
Public health and health services, health policy and health law, complementary traditional and integrative medicine.

Dr Louise Whitaker

Faculty of Health

When, in my early 20s, I discovered social work, it was a home coming. The culture of community, collaboration and social justice fitted. Having worked as a social worker in mental health, women's health, Legal Aid and cancer workforce development, I joined academe in 2010's. I am committed to the profession and its development.My research has examined critical reflection and human service practice with people who are impacted by mental distress. Most recently the focus has been the social inclusion of women from refugee backgrounds. I am particularly interested in practice based research and research methodologies that capture practice wisdom.

Key research topics:
Social work.

Dr Nicci Whiteing

Faculty of Health

Dr Nicola Whiteing is a Senior Lecturer and Curriculum Lead for Nursing. Nicola has a PhD from Central Queensland University and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Nicola’s research focuses on curriculum design and workforce development and capacity with a focus on working in regional, rural and remote areas. She is particularly interested in how new workforce models and preparation of nurses can address gaps in health care service provisions in rural and remote areas. Nicola has experience in case study, qualitative and mixed methods methodologies.

Key research topics:
Rural and remote, workforce, preparation for practice, curriculum design.

Dr John Whitting

Faculty of Health

Dr John Whitting began his career in sport and exercise science, by completing his Bachelors degree in 2005 (1st class honours), and PhD in 2010, both in applied biomechanics at the University of Wollongong (UOW). In 2011 John took a position as a research fellow at the Human performance Laboratory (HPL) at the University of Calgary, before moving back to Australia in 2013 to take up a continuing academic position at Southern Coss University.John's research interests in sport and exercise science have a main focus in applied biomechanics during highly dynamic movements and activities. Other notable research interests include understanding in-vivo tissue mechanics and muscle contraction mechanisms and potential practical applications.

Key research topics:
Applied biomechanics, sports technique, muscle-tendon mechanics.

Dr Heather Winskel

Faculty of Health

Dr Heather Winskel is a in the Psychology discipline in the Faculty of Health. She has a B.Sc. (hons) from Sussex University and a PhD from Durham University, UK.Dr Heather Winskel has expertise in psycholinguistics, cognitive, developmental, cross-cultural, experimental and educational psychology. This includes research on language and language development, bilingualism, reading and writing, and cross-cultural and experimental psychology research. She has been extensively involved in collaborative research in the South and South-east Asian region.

Key research topics:
Psycholinguistics, language and reading, cross-cultural and cognitive psychology.

Associate Professor Jacqui Yoxall

Faculty of Health

Dr Yoxall has held full registration as a psychologist since 1997 and has practiced in public health, private business and industry and in private practice. Dr Yoxall has been a member of the Australian Psychological Society for 23 years. Dr Yoxall obtained her PhD in 2012. She has held a part time academic role in teaching, research and management since 2012.

Key research topics:
Psychological assessment, criminal behaviour, animal abuse, interpersonal violence, empathy, health intervention, mental illness, higher education, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, trauma.

Professor Shi (Joe) Zhou

Faculty of Health

Lecturing at Southern Cross University since 1991. Teaching Exercise Physiology. Supervising Doctoral and Masters research training students. Research interests in sport and exercise science, neuromuscular physiology, exercise interventions for selected populations.

Key research topics:
Neuromuscular responses and adaptations to exercise and training, exercise testing and intervention for selected populations, effects of hypoxia intervention on exercise performance and hyperglycemia.

Dr David Abrego

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr David Abrego is a marine ecologist at the National Marine Science Centre. David’s interest are in reef-building corals and their responses to changing oceans. He has led and collaborated on research covering individual to community responses in corals across the Indo-Pacific, including studies in Australia, Japan, and the Persian Gulf.

Key research topics:
Coral reef ecology, climate change adaptation, coral reef restoration, coral reproduction, coral-microalgal symbioses, thermal tolerance, coral settlement and recruitment.

Dr Jay Anderson

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am a Plant Pathologist with over 20 years-experience working with a range of tropical and subtropical horticultural crops. I am based at NSW Department of Primary Industries at Wollongbar and I enjoy working closely with farmers, industry and my colleagues on the development of practical solutions for disease problems.

Key research topics:
Horticultural crop protection (pests, diseases and weeds), horticultural production, plant pathology, subtropical plant pathology.

Professor Nick Ashbolt

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Nicholas Ashbolt is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Professor Ashbolt is a world-renowned environmental microbiologist, joining Southern Cross University from the University of Alberta where he was Professor in the School of Public Health, holding the Alberta Innovates Translational Health Chair in Waterborne Disease. He was previously Head of School at the University of New South Wales, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, followed by several years with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Key research topics:
Biofilms, environmental microbiology, one water system analysis, community water systems, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), environmental pathogens.

Professor Bronwyn Barkla

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Bronwyn Barkla is currently Director and Professor of Southern Cross Plant Science. Prior to this appointment she was a researcher at the Biotechnology Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She received her Master's (1989) and Ph.D.(1994) in the Department of Botany at the University of Toronto and carried out Post-doctoral research in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford (1994–1995). Bronwyn was the Vice President of the Mexican Proteomics Society from 2010 to 2012 and was on the Executive Board of the Society from 2008 to 2010.

Key research topics:
Plant biochemistry, proteins, membrane transport, proteomics.

Professor Kirsten Benkendorff

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Kirsten Benkendorff is currently the Director, National Marine Science Centre; Deputy Director, Marine Ecology Research Centre; Previously Director, Higher Degree Research and Training - School of Environment, Science and Engineering; and, Academic Director, Analytical Research Laboratory, Southern Cross University. Professor Benkendorff is an interdisciplinary, collaborative researcher with contributions spanning from the molecular to the ecosystem scales of marine biology and biomedical research.

Key research topics:
Aquatic animal health (invertebrates), bioactive marine compounds, molluscs/shellfish.

Dr Priya Borpatra Gohain

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Key research topics:
Genomics, proteomics, metabolomics.

Emeritus Professor William Boyd

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am the Professor of Geography at Southern Cross University and the Deputy Chair of my University’s Human Research Ethics Committee. I am a multi- and trans-disciplinary scholar – a geographer, archaeologist, landscape scientist and educationalist, with scholarly interests in long-term environmental change, human-landscape interactions, environmental and cultural heritage management, and education.

Key research topics:
Higher education, scholarship of teaching & learning, geography, education futures, social processes, indigenous studies, environmental change, environmental and cultural heritage management, human-environment interactions, geoarchaeology.

Adjunct Professor Matt Broadhurst

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Matt Broadhurst’s research has involved developing technologies in various fisheries that mitigate unaccounted fishing mortality (and the associated wastage) and contribute towards the improved control of aquatic resource exploitation by fisheries management. Contained within his research are categories of technical and scientific work, including: assessing the behaviour and physiology of fish and charismatic megafauna (sharks, dolphins and sea turtles) in relation to capture processes; inventing modifications to fishing gears and practices that reduce unwanted impacts; quantifying the mortality and sublethal physiological responses of organisms after interacting with, and then escaping or being discarded from fishing gears, and the broader ecosystem effects to support recommended management changes.

Key research topics:
Fisheries management, fisheries sciences, fishing gear technology and engineering, unaccounted fishing mortality, fish behaviour in relation to capture processes, elasmobranch biology and ecology.

Dr Peter Bundock

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Peter studied for a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of New England and completed an Honours year in the Biochemistry Department. He then worked at Monash University in the Genetics Department on transformation of the now famous weed, Arabidopsis thaliana. This was followed by a stint at the University of Western Sydney - Hawkesbury working on IAA biosynthesis in plants. In 1995 he commenced a Ph.D. at the University of Tasmania working on genome mapping and detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in Eucalyptus globulus.

Key research topics:
Breeding passion fruit, genetics of revegetation of rainforest trees.

Adjunct Fellow Daniel Burns

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dan is a Marine Scientist, Environmental Trainer and Lecturer with over 15 years’ experience working for government, NGO agencies, research institutes and environmental consulting companies.

Key research topics:
Marine ecology.

Professor Ed Burton

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Prof Burton leads the Environmental Geochemistry & Mineralogy group within the Southern Cross GeoScience research centre at Southern Cross University. Research in this group explores metal(loid)-mineral-microbe interactions in environmental systems through an integration of experiments, modelling and field studies.

Key research topics:
Geochemistry, earth sciences, soil science, mineralogy, environmental pollution, contaminated sites.

Adjunct Associate Professor Paul Butcher

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Paul Butcher is a Principal Research Scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries based at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour.  Paul has been a member of the fisheries research team since 2004 involving research into commercial and recreational fishing gear.  More recently Paul has been the lead scientist on the NSW Governments Shark Management Strategy. This highly political, social and science driven project includes tagging and tracking White, Tiger and Bull Sharks and using new technologies like SMART drumlines, drones and tagging/tracking to minimise the chance of human interactions with sharks on coastal beaches. He is also involved in genetics projects to quantifying the size of the east coast White Shark population as well as eDNA to detect white sharks. Paul is also involved in research to determine if burying whale carcasses on coastal beaches is likely to attract sharks and is heavily involved in drone research involving tracking/detecting sharks, assessing biodiversity off coastal beaches, quantifying beach usage and for use in fisheries compliance. Paul also has a large number of students from various universities in Australia and overseas working on his projects.

Key research topics:
Shark management and shark fisheries, drones, recreational fishereis - catch and release science, marine parks, ecology of saltwater and freshwater fish and crustraceans.

Dr Daniele Cagnazzi

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I was born in Milano, Italy in 1976. I completed my undergraduate studies in Italy before moving to Australia where I obtained my PhD at Southern Cross University in 2011.The main focus of my research is on the ecology biology and conservation of marine mammals. I am particularly interested in assessing the impact of anthropocentric activities on marine mammals and other marine megafauna species.

Key research topics:
Marine mammals ecology, genetic and population dynamics, marine megafauna toxicology, marine biodiversity and conservation.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Curtis Champion

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Curtis Champion completed a BEnvSc (Hons) in Marine Science at the University of New South Wales and a PhD in Fisheries Oceanography at the University of Tasmania and CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, where he developed statistical models to quantify the effects of historical and projected environmental change on the distribution of fisheries resources. His research spans a range of topics, including the effects of regional-scale oceanography on the distribution and body condition of coastal and pelagic fishes, the impacts of environmental change on the health and nutritional quality of harvested marine species, the function of artificial habitat in coastal ecosystems, vulnerability assessment methods for marine species and the development of fishery-relevant indices to support climate adaptation. In addition to his research, Curtis has chaired the Early Career Researcher committee of the 2019 international Species on the Move conference held at Kruger National Park, South Africa. Curtis is also passionate about effectively communicating scientific research with relevant stakeholders and has won multiple science communication awards, including the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s prize for best oral presentation at the 2018 Australian Marine Science Association conference.

Key research topics:
Climate adaptation, climate change ecology, fisheries oceanography, species distibution modelling, special vulnerability assessment.

Adjunct Lecturer Victoria Cole

Faculty of Science and Engineering

With more than 10 years post-PhD experience in experimental marine ecology, I am interested in the complex ecological interactions that influence marine biodiversity with a focus of restoration. I aim to understand how natural and anthropogenic factors (small scale and large scale processes) influence biodiversity in habitats made by shellfish reefs (mussels and oysters), and the consequences of habitat loss and change. My research is important in the context of shellfish reef restoration and determining the success of shellfish reefs under anthropogenic stress (ocean warming and acidification, pollution, urbanisation, and harvesting). Recently, I have successfully manipulated climate stressors (ocean acidification and temperature) in the field, developed novel methods to determine in situ filtration rates of bivalves, assessed ecological effects of microplastics on oyster reefs, and a developed monitoring program for invertebrate fisheries and restoration.

Key research topics:
Restoration, molluscs, polychaetes, experimental ecology.

Adjunct Professor Melinda Coleman

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Key research topics:
Algae, dispersal, marine, connectivity, marine reserves, kelp.

Adjunct Professor Allan Curtis

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Allan Curtis is an Adjunct Research Professor at CSU. Until December 2017 he was a Strategic Research Professor at CSU. From 2002-2004 he led the Social Sciences Program in the Bureau of Rural Sciences, part of the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Key research topics:
Management, environmental management, qualitative analysis, sustainable agriculture, research methodology, governance, sustainable development, sustainability, conservation, environment.

Dr Dexter Dela Cruz

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dexter dela Cruz main research topics are coral reef ecology, restoration and coral reproduction. He is currently undertaking Postdoctoral Research on coral restoration using mass larval enhancement under the laboratory of Prof. Peter Harrison. Dexter is from the Philippines where he finished his Master Degree in Marine Science major in Marine Biology at The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines (UP). He was a scholar of Global Environment Facility – World Bank, and European Union Coral Reef Restoration Projects during his master’s and involved in a working group that test the viability of asexual fragmentation and coral gardening concept as a coral restoration method. He continued to work in UP for various coral restoration projects under different local agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He joined SCU in 2013 as a PhD student where he received the John Allwright Scholarship - Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) of the Australian Awards. His research is part of the ACIAR Coral Reef Restoration Using Mass Larval Enhancement in the Philippines wherein millions of laboratory cultured coral larvae are released directly onto degraded coral reefs.

Key research topics:
Coral reef ecology, restoration and coral reproduction.

Research Fellow Dr Elisabeth Deschaseaux

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Originally from France, I did my Undergraduate in cellular biology and physiology at the University of Bordeaux II (France) and moved to Australia in 2006 to enrol in Honours in applied science at the University of Canberra (UC). My Honours research project was to investigate the effect of variations in temperature and salinity on three biomarkers of stress (antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation and lysosomal stability) in the egg masses of rocky-shore gastropods.

Key research topics:
Environmental science, biogenic volatile organic compounds, biogeochemical cycling, coral reef, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, DMS, PTR-MS.

Associate Professor Ken Doust

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Ken is a Course Coordinator for Engineering Management at Southern Cross University and has been leading the overall engineering management postgrad program since 2016, including its initial expansion into the Gold Coast campus. Ken is passionate about sustainability, and how to achieve it through holistic approaches such as systems thinking and knowledge sharing. Some specific research interests include the re-engineering of existing infrastructure in both urban and regional areas, the aim being to leverage their value by applying leading technologies to suit emerging industries and rejuvenate communities & their local economies. A key part of Ken's interest is to contribute to the wider education of up and coming graduates and graduates already in the workforce. In particular, to help empower them with emerging methodologies and tools to face the challenges to shift our communities toward more sustainable futures. During 2017, Ken was invited to Denmark to collaborate with Aalborg University in the development of opportunities on future courses in planning and engineering future communities. Ken has affiliations with the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and following the mobility to Denmark, Netherlands and Paris, facilitated the formation and launch of the Australian Oceania Hub of the UCCRN climate change research network in September 2017. The Hub was established through a two day symposium, hosted at SCU Gold Coast and Lismore Campuses, bringing together a wide variety of practitioners, academics, community members, industry and local government representatives, from local, wider east coast institutions and UCCRN hubs in the US and South Africa.

Key research topics:
Intergrated transport infrastructure, sustainable transport systems.

Professor Symon Dworjanyn

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Symon Dworjanyn is currently Professor at the National marine Science Centre. Symon works in the fields of marine ecology and sustainable aquaculture, applying the culturing skills developed in aquaculture research to explore and apply ecological theory to advance the development of sustainable aquaculture practices.

Key research topics:
Aquaculture, fisheries sciences, marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology), oceanography, marine ecology, sustainable aquaculture, marine climate change, ocean acidification, marine invertebrates, ecosystem impacts.

Associate Professor Dirk Erler

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dirk Erler’s research is broadly divided along two lines: understanding aquatic nutrient cycling in natural systems, and developing strategies to improve nutrient recovery in engineered systems.

Key research topics:
Nutrient cycling, oceanography, environmental engineering.

Professor Brad Eyre

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Bradley Eyre is Director of the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, Southern Cross University Professor Eye’s research looks at the flow of carbon and nitrogen through the earth-system, and changes in these flows due to global change (e.g. climate change, ocean acidification, and eutrophication). He uses a variety of research approaches in his work, on scales from a few meters to global estimates. Much of his research has been in (sub) tropical coastal systems, including estuaries, rivers, lakes and catchments, near-shore coastal areas, muds, permeable sands, mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs, but he has also worked in warm and cold temperate and arctic systems. Professor Eyre is currently focusing on the effects of global change on (1) shallow water carbonate sediment dissolution and how this influences the long-term accumulation of carbonate material on coral reefs and (2) greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic systems and their contribution to global budgets.

Key research topics:
Aquatic biogeochemistry, coral reefs, aquatic greenhouse gases.

Dr Monica Gagliano

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Monica Gagliano is a Research Associate Professor in evolutionary ecology at Southern Cross University where she directs the Biological Intelligence (BI) Lab as part of the Diverse Intelligences Initiative of the Templeton World Charity Foundation. She has pioneered the brand-new research field of plant bioacoustics, for the first time experimentally demonstrating that plants emit their own ‘voices’ and detect and respond to the sounds of their environments. Her work has extended the concept of cognition (including perception, learning processes, memory) in plants. By demonstrating experimentally that learning is not the exclusive province of animals, she has re-ignited the discourse on plant subjectivity and ethical and legal standing. Inspired by encounters with Nature and indigenous elders from around the world, she applies a progressive and holistic approach to science – one that is comfortable engaging at the interface between areas as diverse as ecology, physics, law, anthropology, philosophy, literature, music and the arts, and spirituality. By re-kindling a sense of wonder for this beautiful place we call home, she is helping to create a fresh imaginative ecology of mind that can inspire the emergence of truly innovative solutions to human relations with the world we co-inhabit. Her latest book is Thus Spoke the Plant (North Atlantic Books, 2018).

Key research topics:
Evolutionary ecology, plant bioacoustics, cognition (including perception, learning processes, memory) in plants.

Dr Reza Ghanbarzadeh

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Reza’s research interest includes human-computer interaction, innovative application of technology in various context, IT innovation adoption, and virtual communities, and he has published several publications in these fields. Reza has a background in software engineering and information systems, and teaches software development and user experience units to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Key research topics:
Information Systems, human-computer interaction, IT innovation adoption, virtual technologies, artificial intelligence.

Associate Professor Ross Goldingay

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Ross has a BSc(hons) from UNSW. He completed his PhD part-time on the ecology of the yellow-bellied glider at UW'gong. He concurrently worked for his supervisor on pollination and fire ecology. He did a post-doc at UCaliforniaRiverside on the ecology of an endangered rodent. He's been at SCU since 1996.

Key research topics:
Wildlife conservation, restoration ecology, forest ecology.

Dr Marine Gouezo

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Originally from a fishing town in the south of France, Marine spent most of her education and early career as a coral reef ecologist overseas. Marine has a Bachelor of Marine Studies from the University of Queensland, Australia, a Master in Marine Conservation from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and a PhD from Southern Cross University, Australia. She gained most of her experience from working for the NGO ReefDoctor in Madagascar for a year and for the Palau International Coral Reef Center, in Palau (Micronesia), for 6 years, during which she completed her PhD as an offshore student.

Key research topics:
Coral reef ecology, disturbance ecology, ecological monitoring, marine conservation and management, ecological restoration, community dynamics, coral reef recovery.

Dr John Grant

Faculty of Science and Engineering

John Grant has over thirty years of experience in, soil related research, soil interpretation and land and soil mapping. Current research areas include nutrient cycling and land rehabilitation in agroforestry systems in the Pacific, carbon sequestration in soils, soil nutritional interactions with Bell Miner Associated Dieback in forests, environmental and carbon sequestration benefits of dung beetles and biochar, land rehabilitation and soil parameters and plantation productivity relationships.

Key research topics:
Nutrient cycling, agricultural systems, forest soils.

Adjunct Associate Professor Karina Hall

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Karina is Fisheries Scientist based at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour. Her current research focuses on the resource assessment of 26 key finfish and cephalopod species exploited by commercial and recreational fisheries along the east coast of Australia. She is currently exploring innovative ways to assess data-poor, non-target species through alternative methods such as ecological risk assessment. Karina also contributes towards joint stock assessments with Commonwealth and other State agencies for biological stocks that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

Key research topics:
Resource assessment of exploited finfish and marine invertebrates, fisheries biology, population dynamics and life histories of aquatic organisms, ecology and behaviour of cephalopods.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Zan Hammerton

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Experienced Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry. Skilled in Environmental Issues, Lecturing, Public Speaking, Environmental Awareness, and Coastal and Marine Ecosystems. Strong education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Marine Sciences from Southern Cross University.

Key research topics:
Management of coastal and marine ecosystems, tourism impacts, environmental restoration of riparian zones.

Adjunct Associate Professor David Harasti

Faculty of Science and Engineering

David Harasti is a Senior Research Scientist based at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute. He is a marine biologist with over 20 years experience working on threatened marine species and marine biodiversity. David previously worked in threatened species management, focusing on recovery plans for species such as grey nurse, great white sharks and black cod, before commencing research on evaluation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in 2008. David also co-supervises several Honours and PhD students.

Key research topics:
Marine biodiversity, threatened and protected species.

Dr Daniel Harrison

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Daniel Harrison completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), Masters in Engineering (Oceanography), and PhD (Biological Oceanography) at the University of Sydney where he also started his postdoctoral career. Prior to undertaking his PhD Daniel spent 2 years as a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California where he helped to develop tools to improve the use of oceanographic data in ecosystems based management of fisheries resources. Other previous appointments include senior research fellow at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, where Daniel concentrated on field and modelling studies of hydrodynamics and biogeochemical cycles in Sydney Harbour. In 2017 Daniel was awarded a prestigious Myer Innovation fellowship to develop the concept of using solar radiation management approaches for bleaching protection on the Great Barrier Reef. In 2019 Daniel Joined Southern Cross University as a Senior Lecturer and was appointed Sub-Program lead of the Cooling and Shading sub program within the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

Key research topics:
Biological oceanography, fisheries oceanography, ecosystem restoration, biogeochemistry, coral reef restoration.

Distinguished Professor Peter Harrison

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Distinguished Professor Peter Harrison is the founding Director of the Marine Ecology Research Centre at Southern Cross University. Peter is a recognised leader in coral reproduction ecology and coral larval restoration and has been actively researching and teaching a wide range of marine science and ecology programs for more than 35 years.

Key research topics:
Marine ecology, coral reproduction ecology, coral larval restoration, marine science.

Adjunct Lecturer Stephanie Hernandez

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am a decision scientist working in socio-ecological resilience. I am passionate about developing policies that create a positive impact to people's lives whilst achieving solid environmental outcomes. My formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Environmental Science (BSc), Master of Science (Biology), and PhD in policy impact analysis. This combination allows me to provide exceptional support for various stakeholders while maintaining an enthusiastic and positive attitude throughout

Key research topics:
Environmental science.

Research Fellow Amitha Hewavitharana

Faculty of Science and Engineering

After completion of postgraduate studies in Canada, I moved to New Zealand and held brief research positions at Massey University (New Zealand) and NZ Leather Research Institute. Following that, I worked as a research scientist at the NZ Dairy Research Institute (NZDRI, currently Fonterra Research) for 4 years before moving to Australia in 1997. In Australia, I commenced my career as a lecturer in analytical chemistry at the University of Western Sydney, and then at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) until 2001. Following that, I held research positions in CSIRO (food science), in QHSS (investigative chemistry), then in school of pharmacy at the University of Queensland (2014 – 2018).

Key research topics:
Analytical chemistry, food science, investogative chemistry.

Dr Emily Howells

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr. Emily Howells is a coral biologist with more than 15 years of research experience focused on the ecological and evolutionary responses of reef-building corals to climate warming. She is based at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour and works with collaborators in Australia and abroad.

Key research topics:
Climate change adaptation, coral reproduction, coral symbiosis, coral reef ecology and evolution, coral thermal tolerance, population genetics and genomics.

Dr Luke Jeffery

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Aquatic biogeochemist currently focused on quantifying methane emissions from tree stems, wetlands and mangrove biomes.

Key research topics:
Biogeochemistry, greenhouse gases, coastal hydrology, groundwater, CASS.

Associate Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Renaud Joannes-Boyau is the Director of Higher Degree Research Training at Southern Cross Geoscience, Southern Cross University. Dr Joannes-Boyau's research focuses on the development and application of direct dating methods and micro-analytical techniques to key questions in archaeological sciences, such as the timing of human evolution, interaction with the surrounding environment and ecological niche, as well as hominids diet and early life history.

Key research topics:
Human evolution, palaeodiet, evolutionary medicine.

Professor Scott Johnston

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Scott Johnston is a Professor with Southern Cross GeoScience. Dr Johnston is an environmental geochemist and hydrologist whose research has a strong focus on understanding processes that control water quality in natural landscapes. During his career he has attracted >$4.5 million of external grant funding and been awarded a prestigious ARC Future Fellowship and ARC APDI post-doctoral fellowship. He has established a reputation for successfully implementing large scale, multi-disciplinary projects (ARC / CRC) in collaboration with industry, state and local governments. Many of these projects have had an applied focus on developing, assessing and refining practical techniques for improving estuarine water quality and remediating acid sulfate soil landscapes and degraded estuarine and freshwater wetlands.

Key research topics:
Environmental geochemistry, hydrology, water quality.

Dr Niloofar Karimian

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Niloofar Karimian is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Environmental Geochemistry and Mineralogy group at Southern Cross GeoScience (SCGC), Southern Cross University (SCU). She attained her PhD in Environmental Geochemistry from Southern Cross GeoScience, SCU and received the Southern Cross University Chancellor’s Medal for the outstanding PhD thesis (2017).

Key research topics:
Geochemistry mineralogy and crystallography, synchrotrons, accelerators, instruments and techniques, earth sciences, environmental pollution.

Professor Brendan Kelaher

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Brendan Kelaher is a marine biologist with more than 20 years of experience. Dr Brendan Kelaher is currently Professor of Marine Science Management, he is the Chief SCU Remote Pilot, and Chair of the SCU Animal Care and Ethics committee.

Key research topics:
Drone technology, ocean change biology, marine ecology.

Professor Graham King

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Graham King, Southern Cross Plant science, has over 32 years post-doctoral research and research management experience, with a widely recognized international profile in crop plant genetics, genomics and related data management. Gaining his Ph.D from the University of London, he has held positions at Horticulture Research International and Rothamsted Research, and was a professor at the University of Warwick. From 2012 to 2018 Graham was Director of Southern Cross Plant Science (SCPS) at Southern Cross University, where he is now a part-time Research Professor.

Key research topics:
Plant science.

Associate Professor Tobias Kretzschmar

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Tobias Kretzschmar is currently Associate Professor, Southern Cross Plant Science. Tobias was awarded his Doctorate of Natural Sciences (PhD equivalent) from the University of Zurich. As a Plant Breeding and Genetics lead at Southern Cross University, Tobias is involved in project management and hands-on implementation of a range of pre-breeding, genetic resource management and breeding activities of plantation and high value arable crops. Previously Tobias was affiliated with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

Key research topics:
Crop and pasture production, horticultural crop growth and development, plant cell and molecular biology.

Dr Maree Lake

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Maree Lake is a Senior Lecturer in mathematics and traffic and transport engineering at Southern Cross University. Maree has both mathematics and transportation qualifications, and her PhD provided the nexus between her dual areas of mathematics and transportation, applying mathematical techniques to transportation problems. Dr Maree Lake has a wide range of experience in traffic and transportation within universities as a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher, as well as in industry as a consultant. Maree is responsible for the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning sub discipline within the civil engineering degree, in addition to being the specialisation lead of Mathematics and Physics at Southern Cross University.

Key research topics:
Traffic engineering, transport planning, operations research.

Dr Szabolcs Lehoczki-Krsjak

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Szabolcs Lehoczki-Krsjak is a Research Fellow in Rice Breeding and Genetics at Southern Cross Plant Science. Szabolcs completed his PhD studies in Hungary in 2013, working on Fusarium head blight pest management of wheat. During his research he engaged with plant breeding and since then he worked on pre-breeding, commercial breeding and every aspects of marketable product development of wheat, field corn and sweet corn.

Key research topics:
Plant breeding, genetics, marker assisted selection, black rice breeding.

Adjunct Professor Carlo Leifert

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Carlo Leifert is the Director of the Centre for Organics Research at Southern Cross University in Australia. The Centre for Organics Research is a joint initiative between Southern Cross University and NSW Department of Primary Industries which conducts research in partnership with community and industry stakeholders. The Centre for Organics Research provides strong evidence-based scientific and multidisciplinary research focused on clarifying some of the complex issues surrounding organics production and supply chains. Prior to his position at Southern Cross University, Dr. Leifert was the Director of the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University in England, where he led the research, development and technology transfer team. He has experience as a course director and has recently proposed, developed and established two Masters courses in organic farming and food production systems and sustainable farming and food security.

Key research topics:
Soil management (organic matter recycling and composting technology), crop protection (integrated, biological and agronomic disease, pest and weed control), crop breeding for low input systems (including molecular marker assisted selection), low input’ and organic agricultural systems development, nutritional quality of organic and low input dairy production systems.

Dr Ben Liu

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Lei (Ben) Liu has completed his PhD on 'Phytochemical and Pharmacological Perspectives of Wheat Grain and Lupin Seed' in 2010. Ben has a wide research interest in biologically active phytochemicals. He has proven expertise in the isolation, identification and quantification of bioactive metabolites.

Key research topics:
Phytochemistry, food chemistry, cereal chemistry.

Adjunct Associate Professor David Lloyd

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Associate Professor David Lloyd, came to Southern Cross University after ten years as a senior manager with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in Townsville. Dr. Lloyd has extensive community development experience, in areas ranging from remote aboriginal communities to the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, East Timor, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Key research topics:
Atmospheric sciences, meteorology, oceanography, environmental science, earth sciences, marine biology.

Dr Hanabeth Luke

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Hanabeth Luke is a passionate educator who has been teaching and conducting research in Southern Cross University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering since 2011. She is deeply motivated by helping regional communities and farmers to become more resilient in times of transition, bringing communities and science together. These understandings underpin her role as Coordinator for the new Southern Cross University courses in Regenerative Agriculture. Hanabeth's work has both translated complex scientific research to a general readership and used information arising from social research to inform decisions around strategic planning, for other scientists as well as industry, government and land managers.

Key research topics:
Social dimensions of agricultural systems and regenerative land management, social dimensions of land-use transition, including extractive development, community engagement in decision making, including social license to operate and deliberative democracy.

Professor Damien Maher

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Damien Maher is a Professor of Earth Sciences. He undertakes world-leading research on the cycling of water, nutrients and gases between the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere.Professor Maher’s research interests are coastal carbon and nutrient cycling, blue carbon, greenhouse gas accounting, groundwater-surface water exchange, and novel low-cost sensor development. His research primarily focuses on understanding the flow of water, carbon, and nutrients through terrestrial, aquatic and oceanic biomes. Damien works closely with industry and government to use cutting edge research to deliver applied outcomes for real-world problems. Damien has been awarded more than $5 million in research funding, and he has over 130 publications, and has supervised many postgraduate students to successful completions.

Key research topics:
Ecohydrology, freshwater and marine science, smart sensors.

Adjunct Associate Professor Sangeeta Mangubhai

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am currently focusing on: (1) the inclusion of gender and human rights-based approaches into small scale fisheries and community-based management; (2) payment for ecosystem services in terrestrial and marine systems in Fiji; (3) cyclone impacts on coral reefs and fisheries-dependent communities; (4) coral bleaching in Central Pacific; (5) socio-ecological resilience; (6) effectiveness of locally managed marine areas.

Key research topics:
Marine gender, fisheries conservation, climate change.

Dr Raina Mason

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Raina is Discipline Lead for the IT group, IT educator and researcher at Southern Cross University. She came late to the higher education space, having worked for many years in IT, primarily managing and completing software development contracts for small to medium-size businesses and government departments. Her passion for equity and diversity, and for making learning achievable in difficult topics brought her back to the education sphere and she has been teaching and researching in higher education for the last 15 years.

Key research topics:
Instructional design, women in technology, introductory computing.

Dr Ramil Mauleon

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Before joining SCU as senior research fellow in bioinformatics/computational biology, I was a bioinformatics scientist at the International Rice Research Institute engaging in institute-specific and global projects (e.g. the 3,000 Rice Genomes Project, characterizing the genomic diversity and population structure of the largest, sequenced representative collection of a crop species to-date; the International Rice Informatics Consortium; Genomic Open-source Breeding Informatics Initiative; Excellence in Breeding – Galaxy; Rice Galaxy) and continue to actively engage in global initiatives for the development of data and interoperability standards for agricultural data (Crop Ontology, Rice Data Interoperability Working Group).

Key research topics:
Bioinformatics, database management, genetics, genomics.

Research Fellow Dr Shane McIntosh

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Shane McIntosh's research interests include biomass biorefining, biofuels, biochemicals, nutrient recovery and recycling and waste valorisation, research themes include: Next generation Biofuels advancing Australians biofuel industry and biorefining - developing bioprocessing to bioproduct strategies.

Key research topics:
Biomass, biorefining, biofuels, biotechnology.

Research Fellow Jos Mieog

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Prior to joining SCU, I worked for 7 years at the CSIRO in Canberra, the last four as an experimental scientist in plant breeding focused on quality in cereal crops using both GM and non-GM methodologies. During my PhD I investigated coral bleaching. In particular, I looked at the roles of both the coral host and the algal symbiont in this stress response, and whether a coral could change its algal symbiont to become more thermo-tolerant.

Key research topics:
Horticultural crop growth and development, tree improvement (selection and breeding), genetic resource management.

Dr David Mills

Faculty of Science and Engineering

David’s PhD (2014) Queensland University of Technology recognized his thesis regarding the stewardship performance of privatized urban water. David has more than 20 years’ experience in policy, governance and delivery of government commercial services including rail, public works and trustee services. David’s research follow’s the thread of stewardship in local and state public services delivery and has branched into understanding how local governance can best achieve smart city aspirations. Current smart city projects involve: exploration of whether smart city initiatives have resulted in sustainable collaboration; the characteristics of effective stakeholder engagement by local government of smart cities; whether stewardship is an element of the public value delivered in the smart city context; and a prototype of governance arrangements that optimize the success of smart local governance.

Key research topics:
Stewardship, infrastructure, smart cities, public management, stakeholder engagement, public value, social licence.

Dr Ben Mos

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Benjamin Mos is a lecturer based at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, NSW.Dr Mos' research looks at how we (humans) are messing with the oceans and the organisms that live there by changing the climate, polluting our waterways, and catching too many fish, and he tries to figure out what we can do to solve these problems. His research is funded by an Australian Research Council Indigenous Discovery grant and Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA).

Key research topics:
Aquaculture, ocean change, marine-freshwater connectivity.

Dr David Newell

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr David Newell is appointed as Senior Lecturer within the School of Environment Science and Engineering.Current research projects include an investigation into climate change impacts on montane rainforest frogs, the ecology and physiology of the genus Philoria, ecoacoustics and host responses to the amphibian chytrid fungus.

Key research topics:
Amphibian ecology, wildlife disease, threatened fauna.

Associate Professor Doland Nichols

Faculty of Science and Engineering

J. Doland Nichols first began working in forestry in the Douglas fir forests of western Oregon, as an employee of the US Forest Service. He then spent six years in Costa Rica, as Peace Corps forestry volunteer, researcher and teacher. He completed a Masters degree on the ecology and silviculture of a native Central American tree Terminalia amazonia, and in Ghana West Africa did studies on the ecology and management of Milicia excelsa for a PhD. He is interested in rainforest tree ecology and continues to work with colleagues and students in long-term rainforest trials at Border Ranges National Park.

Key research topics:
Environmental scicences and ecology, forstery.

Dr Cathy Nock

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Catherine Nock has been a Research Fellow at Southern Cross Plant Science since October 2013. She has a BSc from the School of Biological Sciences, University of New South Wales and MSc and PhD in Genetics from the School of Environment Science, Southern Cross University.Cathy's research interests include the genomics, breeding and conservation of Australian subtropical species and horticultural crops. Current research is focused on the macadamia genome sequence and its potential for understanding the origins of domestication, and the genetic basis of traits of economic and adaptive importance for macadamia cultivation and conservation.

Key research topics:
Genomics, population genetics, subtropical species.

Associate Professor Joanne Oakes

Faculty of Science and Engineering

My research focuses on the processing and fate of carbon and nitrogen within a range of coastal environments from the arctic to the tropics and from bare sediments to seagrass beds and mangrove forests. My specific area of expertise is the application of innovative stable isotope techniques and enriched stable isotopes to trace carbon and nitrogen into novel sediment compartments and sediment-water and sediment-air fluxes.

Key research topics:
Coastal ecosystems, stable isotope techniques, carbon and nitrogen cycling.

Dr Graeme Palmer

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Current research interests include the small scale biomass gasification to electricity technology and the opportunities presented by abundant but small biomass collections in agriculture and civil structures; and the utilisation of small subtropical hardwood logs to produce moulded and extruded wood composites in any form. Key developments have been the enhancement of mechanical properties at low product density.

Key research topics:
Wood quality and production, wood science, wood prodcuts manufacturing, energy and fuel.

Dr Steven (Steve) Pudney

Faculty of Science and Engineering

My project and program management work has taken me to 5 continents and includes plant upgrades for clients such as BHP Billiton, Anglo American Platinum and Freeport McMoran. I have also managed new product development projects for Xstrata Technology and have provided consulting services into technology startups including an innovative carbon neutral cement manufacturing process. My research specialisation is in management of critical Infrastructure and the application of multi-stakeholder decision processes. It also includes disruptive technology management.

Key research topics:
Asset management, engineering management.

Associate Professor Steven Purcell

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Steve Purcell is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Science and Engineering through the National Marine Science Centre, and also a member of the Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University. He is responsible for developing and leading research projects in fisheries ecology. Steve has led projects on habitats of threatened and endemic fishes, and small-scale fisheries of Pacific Islands, includig sea cucumbers, gastropods and giant clams.

Key research topics:
Fisheries ecology, fisheries management, marine invertebrate ecology and behaviour, small-scale fisheries livelihoods.

Professor Amanda Reichelt-Brushett

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Amanda Reichelt-Brushett has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Coastal Management from the University of New England – Northern Rivers, a Master of Science in Marine Chemistry from James Cook University (North Queensland) and a PhD in Marine Ecotoxicology from Southern Cross University. She has 30 years experience in investigating human impacts on the environment. She is currently Vice President of the Asia/Pacific chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC A/P) and was Deputy Head of School from 2015-2019.

Key research topics:
Environmental toxicology and chemistry, catchment management, science in art.

Professor Andrew Rose

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Andrew Rose is involved in academic governance roles, course leadership and curriculum development roles for the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Professor Rose is currently Chair of the Southern Cross University Academic Board. He is also the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Coastal Systems Engineering and unit assessor for the Engineering Thesis units.

Key research topics:
Iron biogeochemistry, mineral formation and nucleation mechanisms, nutrient recovery and reuse from waste and wastewater.

Professor Terry Rose

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Professor Terry Rose is currently Professor and Director of the Centre for Organics Research. Professor Terry Rose prior to undertaking a PhD had worked as an agronomist in both Australia and the United Kingdom, he also worked in plant biosecurity for Plant Health Australia, a not-for-profit company funded by industry and government based in Canberra.

Key research topics:
Crop and pasture agronomy, soil science, subtropical horticulture nutrition.

Associate Professor Christian Sanders

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Associate Professor Christian Sanders is a marine biogeochemist. His works involves the use of uranium and thorium series radionuclides to trace coastal processes.Sanders’ work focuses on the dynamics of sedimentation rates in marine systems, along with carbon and nutrient cycling in coastal wetlands. His current research interests are studying nutrient runoff and other pollutants in estuaries and coastal wetland systems in Australia and around the globe.

Key research topics:
Coastal wetlands, estuaries, marine chemistry, marine geology, coastal biogeochemistry.

Professor Isaac Santos

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Isaac Santos is currently Professor of the National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross UniversityProfessor Isaac Santos is an ARC Future Fellow working at the interface between coastal oceanography, hydrology, and geochemistry. He was awarded a Ph.D. from Florida State University (USA) in 2008, and has received awards for excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. His research focuses on greenhouse gas cycling and the use of natural radioactive tracers to investigate submarine groundwater discharge. Santos has obtained a total of 16 ARC grants worth almost $7 million to investigate groundwater issues and carbon cycling on the continental shelf, coastal wetlands, coral reefs, geothermal systems, rivers, estuaries, and beaches. His research relies on active international collaboration with projects completed on all continents (including Antarctica, but Africa). Santos is an associate editor for Estuaries and Coasts, Marine Chemistry, and Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, and has been a keynote speaker on a number of international conferences.

Key research topics:
Geochemistry, oceanography, environmental science.

Professor Anja Scheffers

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Scheffers is the Director of the Southern Cross GeoScience Research Centre and a senior lecturer in the School of Environmental Science and Management.During her studies of Physical Geography and by a series of accidental turns Dr Scheffers became fascinated to investigate how coastal environments have changed in the past. She is particularly interested in processes that shape and modify coastal landscapes over a variety of length and time scales and the coupling and feedback between such processes, their rates, and their relative roles, especially in the contexts of variation in climatic and tectonic influences and in light of changes due to human impact: Understanding past and modern marine physical natural hazards such as tsunamis and storms. The development of long-term records of tsunamis/cyclones from geological and biological proxy evidence as well as historical documentary records. Exploring linkages between Late Quaternary climate and landscape change focusing on past sea level and response of coastal ecosystems, particularly coral reefs. Quaternary geochronology based on ESR and U-series dating and multi-proxy study of corals Palaeoclimatology. Geomythology (pairs geological evidence of catastrophic events and reports of such events encoded into the mythological lexicon of ancient societies).

Key research topics:
Geomorphology and regolith and landscape evolution, coastal sciences.

Dr Cooper Schouten

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Cooper Schouten is the project manager for the Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods Research Group at Southern Cross University. Cooper specialises in international agricultural research and has extensive beekeeping research, capacity building, training and extension experience working throughout of the Indo-Pacific region with local government, private sector and NGO’s.

Key research topics:
Environmental science and management, farming systems research, sustainable agricultural development, international agricultural research, beekeeping.

Associate Professor Kai Schulz

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Kai Schulz is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Professor Schulz scientific work is interested in potential impacts of ocean change on biogeochemical element cycling and feedbacks to Earth's climate system, as well as in assessing potential benefits and risks of proposed climate change mitigation approaches, which could also be used for marine ecosystem restoration.

Key research topics:
Planktonic food webs, climate change impacts, ocean solutions.

Dr Anna Scott

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Course Coordinator, Bachelor and Master of Marine Science and Management. Unit Assessor: Marine Systems Science and Management, Sustainable Use of the Marine Environment; National Marine Science Centre. Anna uses sea anemones and anemonefishes as model organisms to answer a variety of research questions throughout tropical and subtropical reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Her research has four main themes, which include: investigating the reproductive biology of host sea anemones, developing captive breeding techniques to support marine ornamental aquaculture, documenting the distribution and abundance of anemones and anemonefishes, and determining the impacts of bleaching and climate change on various aspects of the symbiosis.

Key research topics:
Cnidarian reproductive biology (sea anemones and corals), symbiosis – anemones, anemonefishes, zooxanthellae, impacts of the marine ornamental aquarium trade, and the potential for captive breeding to help alleviate these problems.

Dr Merv Shepherd

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Mervyn Shepherd is a Senior Research Fellow with Southern Cross Plant Science. His research interests are in the genetics of forest trees and industrial crops to support improvement or management of forest resources. A major focus of Dr Shepherd's work over the past 13 years has been the use of species' hybrids to elucidate the genetic architecture of traits of interest to forestry and as a system to study genome organisation and evolution.

Key research topics:
Forest genetics, plant breeding, genetics of essential oils.

Adjunct Professor Scott Smith

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Scott Smith is Professor of Structural Engineering, Deputy Dean (International) in the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences (ECMS), and Interim Head of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering (CEME) at The University of Adelaide, Australia. He was awarded BE (Civil) (1994) and PhD (1999) (specialising in structural engineering) degrees from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He was also awarded an MBA and DIC (2018) from Imperial College London, UK, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning (2005) from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

Key research topics:
Bond, concrete, FRP, steel, structures, timber.

Professor Steve Smith

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am a Professor of Marine Science, and marine benthic ecologist, with primary interests in the biodiversity of marine and estuarine environments. Much of this diversity is under threat from a wide range of human impacts and I am dedicated to understanding these impacts with a view to fostering long-term sustainability.

Key research topics:
Marine biodiversity, marine debris, citizen science, marine management, marine conservation.

Dr Golam Sorwar

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Software Engineer.

Key research topics:
Technology acceptance modeling, digital health, multimedia signal processing, artificial intelligence.

Adjunct Professor Ian Southwell

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Experienced Plant Chemistry researcher and synthetic organic chemist. Skilled in Research and Development (R&D), Chemistry, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Natural Products, and Life Sciences. Strong administrative professional with a B.Sc.(Hons.), 1967. M.Sc., 1972. Ph.D., 1982. focused in Natural Product Organic Chemistry from University of Sydney; University of Manchester.

Key research topics:
Plant Chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry.

Adjunct Lecturer Dr Kerrie Stimpson

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Kerrie is an Associate Lecturer in SCU College and currently teaches in several science and mathematics units across the Preparing for Success Program (PSP) and Transition to Uni. Her focus is on helping students from diverse backgrounds to build the confidence and skills required to be successful in their future university studies.

Key research topics:
Higher education, enabling education, engagement, coollaboration, mathematics.

Dr Debra Stokes

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Debra Stokes is a Lecturer in the School of Environment, Science & Engineering. Her PhD research studied the impacts of mangrove removal in New Zealand. After completion of the PhD with the University of Waikato in 2010, she commenced her academic role with Southern Cross University. Debra has also worked as an environmental consultant and a coastal ecologist.

Key research topics:
Mangrove ecology, NSW sea turtles, drones.

Dr Doug Tait

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Tait is a passionate researcher whose interests cover both terrestrial and marine environments.

Key research topics:
Geohydrology, submarine groundwater discharge, water quality, greenhouse gases, waste water treatment.

Dr Ahmed Thabet

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am a Senior Lecturer and leading researcher with the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), Southern Cross University (SCU), Australia. I am the founder and currently lead the Advanced Composites Research Group at SCU. I obtained my PhD in Aerospace Engineering from University of New South Wales-Canberra (UNSW-Canberra), Australia, while I obtained my BEng (Hons 1st) and MEng in Mechanical Engineering (Design and Production) from Assiut University, Egypt. Between 2003 and 2016, I held several senior research and teaching positions with UNSW-Canberra and Assiut University. Since 2017, I had been an academic with SCU.

Key research topics:
Design of mechanical and structural systems, numerical modelling and mechanical characterization of composite and hybrid materials, aerospace and marine structures.

Dr Emma Thomspon Brewster

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Emma completed her PhD at the Advanced Water Management Centre at the University of Queensland in 2017 on the topic of nutrient recovery from wastewater and completed an industry based postdoctoral position in 2018/2019 at the Sustainable Minerals Institute also at UQ designing a system for recovering metals from acid mine drainage for commercial development. Her research interests intersect water/wastewater treatment, resource recovery, electrochemistry and mathematical modelling. Prior to her PhD, Emma worked for the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply as a graduate engineer after completing her Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Hons I) at UQ.

Key research topics:
Electrochemistry, wastewater treatment processes, resource recovery, mathematical modelling, nutrient recovery, acid mine drainage.

Professor Jerry Vanclay

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Jerry is currently Professor of Sustainable Forestry in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Southern Cross University. Previously, during the period of 2007-2018 Professor Vanclay was the Dean of Science and Head of School. Before joining Southern Cross University, Professor Vanclay was Principal Scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research, and Professor of Tropical Forestry at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Key research topics:
Forest modelling, environment engineering modelling, environmental science and management, forestry sciences, environmental sciences.

Adjunct Professor Lukas Van Zwieten

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Lukas Van Zwieten (PhD) is a Senior Principal Research Scientist (Soil and Water R&D) for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and is Director of Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute. He is also a Program Leader for the Soils Cooperative Research Centre. His research focuses on soil processes including C and N cycling, and how these relate to greenhouse gas emissions; contaminants in the soil environment; and unravelling microbial, rhizosphere and soil chemical and biological processes. His research on biochar was acclaimed in the 2007 United Nations’ World Environment Day Award “Meeting the Greenhouse Challenge,” and it has been popularised through the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Catalyst program (2007), a CNN “special report” in 2008, ABC’s Landline (2009) and Discovery Channels “Ecopolis” mini series in 2009/10. Lukas holds the position of Adjunct Professor in Southern Cross Plant Science and is a member of Soil Science Australia. He is a 2018, 2019 &2020 Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher.

Key research topics:
Soil, carbon, biochar, nitrogen cycling, greenhouse gas, herbicide management, soil function.

Adjunct Associate Professor Dan Waters

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Adjunct Dr Naomi Wells

Faculty of Science and Engineering

I am a biogeochemist who uses stable isotopes to figure out how, and how much, nitrogen moves through soil, air, groundwater, and surface water. My current research projects focus on intermittent streams, nitrogen deposition, and deep soils.

Key research topics:
Biogeochemistry, nutrient cycling, ecosystem science.

Associate Professor Steve Whalan

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Associate Professor Steve Whalan has two decades of research experience across academia, government and industry throughout Australia, SE Asia, Scandinavia and the Caribbean. Steve's expertise centres on the population ecology of marine benthic communities from boreal to tropical ecosystems where he has published >50 research papers.

Key research topics:
Benthic ecology, sponge ecology, larval ecology, coral reefs.

Dr Simon Williams

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Simon Williams completed his PhD at the University of the Sunshine Coast investigating the variation of phytochemicals in the floral nectar of members of the Leptospermum genus and their relationship to the production of medicinal (manuka) honey. His project was a part of a larger Agrifutures project “Active Australian Leptospermum Honey: New sources and their bioactivity” seeking to improve the supply and understanding of medicinal (manuka) honey in Australia.

Key research topics:
Honey, coffee, plant products.

Dr Lachlan Yee

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Dr Yee is a Senior Lecturer of chemistry in the Faculty Science and Engineering. He is a chartered chemist and office bearer of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, which is a valuable Australian resource for learning chemistry both in Australia and internationally. Dr Yee has made significant contributions to the interdisciplinary field of polymer science and bacteria in environmental arenas.

Key research topics:
Antibacterial polymer surfaces, recycling waste plastics, biodegradable polymers from insect sources.

Dr Stuart Barlo

Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

Dr Stuart Barlo is an Aboriginal man from the Yuin nation from the far south coast of New South Wales. Stuart is Interim Dean of Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples. Stuart has been a lecturer with Gnibi College of Indigenous Peoples since 2013, teaching and writing courses. Prior to this, Stuart was a social worker working in remote Australia and in disability services before undertaking a Bachelor of Indigenous Studies and moving to academic work.

Key research topics:
Indigenous communication principles and protocols, learning from country, knowing with sky country.

Dr Cathy Howlett

Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

Cathy has been continuing her research career and teaching Honours students at Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University, since 2016. Prior to that she spent 20 years teaching and researching with the School of Environment at Griffith University, Brisbane Australia.Cathy’s expertise is in the political economy of mining on Indigenous Lands, resource management on Indigenous lands, Indigenous curriculum development, research methodologies, Native Title, and impact assessment. She publishes widely and is currently a co researcher in two major Norwegian research projects with Sami colleagues at the Artic University in Tromso, Norway. These projects focus upon the comparative governance of resources on Indigenous lands across Norway, Sweden, Canada and Australia.

Key research topics:
Indigenous peoples and resource governance, indigenous peoples and the state, indigenous peoples and research.

Dr Monica Seini

GNIBI College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

I am a lecturer and supervisor within Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples at Southern Cross University. I have had more than two decades experience in academic positions in several universities, and have worked in Queensland Government environment and health departments in senior policy and project roles.

Key research topics:
Indigenous peoples and natural resource development, extractivism, curriculum development, Indigenous Research methodologies, development, environment and health.

Dr Shawn Wilson

GNIBI College of Indigenous Australian Peoples

Shawn is Opaskwayak Cree from northern Manitoba, Canada and now lives on Bundjalung land in eastern Australia. He is Director of esearch at Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples at Southern Cross University.Shawn’s doctoral thesis was in Indigenous knowledge, which followed study in psychology and zoology. His presentations communicate the theories underlying Indigenous research methodologies to diverse audiences. Through working with Indigenous people internationally, Shawn has applied Indigenist philosophy within the contexts of Indigenous education, health and counsellor education. In addition to further articulating Indigenous philosophies and research paradigms, his research focuses on the inter-related concepts of identity, health and healing, culture and wellbeing. This has led to the soon to be released Research and Reconciliation: Unsettling ways of knowing through Indigenous relationships His book, Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods has been cited more than 2,200 times and is used a text in many universities.

Key research topics:
Indigenous knowledge, indigenous methodologies, wellbeing and health.

Emeritus Professor Colleen Cartwright

Office of Vice-Chancellor

Emeritus Professor Colleen Cartwright has extensive research experience in medical decisions at the end of life, including Advance Care Planning, informed consent and capacity, what is/is not euthanasia, use of telehealth with older people, with a particular focus on the needs of people with dementia and their carers.

Key research topics:
Aged health care, bioethics (human and animal), health law.

Professor Les Christidis

Graduate School

Professor Les Christidis is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and completed a PhD on bird evolutionary genetics at the Australian National University. His research demonstrated that the world’s songbirds originated in Australia and then spread throughout the world. He has published over 140 research papers and books on the evolution of Australasian birds and mammals.

Key research topics:
Evolutionary biology, conservation biology, taxonomy.

Adjunct Senior Lecturer Dr Nicole Rice

Office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Nicole Rice holds PhD in Agriculture from The University of Sydney, and following her role as Education Director for the Grain Foods CRC, transitioned to work in research management in 2010. Nicole manages the Early Career Researcher and Mid Career Researcher development programs, and research capacity development at Southern Cross University. She is also actively involved in Southern Cross University’s Athena Swan project, and the development and implementation of a range of policies and programs to support research governance, integrity and equity.

Key research topics:
Agriculture, grain foods.

Adjunct Professor Robert Weatherby

Office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Erica Wilson

Office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Erica is a Professor in tourism and Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic). Her research areas include women’s travel; sustainable tourism and tourism in protected and World Heritage areas; slow tourism; critical approaches in teaching and studying tourism, and qualitative and feminist methodologies.

Key research topics:
Sustainable and protected area tourism, gender and tourism/women's travel, qualitative methodologies.