Southern Cross Matters

Having been involved in the University’s academic promotions processes over the course of many years now, I can say without caveat that the experience is invariably both humbling and inspiring and the 2025 round was no exception. We are blessed to have so many exceptionally talented and committed people within our academic community and it is a real pleasure to acknowledge and celebrate those colleagues selected for promotion this year.

You will also notice in this edition an article relating to a transnational educational partnership that the University has entered into with NSBM Green University in Sri Lanka. Southern Cross University has a long history of cultivating high quality and lasting educational partnerships with institutions from across the region, and as we continue to develop our capabilities and our reputation, we can expect that this will become a more and more prominent feature of our work in both education and research.

Although a formal partnership agreement can be signed in a matter of seconds, the work undertaken to bring the University to the point where this occurs is enormous in its volume and significant in its complexity. I am very grateful to the team who worked so hard and with such a focus on quality and excellence to develop this important new relationship and to bring us to the point where in the near future, growing numbers of students in Sri Lanka will have access to a range of our educational programs taught under the Southern Cross Model. This is truly exciting and represents a significant and positive milestone in our ongoing growth and development as an internationally focused institution.

Of course, there is so much more in this month’s edition beyond the two matters I have adverted to, and I hope you will find all of the remaining content engaging and informative. What we are doing together is truly remarkable in its diversity and in its impact! If you are aware of things taking place within the University that it would be great if more people knew about, let us know so that these can be incorporated into future editions.

Congratulations to all those promoted in 2025.

Your dedication and achievements inspire our community and strengthen our shared mission to deliver transformative education and research.

• Dr Clarissa Hitchcock, Lecturer – Level B, Faculty of Health
• Dr Owen Hogan, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Business, Law & Arts
• Dr Carla Valerio, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Education
• Dr Mitchell Longstaff, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Health
• Dr Jena Buchan, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Health
• Dr Abe Gibson, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Science & Engineering
• Dr Reza Ghanbarzadeh, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Science & Engineering
• Dr Guoyang Fu, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Science & Engineering
• Dr Luke Del Vecchio, Senior Lecturer – Level C, Faculty of Health
• Dr Brendan Walker-Munro, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Business, Law & Arts
• Dr Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Health
• Dr Andrea Bugarcic, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Health (NCNM)
• Dr Janet Schloss, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Health (NCNM)
• Dr Vinh Bui, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Science & Engineering
• Dr Mustafa Ucgal, Associate Professor – Level D, Faculty of Science & Engineering
• Dr Christina Aggar, Professor – Level E, Faculty of Health
• Dr Romy Lauche, Professor – Level E, Faculty of Health (NCNM)

"This program will offer students a seamless pathway to transfer credits or continue their postgraduate studies at Southern Cross University in Australia," he said.

The program will kick off with the Bachelor of Business in January 2026, with plans to later expand into information technology and health degrees.

"We are absolutely delighted and look forward to working closely with NSBM over the coming months and years, sharing knowledge, expertise, and best practices to drive mutual benefit and growth,” said Professor Mike Ewing, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts.

“Together, we will foster new opportunities for research, education, and community engagement, ultimately enriching the lives of students, staff and communities in both Australia and Sri Lanka." 

The program will integrate Southern Cross’ high academic standards with NSBM’s strong local infrastructure and faculty support, ensuring students receive the same quality of education as their counterparts in Australia.

For more information about this partnership, please click here.

While there, the team met with Korea University and industry counterparts to explore areas for collaboration in plant science, natural products and functional food research. These are shared priorities for both nations, combining Australia’s strengths in sustainable agriculture with Korea’s expertise in technology and innovation. 

Dr Jeong said the visit was a great opportunity to connect Australian agricultural research with Korea’s strong focus on technology and innovation.  

“By combining our strengths, we can help develop crops and products that are more resilient, more nutritious and better suited to future conditions,” he said. 

Professor McPherson’s work will look at how grandparents and other family members can be better supported when they’re called on to step in to raise their grandchildren, nieces, nephews and for some, their younger siblings.

“Many of these children have faced significant adversity,” said Professor McPherson.

“This work is about creating healing, stability, and lifelong connection - it’s about belonging and hope.” The project will co-design practical solutions informed by the voices of children and carers, aiming to influence national policy and practice.

Partners include the Australian Childhood Foundation, Anglicare Victoria, Coffs Harbour Aboriginal Family Community Care Aboriginal Corporation, CASPA Services Ltd, and OzChild, with global input from Emeritus Professor Robbie Gilligan of Trinity College Dublin.

Meanwhile, Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, Executive Dean of Education, will lead Disaster Ready Schools, a national project funded at $202,983. Its goal: to deliver Australia’s first Disaster Ready Education Framework and associated resources to help schools adapt to climate-induced disasters. The research builds on the Floods + Me pilot study and aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals for Quality Education and Climate Action.

“When we submitted this grant, our team was living the impacts of Cyclone Alfred – displacement, no power, no wi-fi, school closures,” said Professor Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles.

The project will focus on Queensland and Victoria, Australia’s most disaster-exposed states, and involves partners Education Queensland, UNICEF Australia, Australian Association for Environmental Education and Maribyrnong City Council.

The ‘Disaster Ready Schools’ national project aims to deepen understandings of how climate-induced disasters impact Australia’s education system. The project will involve the creation of supportive resources to ensure schools can offer a range of learning options in times of adversity.

“This project is critically important to all Australian schools and will deliver the nation’s first Disaster Ready Education Framework,” said Professor Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles.

Dr Walker-Munro was invited by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to present on the use of due diligence and screening strategies by government and universities to protect research security. 

With research security soon be covered by a new European Union law, Dr Walker-Munro said the event highlighted the incredible diversity of the European Union’s approaches to research security, but also how much work remains to be done.

“Government, industry and academia are still struggling to speak about the risks to research security with a consistent and aligned voice,” he said.

Dr Walker-Munro’s research on due diligence programs has been adopted by universities worldwide, influencing the establishment of internal research security committees and the use of entity lists to manage the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer. 

When it comes to Australian research, Dr Walker-Munro’s advice was recently published in an article for The Conversation: Foreign spies are trying to steal Australian research. We should be doing more to stop them. 

“Australia needs clearer, stronger national policies for research security,” he wrote.

“To properly scrutinise and set up research, universities need time, support and information… We also need funding to give academics a way to identify and manage risks in research and support information sharing across institutions.”

“By sharing knowledge and collaborating across institutions, we can drive meaningful change in the sector.”

Following a traditional Yugambeh Welcome to Country, the conference commenced with a Southern Cross University welcome and address by Pro Chancellor Jonathn Rourke. The inspirational address drew on Lee Iacocca’s famous words:

“In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilisation along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honour and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”

The conference offered a series of interactive sessions addressing pressing questions in education. Topics included the Graduate Diploma versus Master of Teaching, navigating mandated core content (strong beginnings), the role of AI in classrooms, youth justice and education, and challenges in early childhood education and care. Each session brought together deans, academics, policy experts, and practitioners for discussion, debate, and actionable insights.

In the afternoon, participants engaged in “call to action” sessions tailored for Deans, Associate Deans in Education, Research and Partnerships, Chairs of Discipline, Directors of Professional Experience, principals, teachers, and pre-service student teachers, ensuring outcomes from the day could be translated into practice. 

“Our aim as an education faculty is to be at the cutting edge of educational research, policy, and practice, fostering collaboration and innovation that will continue to transform the future of teaching, learning and research locally and globally,” Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles said.

The forum provides a unique platform for cross-sector collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategic planning. Themes such as sustainability, First Nations knowledge systems, regulatory innovation, and commercialisation pathways for natural products drew strong engagement from attendees.

NCNM Foundation Director, Professor Jon Wardle, said 2025 marked the event’s fourth year, with record attendance reflecting shifting attitudes towards natural medicines in Australia.

“Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine sits outside of many conventional frameworks despite active and enthusiastic use by the public,” Professor Wardle said.

“Consumer choices to use natural medicines are often overlooked and ignored by conventional institutions, governments and funding bodies. We are aiming to remedy this gap by shining critical attention towards this growing, dynamic industry.

“This year’s Natural Products Futures Forum brought together key stakeholders for important discussions on research, industry standards and policy, helping to identify and work on industry priorities. We will continue to drive innovation in this field and look forward to an even bigger event in 2026.” 

“Our student athletes won multiple gold medals in surfing, cycling and taekwondo and had considerable final rankings amongst all teams. The results put Southern Cross University up from tenth place per capita in 2024 to third place in 2025, an amazing feat for our university,” Student Success Officer (Sport & Events) Dylan Le said.

The competition also saw multiple firsts for Southern Cross, including the first Women’s Hockey team and Oz Tag team to represent the University at this event.

“This event attracted students from all our main campuses, engaged online students from Sydney, Canberra, and the Sunshine Coast, and provided global students from the Study Abroad program with an enriching cross-cultural exchange experience. The competition was also the driver for the return to social sport for many sporting teams on the Gold Coast,” Dylan said.

Representing Southern Cross University was a proud moment for University Team Captain and OzTag Team Captain Kytelan Neveceral.

“It was amazing getting to know students from all the sports and experience playing against other universities in Australia,” he said.

For University Team Captain and Netball Captain Pagie Wilkie, the highlight was the strength of the Southern Cross University teams.

“We were so fortunate to take such an amazing group of athletes from all three of our campuses for such an epic week of sport - so proud!” she said. “UniSport Nationals was a week I don’t think any of us will forget, and we’re all keen to do it again in Perth in 2026.” 

Culture Bloom honours cultural and human diversity, strengthens our connection to Country, and inspires care for the environment – all while creating a sense of belonging across our main campuses.

“Culture Bloom is more than just a festival – it’s a vibrant expression of who we are at Southern Cross University. It celebrates the rich diversity of our student community and creates space for connection, inclusion, and joy. Seeing students from all backgrounds come together to share their culture, talent, and stories is a powerful reminder of the beauty of belonging,” Dr Chithira Johnson, Director, Student Support and Success.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make Culture Bloom 2025 such a memorable celebration of community, culture and connection. 

From Dr Kellie Wren, now a senior medical leader influencing statewide health systems, to Olympic medallist Moesha Johnson, who draws directly on her biomedical science training, each award recipient demonstrates the long-term impact of a Southern Cross education. 

Emily Williams’ work in international diplomacy, Grant Grierson’s contributions to STEM education, Theresa Mitchell’s community leadership, and Professor Sisira Ediriweera’s impact in environmental science all reflect the shared efforts of our educators, researchers and professional staff. Their achievements show that the work we do at Southern Cross continues to shape lives and communities well beyond our campuses.

Learn more about our Alumni Impact Award recipients here: https://www.scu.edu.au/engage/alumni/alumni-impact-awards/ 

Northern Rivers news media has shown strong support for the launch of the HEART clinical trial’s call for participants. The groundbreaking research project, led by Janet Schloss and funded by the federal government, aims to tackle PTSD caused by climate-related natural disasters using a stepped care model. Highlights include: NBN News; Seven News; Byron Echo; Lismore App; ABC North Coast Breakfast; ABC Coffs Coast Breakfast; ZZZ/2LM radio.

The University’s most popular article in The Conversation was Human ancestors were exposed to lead millions of years ago, and it shaped our evolution (19,718 reads) by Renaud Joannes-Boyau with international colleagues. This piece was published in conjunction with a new research paper, garnering interest from national and international news media. Highlights include: The Economist; Smithsonian magazine; Le Figaro; RadioFrance; ABC News online; New Scientist.

Keep up to date at scu.edu.au/news where you’ll find the University’s media releases, feature articles, podcasts, videos and more.

At Southern Cross University, Moya served as a Lecturer in Creative Writing from 2008 to 2017, later continuing as an Adjunct Lecturer. Her teaching was marked by generosity, rigour, and a deep respect for the creative process. She mentored countless students, encouraging them to find their voices and challenge conventions. Her work at Southern Cross was not just about instruction, it was about transformation.

Moya encouraged writing students and their work in the University’s student-led literary journal Coastlines, as well as through annual readings at the Lismore Regional Gallery.

Moya published five books, including Kites in Jakarta, Small Ecstasies, The Office as a Boat, and Harriet Chandler, blending short fiction, prose poetry, and experimental narratives. Her writing appeared in scholarly journals, anthologies, and exhibition catalogues, and she was a frequent contributor to literary discourse through reviews and essays.

Moya’s research interests extended to wine writing, as a ‘passionate amateur’, and ecocritical prose poetry work based on visits to the Medicinal Plant Herbarium at Southern Cross University, the well-received ‘Pressed Specimens’.

Her contributions extended beyond academia. Moya was a recipient of multiple writing grants and fellowships, including support from the Australia Council and Arts SA. She held residencies at Varuna and Monash University, and was a guest at numerous writers’ festivals, where she read her work and judged competitions.

Moya Costello’s legacy is one of courage, curiosity, and compassion. She made the world more eclectic through her writing and more humane through her teaching. Southern Cross University, and all who knew her, mourn her loss and celebrate the indelible mark she left behind.