Sarah Baker is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Aotearoa New Zealand. Her teaching and research focus on communication for social change, critical media studies, and the intersections of power, culture, and technology in higher education and public life. She is Co-Director of the Communication for Social Change Research Centre, where she works collaboratively with colleagues and communities to explore how communication practices can support equity, participation, and futures-oriented thinking. Sarah has extensive experience in curriculum design, postgraduate supervision, and pedagogical leadership, with a particular interest in reflective, relational, and socially responsive teaching practices. Her scholarship spans media representation, digital cultures, and participatory research methodologies. She is committed to connecting theory with lived experience in the classroom and to advancing ethical, inclusive, and critically engaged approaches to higher education teaching and learning.

Dr Annika Herb (she/her) SFHEA is the Education Development Lead at the University of Newcastle. Her research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning, academic development, and young adult literature. She is an Associate Editor of IJYAL, and co-editor of Storying Plants in Australian Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), Education Without Boundaries (Pressbooks 2025), and Moving Your University Course Online: Case Studies on Design, Development and Delivery (Routledge 2026).

I am a university lecturer with three years of teaching experience, specialising in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and information systems. Before transitioning into academia, I worked in the IT industry for seven years as an ETL Tester, with my most recent role at Westpac Bank. This industry experience provided me with a strong foundation in data systems, quality assurance, and large‑scale enterprise environments. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Business Information Systems, which strengthened my interdisciplinary understanding of technology and business integration. I later completed an MPhil in Cybersecurity, where my research focused on emerging security challenges in digital ecosystems. Building on this work, I am currently pursuing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Torrens University, exploring the sociotechnical and socioeconomic dimensions of AI adoption. My academic and industry backgrounds together enable me to contribute strong practical insights and research‑driven perspectives to my teaching and scholarly work.

Dr Leah Meng is a Lecturer at Curtin University and Major Lead for Undergraduate Accounting. Her work spans both teaching-focused and disciplinary research, with a particular emphasis on improving student comprehension, engagement, and learning design in accounting and business education. Her teaching research explores instructional scaffolding, dialogic and scenario-based learning, and the role of language and text design in supporting students’ understanding of complex professional judgement. She is also actively engaged in disciplinary research in financial accounting. Through her dual focus, she aims to bridge accounting scholarship with evidence-based pedagogical innovation to enhance learning experiences in higher education.

Dr. Salama is an internationally recognised higher education leader and currently serves as Director of Education at the School of Health Sciences & Nursing, Macquarie University. She is a passionate educator and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA, AdvanceHE), holding a Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership. Dr. Salama has designed, taught, and managed undergraduate and postgraduate programs with a strong focus on employability and lifelong learning. She founded and leads the Health Education Scholarship research group, focusing on innovative practices for health, medical, and biomedical education, emphasising engagement, motivation, and flexible delivery modes including online and hybrid. A pharmacist by training, Dr. Salama pursued research and teaching in pharmaceutical drug delivery technologies, completing an MSc and PhD in pharmaceutical formulations. Her research spans respiratory drug development from formulation science to clinical trials, in collaboration with industry partners.

jessica tyrrell is a lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School with over a decade of experience in the tertiary sector across teaching, educational research and educational design and development.

Nick Brown is passionate about equipping and empowering engineers to address complex global issues such as poverty, inequality, and sustainability. Nick co-leads RMIT University’s Humanitarian Engineering Lab which delivers innovative teaching and research at the intersection of design, technology, and education for social change. As Academic Lead – Learning & Teaching Innovation, Nick has developed and delivered a program that drives innovative teaching practice and enables Scholarship of Teaching and Learning across the School of Engineering. Nick has a track record delivering leading learning and teaching, receiving an Australia Award for University Teaching, three Engineers Australia teaching awards, and multiple RMIT accolades including three Vice-Chancellors Awards. Nick is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the International Federation of National Teaching Fellows.