Cecilia is a Lecturer in Business Law whose scholarly work examines curriculum innovation, academic identity and pedagogical design in higher education. She was a co-investigator on a HERDSA-funded study exploring how student evaluations of teaching (SETs) shape pedagogical innovation and the conditions that enable reflective teaching enhancement. Cecilia is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and contributes to sector conversations on learning, teaching and academic development.

Malar Jayaprakash is currently the Project Coordinator (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University, Perth, and a member of the Faculty’s Academic Development Team. She is undertaking a Doctorate in Education at Curtin University. Her research interests include curriculum review and design, curriculum mapping, quality assurance, and assessment design. Malar is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Prof Tuck Leong is the Deputy Dean Learning & Teaching in the School of Computer Technologies at RMIT University. He is passionate about student experience and understanding how we can help improve learning and teaching, especially at universities. Tuck is an experienced HCI & Interaction Design researcher who works in User Experience, Experience-Centered Design, Interaction Design, and Participatory Design. His core HCI research interest is ‘people’s experiences with digital technologies’, in particular, those in underserved, marginalised or vulnerable populations. Tuck is also the Director of the Apple Foundation Program at RMIT. This strategic and high-impact partnership with Apple, uses a Challenge-Based Learning approach to engage learners in a design process to create a prototype iOS app.

Prof Sophia Xenos is the Deputy Dean Learning & Teaching in the School of health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University. She is also passionate about student experience and fostering scholarship of learning and teaching at universities. Sophia is a lecturer in psychology with 30 years teaching experience. She has held leadership positions in her School as Clinic Co-ordinatora and supervisor of probationary psychologists. She is the Victorian co-ordinator of FRIENDS and has worked with the Department of Human Services.

Dr Andrea Dodo-Balu works in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne as a teacher and researcher. She has a Master of Education in Second Language Teaching and Asia Literacy and holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning. An expert in Higher Education, Andrea combines her research knowledge with extensive experience in university level teaching and learning. Her research uses qualitative methods and focuses on the impact of higher education policies and systems on the experiences of students and academic staff, students as partners (SaP), experiential learning, and intercultural communication and relationships in academic settings. Through these fields, she examines implications for equity in higher education. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, Andrea taught at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, where she coordinated and delivered courses focused on university transition and intercultural communications for first year undergraduate students. Andrea’s leadership experience has been gained through her involvement in the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), where she was a member of the Board of Directors as Asia-Pacific regional Vice-President, and Co-Chair of the ISSOTL Convenings Committee.

Prof Fumiko Inoue holds a Doctorate in Education from Eastern Asia University in Thailand and a Master in School Education from Yamaguchi University in Japan. Her research interests include educational development and student engagement in universities. She is currently a board member of Japan Association for Educational Development in Higher Education (JAED), vice-chair of the Research Skills Development Committee of the Japan Association for College and University Education (JACUE), and a board member of the Japan Society of Educational Information. She is a member of Japanese Association of Higher Education Research and the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL).

Dr Sakinah Alhadad is a Senior Lecturer and learning sciences scholar whose work spans psychology, education, and higher education research. Her research focuses on equity, justice-oriented methodologies, and the conditions that support dignity, belonging, and collective flourishing in higher education. Drawing on cultural-historical theory, critical scholarship, and design-based approaches, she works with both qualitative and quantitative methods, with particular expertise in participatory, creative, and futures-oriented inquiry. Her work integrates affective, narrative, and collective dimensions of learning to examine how institutional practices shape student and staff experiences of agency and wellbeing. Dr Alhadad serves as deputy chair of her faculty’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and is a member of the International Society of the Learning Sciences Justice and Equity Committee. Through her research and leadership, she contributes to ethically grounded and inclusive approaches to learning, research design, and institutional change.

Sarah Robinson is currently an Associate Professor at the Centre for Educational Development, Aarhus University, Denmark. Her ethnographic research spans over curriculum reform, policy in practice, teacher agency and most recently entrepreneurship education. Inspired by entrepreneurship education, she has developed an innovative teaching framework for change-making in Higher Education. Her interest has brought a philosophical focus on the purpose and values of the university in the 21st century and what this means for the teaching of different disciplines.

Gesa Ruge is a passionate educator and reflective scholar with a focus on academic development and resilience building through collaborative practice and teaching philosophy. She has over 10 years of expertise developing and facilitating educational workshops and seminars. Participants highlight the impact for themselves and their confidence to better guide their students’ development. Her focus for HERDSA 2026 will be championing the experienced educators and managers to identify opportunities for themselves and their teams to collaborate and create in times of change. Gesa is a Fellow of HERDSA, active TATALer and facilitator since 2012, and Senior Fellow of HEA. She is currently working as Senior Lecturer in the Business School at Curtin University, Western Australia.

James Bailey is Director of Product Development and Innovation at UNSW College, where he leads the design and implementation of new academic programs, including applied and skills focused degrees aligned to national workforce and policy priorities. His work focuses on how higher education institutions build the capability to design, govern, and deliver industry connected education within established regulatory and academic frameworks. James has more than 15 years of experience in higher education across Australia, the United Kingdom, and Asia, spanning academic leadership, curriculum design, international education, and educational innovation. He holds a PhD in Marketing, postgraduate qualifications in learning and teaching in higher education, and is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. His scholarly and practice interests include employability, skills based education, technology enhanced learning, and the changing purpose of higher education under contemporary policy settings.

Jane Fowler is an Associate Professor in the School of Allied Health, Sport, and Social Work at Griffith University. She is Director of Mosaic at Griffith, a new and exciting innovation for people living with mental health conditions in Brisbane, which provides free University level courses to those who might not otherwise gain access to higher education. Jane is also the Lead of a program of practice and research on Building Counselling Capacity in Papua New Guinea which won the 2025 Excellence in International Engagement Award from Engagement Australia. Jane is internationally and nationally recognised for her excellence in learning and teaching via numerous awards, a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in the UK, and an Inaugural Fellowship of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia. Jane's work spans a variety of interests in research and practice (e.g., mentoring, counselling, mental health), each of which is fundamentally grounded in principles of social justice, equity, and community.

Cecilia Anthony Das is a Lecturer in Business Law whose scholarly work examines curriculum innovation, academic identity and pedagogical design in higher education. She was a co-investigator on a HERDSA-funded study exploring how student evaluations of teaching (SETs) shape pedagogical innovation and the conditions that enable reflective teaching enhancement. Cecilia is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and contributes to sector conversations on learning, teaching and academic development.

Padmakumar MM is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the MA Media and Communication Studies (Design Thinking and Content Strategy) program at Christ University, Bengaluru. His work focuses on the role of media, culture, and narrative in shaping learning, civic engagement, and social understanding, with particular interests in sports, cinema, nationalism, climate communication, and peace education. A certified storyteller and peace facilitator, he designs and leads learning-centred workshops on media literacy, conflict-sensitive communication, academic leadership, and environmental activism, with an emphasis on reflective practice and learner engagement.

Malar is currently the Project Coordinator (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University, Perth, and a member of the Faculty’s Academic Development Team. She is undertaking a Doctorate in Education at Curtin University. Her research interests include curriculum review and design, curriculum mapping, quality assurance, and assessment design. Malar is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Mary “Ruth” Donoghue is an experienced Teacher Trainer, Learning Advisor, and Academic English/TESOL specialist with more than 30 years of expertise across higher education, vocational training, and international teaching contexts. She currently serves as a Learning Advisor at Mater Education, where she mentors diverse cohorts of health students, delivers workshops on resilience and academic skills, and collaborates on data-driven initiatives to enhance student success. From 2020 to 2024, Ruth worked with Cambridge University Press and Assessment as a Teacher Trainer and Senior Tutor, leading professional development programs in Japan and presenting research in Cambridge and internationally. Her career also includes senior roles at UQ College, where she developed discipline-specific academic English programs and provided academic mentoring for university students. Ruth holds a Master of Education (TESOL) and is passionate about empowering learners, strengthening teaching practice, and fostering inclusive, supportive learning environments. She has recently finished writing her portfolio for her HERDSA Fellowship.

Leon Yang is a Lecturer (Education-Focused) in the School of Information Technology at Deakin University. His teaching and scholarship focus on employability-oriented curriculum design, industry engagement, and inclusive teaching practices in large and diverse higher education contexts. Leon teaches undergraduate and postgraduate units in information technology, data science, and artificial intelligence across on-campus and online modes. He is actively engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning, with particular interests in authentic assessment and feedback design, graduate employability, and the design of industry-engaged learning at scale.

Russell Olwell, Ph.D., is the author of books on college access and success, including Early College and Dual Enrollment Programs (Routledge, 2nd Edition, 2026) and Mentoring is a Verb (2016). He currently serves as Learning Skills Advisor at the Suburban Study Hub at Macquarie Fields, New South Wales, Australia.

Noorlaksmita “Yonas” Ramadhanty is a second-year PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas, with a minor in TESOL and Indigenous Community Studies. As a Muslim, multilingual Indonesian scholar, her work explores literacy, decoloniality, identity, and the experiences of Global South learners navigating academic power structures. Through Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN), she developed The Literacy of Power, a framework that maps the ideological layers that shape meaning-making. She also researches the motivation and resilience of Indigenous and minoritized students in Indonesia. Yonas serves as a Writing Consultant, supporting multilingual and international students in academic writing.

Malar Jayaprakash Malar Jayaprakash is currently the Project Coordinator (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University, Perth, and a member of the Faculty’s Academic Development Team. She is undertaking a Doctorate in Education at Curtin University. Her research interests include curriculum review and design, curriculum mapping, quality assurance, and assessment design. Malar is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Cecilia Anthony Das Cecilia Anthony Das is a Lecturer in Business Law whose scholarly work examines curriculum innovation, academic identity and pedagogical design in higher education. She was a co-investigator on a HERDSA-funded study exploring how student evaluations of teaching (SETs) shape pedagogical innovation and the conditions that enable reflective teaching enhancement. Cecilia is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and contributes to sector conversations on learning, teaching and academic development.

Malar Jayaprakash is currently the Project Coordinator (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University, Perth, and a member of the Faculty’s Academic Development Team. She is undertaking a Doctorate in Education at Curtin University. Her research interests include curriculum review and design, curriculum mapping, quality assurance, and assessment design. Malar is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Associate Professor Jasvir Kaur Nachatar Singh contributes internationally recognised scholarship in academic leadership, equity, and cultural diversity in universities.

Dr Jason Wong is an Associate Professor in the National School of Education at Australian Catholic University. His teaching and research sit at the intersections of embodied learning, active pedagogies, wellbeing, and the professional identities of international academics in higher education. As a former international student and migrant academic, Jason draws on lived experience to inform his scholarship on positionality, reflexivity, and intercultural academic practice. He has led and contributed to multiple collaborative autoethnographic and qualitative studies examining how identity, migration histories, and professional trajectories shape teaching, research, and leadership in universities. Jason also provides national leadership in teacher education accreditation and curriculum design. He holds international teaching recognition from Advance HE (UK) as a Senior Fellow, and his work is underpinned by a strong commitment to ethical, relational, and inclusive approaches to academic practice and professional learning.

Dr Dongmei Li is a Senior Lecturer in the Academic Pathways Program at James Cook University. With over 20 years’ experience in teaching and researching higher education internationalisation, she focuses on supporting international and culturally diverse students, enhancing academic skills across disciplines and levels, and strengthening staff capacity through targeted professional development.

Dinithi Ravindrika Samarakoon is a Registered Nurse, academic, and Program Convenor of the Nursing Program at the Edith Cowan University (ECU), Sri Lanka Campus. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Kotelawala Defence University. She is also currently reading for a Master’s in Nursing Education at Lincoln University, Malaysia. Dinithi has gained extensive clinical experience working in both government and private healthcare institutions in Sri Lanka, including the National Hospital, General Hospital, University Hospital KDU, and Lanka Hospitals Pvt Ltd. Alongside her academic role, she has contributed to national and international research projects, notably a multi-country study with the International Developmental Research Centre (IDRC). Her research interests lie in the areas of nutrition and disease risk, childhood obesity, non-communicable diseases, and child health nursing. She has presented her work at several international conferences and was awarded the Early Career Travel Scholarship by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) at the 22nd International Congress of Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan. Dinithi is also an active member of professional organizations, including the Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka and the Graduate Nurses’ Foundation of Sri Lanka. Passionate about advancing healthcare education and research, she is currently seeking PhD opportunities to further contribute to the field of nursing and health sciences.