Through my experience of teaching international students as an EAP teacher, and leading JCU’s schools outreach widening participation projects in remote Aboriginal communities and disadvantaged school communities across the Far North, I have developed my strong commitment to social justice and belief in the transformative power of education. A pedagogy of care is at the heart of my teaching practice. I believe in creating safe, supportive and nurturing environments for our students that prioritise academic learning alongside student well-being and personal development. I value empathy and compassion in my teaching practice and recognise the importance of emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing alongside academic learning. I aim to create learning environments where students feel seen, valued, and cared for, through building strong teacher-student relationships and fostering a sense of community in my classes and workshops.

Central  Queensland University

James Cook University

University of Queensland

London Metropolitan University

Central Queensland University

James Cook University

2016 Australian Awards for University Teaching

Award for Programs that Enhance Learning: Student experiences and services supporting learning, development and growth in higher education.

Winner: JCU Learning Centre

SKIL40025: Preparation Skills for University, CQU

CU1022: Developing Academic Skills, JCU

CU1010: Effective Writing, JCU

LNGE40049: Essay Writing for University, CQU

Academic Learning Adviser (CQU and JCU)

Team Leader (JCU) - Widening participation schools outreach

International student adviser

Director of Studies, ELICOS (JCU and Kings College International)

Lead Teacher, ELICOS (JCU and Kings College International)

Teacher, English for Academic Purposes (JCU and Kings College International)

Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)

Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL) 

Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) 

HERDSA Talking about Teaching and Learning (TATAL) – Brisbane 2023 cohort member

Centre for Research in Equity and Advancement of Teaching and Education (CREATE)

EPHEA (Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association)

My research interests span adult literacy development, curriculum and pedagogy, socio-linguistics, and qualitative and feminist methodologies, underpinned by a transformative agenda committed to challenging discrimination and oppression in education. Traditional academic literacy practices often remain tacit and implicitly encoded, requiring professional interpretation from academic learning advisors. This lack of transparency risks positioning students from diverse or non-traditional backgrounds as deficient. My research advocates for systemic curriculum and assessment reform that embeds inclusive, explicit academic literacy expectations, enabling learning advisors to shift from remediation to genuine learning partnership. In this way, my work contributes to reframing academic literacy as a shared, visible, and teachable component of disciplinary learning. This research also closely aligns with the Australian Universities Accord’s recommendations for systemic change to improve access, participation, and success for underrepresented cohorts. My research agenda aligns closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities), by addressing persistent equity gaps in higher education access and outcomes. 

Before commencing my PhD, I have contributed to the scholarship of teaching and learning through earlier research projects, including leading a qualitative study of James Cook University’s widening participation program (Get into Uni) and a commissioned Association of Academic Language and Learning (AALL) research grant examining the impact of service diversification on ALL practice. Across all these projects, my research has been shaped by and continues to inform my work as an equity practitioner and teacher, enabling me to develop and advocate for evidence-based, pedagogically grounded academic learning advising that enhances student success and equity.

Following the publication of my AALL-commissioned research article The impact of the diversification of ALL services on the practices of learning advisors, I was invited to present at the AALL NSW Chapter’s ‘Meet the Author’ event (2021). Feedback from attendees and organisers highlighted the event’s impact in stimulating sector-wide reflection on collaborative teaching models, service transformation, and the need to reposition academic literacy work within mainstream curriculum.

This presentation led to an invitation to speak at the CQUniversity Retention Community of Practice (CoP) (2021), where I discussed academic literacy and student retention in the context of service diversification. In 2022, I recommended and arranged for guest speaker Dr Rosalie Goldsmith (UTS) to present to the CoP on UTS’s embedded language development model. This initiative directly supported the CoP’s mission to enhance evidence-based retention strategies aligned with CQUniversity’s Student Participation, Retention and Success Guiding Principles.