School of Work and Organisational Studies

DProf;MBus;MHSM;GradCertEd(TeachLearn);GCertTEd;BA

Dr Lova Andriamora is an education-focused Associate Lecturer in the School of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Since 2022, he has been teaching and coordinating BUSS5221 (Creative and Analytic Mindset), a core unit of the Master of Commerce program, which enrols between 1,800 and 2,000 students in Semester 2. He also coordinates WORK6130 (Leadership in Organisations).

Dr Andriamora earned his doctorate from Central Queensland University in 2014. He also holds multiple qualifications, including a Master of Business with a specialisation in Human Resource Development, a Master of Human Services Management with a focus on Policy Development, a Certificate in Teaching from the University of Hong Kong, and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education from the University of Sydney.

B.HlthSci (Hons Class I; University Medal) Sydney; PhD Sydney
Lecturer in Work & Organisations: Healthy, Sustainable & Inclusive Work

Dr Mina Askovic is a Lecturer in Work & Organisations, with a focus on healthy, sustainable and inclusive work. Her research examines how work can be designed to foster individual, team and organisational thriving, with a particular focus on healthcare and essential service contexts. An advocate for evidence-based practice, Mina's interests lie in translating academic research into practical insights that help leaders and organisations make better people-related decisions.

Before joining WOS, Mina worked as a Senior Research Consultant for SEC Newgate, one of Australia's most sought-after firms for public affairs, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and market/social research. In this role, Mina leveraged her research expertise to provide strategic recommendations to clients.

Mina holds a Bachelors degree in Health Science (Behavioural and Social Science in Health, Hons I) and a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from the University of Sydney. Her doctoral research focused on corporate volunteering programs with a focus on how organisations can design initiatives that create value for multiple stakeholders.

📍 Room: 4156, Abercrombie Building (H70)
📧 Email: mina.askovic@sydney.edu.au

I'm a political economist working at the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work, in the School of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney. At the Centre I am researching barriers to women's career progression in male-dominated industries. 

In 2025 I finished my PhD in the Discipline of Political Economy at the University of Sydney where I identified the drivers of wage suppression in the Australian meat processing industry since the mid-1980s. I was inspired by applied political economy and applied economics class analyses coming out of the 1970s (Harry Braverman, Jill Rubery, Frank Wilkinson) and classical Marxist theories of capitalist competition (Anwar Shaikh, Howard Botwinick, Dick Bryan). I analysed a wide range of industry, firm, wages and enterprise agreement data to identify structural changes to the bargaining power of workers and employers in the meat industry resulting from shifts in competition between firms, the labour process, and the supply of labour.

My research interests include analysis of the structures that facilitate the existence of low-paid work, the future of work, and the effective communication of visual data. In a previous life I was a researcher in pain medicine at the University of Sydney.

Marian Baird AO is Professor of Gender and Employment Relations and Co-Director of the Sydney Employment Relations Research Group in the University of Sydney Business School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia.

Marian is a leading researcher in the fields of industrial relations, women, work and care. Her research focuses on policy responses at all levels, including government, business and unions. She has a long history of policy engagement on gender equitable organisational change, flexible work, women and leadership, paid family and domestic violence leave and reproductive support policies. Through her career as an engaged researcher, she has worked with federal and state government departments, organisations, unions and not-for-profits to improve the position for women in the workforce and society. Marian has contributed to the development of government and company policies on maternity and parental leaves, flexibility, discrimination and the ageing workforce. Her pathbreaking research on paid parental leave contributed to the introduction of Australia's paid Parental Leave Scheme in 2010. In 2022-23, she advised the Australian Government on extensions and changes to the Scheme.

Currently, she is a Chief Investigator on the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) and leader of the mature workers and care stream. Other current research projects include the female body@work project, women's economic empowerment and workplace violence in female dominated sectors. Marian is an Expert Panel Member of the Fair Work Commission, appointed in March 2023. She is a member of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' Parent Advisory Group to improve the economic security of Australian parents, appointed in 2024.

As the first female professor in industrial relations at the University of Sydney, Marian has developed the next generation of researchers and policymakers in her teaching of industrial relations policy and strategic human resource management and as a supervisor of 13 PhD students. She received the SUPRA Supervisor of the Year Award in 2022

Marian's work is widely published and she is co-author of Human Resource Management (published by Cengage), Australia's leading text book in the field. Marian contributes to the discipline internationally as a Coordinator of the International Network of Leave Policies and Research and the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) Gender and Employment Study Group. She has been a visiting scholar at the University of Alberta, MIT, Michigan State University, University of Nottingham, Leeds University Business School and Queen Mary University of London Business School.

In 2016 Marian was awarded an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) for outstanding services to improving the quality of women's working lives and for contributions to tertiary education. Other awards include the Best Paper Award at AIRAANZ 2023, the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association Award in 2021, the AIRAANZ Lifetime Service Award in 2020, and being named in Apolitical's Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Equality list in 2019 and 2018. In 2014 she received the Edna Ryan Award for making positive change for women in the workforce, in 2013 she received the AFR/Westpac Women of Influence Award in Public Policy, and in 2015 and 2003 she won the University of Sydney Business School's most engaged researcher awards.

Martijn Boersma (BA; MA; MSc - Cum Laude; PhD) is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies. He has a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney. Prior to joining the University of Sydney Business School in 2024, Martijn worked at the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Technology Sydney. Before entering academia, he worked for several departments at the head office of Greenpeace in Amsterdam, and as a researcher in the trade union movement, which gives him intimate knowledge of the environmental and social responsibilities of business.

Martijn's career has afforded him expert knowledge about the intersection of business and society. His work covers several issues relating to the environmental and social responsibilities of business, with a specific focus on modern slavery, business and human rights, and supply chains. Martijn has engaged in research consultancies for serval large organisations, among which for UNICEF, Ethical Clothing Australia, and the United Nations Develpment Programme. For the latter he co-developed and delivered a blended-learning curriculum on business and human rights. His work has been published in high quality presses and journals, and Martijn makes regular contributions to ongoing debates in the media about the role of business in society.

Martijn has received a number of prestigious research grants, among which an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Reseacher Award (2024-2026) to generate awareness and knowledge about the modern slavery - climate change nexus; an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant (2025-2027) to examine the role of proxy advisors in diffusing norms around ethical invesment, an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (2017-2021) to develop new regulatory methods to improve compliance in the commercial cleaning supply chain; a grant from the Cotton Research Development Corporation (2019-2022) to exploire strategies to improve compliance in the Australian cotton value chain; and a Commonwealth Government grant to improve the regulation of modern slavery and access to remedy (2021-2023).

Dr. Eliza Byington is a Lecturer in Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. She received her PhD in Organisation & Personnel Management from the Rotterdam School of Management. Her Organisational Behaviour scholarship includes research on team performance, coworker satisfaction, and individual differences (e.g. personality, gender, age, IQ, nationality). Dr. Byington's research has also examined ways to improve the reliability of management science, overcoming the “research-practice gap”, and includes bibliometric reviews of large research literatures (e.g. the Human Resource Management field, Careers research). Her research has appeared in Research in Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Human Resource Management Review, and Academy of Management Learning & Education.

Dr. Byington has taught management courses at the undergraduate, MCom, MBA, and PhD/MPhil levels, and her master's level course on interpersonal and communication skills has been awarded the Dean's Citation for Teaching.

Dr. Byington's research articles can be accessed at ResearchGate.

Alison is an educational development senior lecturer and has enormous enthusiasm for and long experience in teaching in all its forms. Originally a scientist, she has developed and taught curriculum in both quantitative and qualitative subjects. Her expertise is in active learning pedagogies, digital affordances, academic integrity, and authentic assessment.

Dip Law LPAB; MLLR Syd; PhD Syd

Dr Stephen Clibborn is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. He is Co-Director of the Sydney Employment Relations Research Group (SERRG).

Stephen is a leading researcher in the field of employment relations, law and migration with particular interest in employer compliance and non-compliance with employment laws. This focuses on regulation of low-waged work, including the working experiences of migrants and the roles of government, employers, unions, NGOs and civil society in the application and enforcement of employment laws.

He is the author of many scholarly articles and is also a key research-based contributor to public debates about regulation of work. He is regularly invited to speak to policy audiences on his research. He has made influential submissions to government inquiries and is a regular commentator in the media.

Stephen has extensive industry experience including in Australia as a senior associate in a national commercial law firm, and in the United States as both a legal manager in the headquarters of a multinational corporation in the fast moving consumer goods sector and in a not-for-profit organisation representing the interests of low-waged and unemployed workers.

Stephen teaches in both the undergraduate and postgraduate programs of the Business School.

Rae is Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations and founding Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work. Her research focuses on women’s labour market participation, career dynamics in very male-dominated sectors, job quality, flexible working, and respect at work. She has led major projects in these areas funded by the Australian Research Council and state and federal governments and works in partnership with organisations across the public, private, and not for profit sectors to translate research insight into improved workplace practice and policy.  Rae has published more than 80 journal articles, numerous book chapters, and several major research reports. She is a prominent public commentator on work and employment issues, regularly contributing to television, radio, print media, and senior policy and business forums. She has served as a non-executive director across public sector bodies and NGOs and is currently a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board of Jobs and Skills Australia.

In 2019, Rae was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to higher education and to workplace policy and practice.

Dr Isabella Dabaja is a Lecturer in the discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Isabella's research interests include the intersection of technological and climate related impacts on work, public sector work and the role of the state in industrial relations, and the impact of public policy on workplace dynamics. Her doctoral thesis, also completed in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney, investigated neoliberal reform to the work of school leaders in public education.

Ann is an education focused professor in the Discipline of Work and Organisation Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Her background is in work psychology and HRM, and she has held a range of leadership roles in both academic and program management, and school-level leadership roles. She is a chartered member of the CIPD, a certified practitioner member of AHRI, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Senior Fellow of AdvanceHE and a member of the Academy of Management.

Ann graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BSc and PhD in psychology and her subsequent research agenda has focused on the construction and enactment of the employment relationship, primarily from the employee perspective, and the meaning and experience of HR strategy and practice for individuals. She has published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals in HRM and psychology,

Over 40 years, Ann has held academic leadership roles both in Australia and the UK at both discipline and school level. These include heading Aston University Business School’s undergraduate, DBA and PhD programs. She has also been course director for programs in HRM and Work Psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate level at Aston, Leeds, and Derby Universities, along with heading disciplines of HR, OB and Work and Organisational Psychology.

From 2018 to 2023 Ann was Associate Dean for Academic Resourcing and Development at the University of Sydney Business School, during which time she led the schools recruitment and performance activities, and was a member of the Dean’s Executive Committee. She is currently Undergraduate Coordinator for the Work and Organizational Studies discipline and a member of the University’s Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Self-Assessment team.

Dr Niamh Dawson is a Lecturer in Equity and Inclusion in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Her research explores employee inclusion processes in the workplace, with applications across diverse contexts, including male-dominated work, employee recovery, hybrid work, and academia. She has a strong passion for research methods and enjoys applying innovative analytical approaches to address real-world organisational challenges.

Niamh completed her PhD and Master of Organisational Psychology at the University of Queensland in the School of Psychology. She then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship examining effort-recovery processes using experience sampling methodology. In December 2024, she joined the University of Sydney Business School, where she continues to advance research on workplace inclusion and employee wellbeing.

James is a Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Studies, where he teaches leadership. James is an expert in leadership development, with a focus on purpose-based leadership and the core or foundational "habits" of great leadership.

James is an internationally-recognised authority on purpose-based leadership and positive psychology. James' research centres around purpose-based leadership, drawing on positive psychology, self-determination theory, and mindfulness research, and applications in leaderhsip roles. James’ research has been published in world-leading international journals, including the Psychological Bulletin, Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, Current Directions in Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, and the British Journal of Management.

James is commited to bridging the gap between research and practice, and engages regularly with organisations seeking to develop their leadership capability, via keynotes, seminars, workshops, and media engagement. In 2024, James published a general audience book, The Clear Leader, exploring the challenges of leading in a tech-saturated environment, and the work of generating "insight-energy" in an action-oriented working world. Prior to his academic career, James worked for seven years in public policy with the Commonwealth Departments of Treasury and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

BA(Hons) S'ton; MA Warw.; PhD W'gong

Bradon Ellem is Emeritus Professor of Employment Relations in the School of Business at the University of Sydney. His many years of service, from 1997 to 2025, included two terms as Chair of the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies (2011-2015). Prior to that, Bradon worked at the Universities of Wollongong and New South Wales. While at Sydney, he served in editorial leadership roles for the two leading journals in his fields, as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Industrial Relations (2006-2021) and as Associate-Editor of Labour History (1998-2016). He is a Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the University of Western Australia Business School, and has held visiting positions at universities in Sweden, Norway, the UK and the USA.

His research has focussed on unions, regions, and industrial relations policy. It has been published in leading academic journals around the world as well as in commissioned reports, trade journals and submissions to governments. His most recent book is Ellem B, Wright CF, Clibborn S, Cooper R, Flanagan F, Veen A, Work and Industrial Relations Policy in Australia, Bristol University Press, 2025.

Elsie Foeken is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work. Her disciplinary background is in sociology, and her research focuses on the intersections between gender, time, and paid and unpaid labour. She is a skilled qualitative researcher, with expertise on the Australian gig economy. Dr Foeken completed her PhD at Monash University.

Meraiah Foley is Associate Professor in the Disipline of Work and Organisational Studies. She is also an academic member of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work. 

Dr Natalie Galea (BA; BBCM Hons; PhD, UNSW) is a Senior Lecturer and 2024 Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Fellow in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School, and an Associate of the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work. A former construction project manager and Australian Olympian, she spent nearly two decades delivering major projects in Australia, the Middle East, and North Africa before moving into research.

Her research advances gender justice, worker wellbeing, and structural reform in male-dominated sectors, with a focus on the Australian construction industry. She has led award-winning projects across gender equality, work schedules, flexibility, and parental leave, generating significant policy and industry impact. Her contributions were instrumental in establishing the National Construction Sector Culture Standard, now embedded in procurement frameworks across NSW, Victoria, and the ACT. She translates research into practice through industry guides and toolkits, and has consulted to government and industry both domestically and internationally, including the Victorian Government, John Holland, Sims Metal, the International Council on Mining and Metals, and the Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She is also a named investigator on the Australian Government's Working for Women Research Partnership, a national five-year $5 million collaboration with leading gender scholars across seven Australian universities.

In elite sport, Natalie examines athletes' access to human rights, focusing on institutional responses to gender-based violence, reporting mechanisms, and redress.

She is a Director of the Feminist Institutionalism International Network (FIIN), Associate Editor of the European Journal of Politics and Gender, and a Board Member of the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ). She is co-founder of Dignity by Design: Human Rights across the Built Environment, a global coalition comprising the Institute for Human Rights and Business (UK), the Rafto Foundation (Norway), and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (Sweden).

Laura Good is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work. She is an expert in the gender dynamics of frontline service sector work, the gendered impact of digitalisation, and gender, skills and technology. She has established research expertise in sexual harassment and gendered customer interactions within service sector workplace contexts. Laura holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and completed her PhD from the University of Sydney.

BEc Soc Sci (Hons) Usyd; Phd UNSW

Dimitria G. Groutsis is the University of Sydney’s Academic Director of the Athena Swan Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Program and Professor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Sydney Business School. She is the co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (Asia Pacific Rim Universities).

Dimitria is a leading scholar in the field of migration, labour mobility, DEI, and ethno-racial diversity in the business context. Her research creates a bridge between the academy and business practice, engaging with key stakeholders in industry and government across many sectors. In addition to publications and high impact policy reports which have been recognised with national and international research awards, she has received 10 million dollars in research funding. Her consulting role sees her collaborating with peak bodies such as for instance - Chief Executive Women, Diversity Council Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission, Settlement Services International, International Organisation for Migration; and large corporate sector partners and key stakeholders in the government and non-government sectors. Dimitria has been the recipient of national and international fellowships and has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards for her leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion research and practice.

Dimitria is the Convenor of the Migration, Ethno-Racial, Cultural and Intersectionality@Work Research Group at the University of Sydney Business School (MERCI@WRG).

Awards

Business in Colour Awards [MindTribes Foundation, Research Excellent Award (2026)
Australian Network on Disability, Finalist, Oustanding Supervisor (2026)
Beta Gamma Sigma, Business School Chapter, Academic of the Year Award, (2026) 
National SAGE Award - Most Outstanding Leader, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (2025)
National SAGE Award – Highly Commended, Outstanding Collaborator, University of Sydney SAGE team (2025)
Vice Chancellor’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion – SAGE team (2024), (University of Sydney)
Australian Business Deans Council Award (2023) - Innovation and Excellence in Research (Established Researcher) – Australian Business Deans Council.
University of Sydney Business School (2023) Excellence in Research Engagement Award, University of Sydney
Vice Chancellor’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion (2022), (University of Sydney)

Gayani Gunasekera is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD in Management from the University of Wollongong, where her doctoral research examined the identity work of skilled immigrant women in Australian workplaces.

Her research examines the intersections of work, identity and inclusion. She is particularly interested in how identities are shaped, negotiated and reconstructed across organisational and social contexts. Her work focuses on immigrant identities, identity work, diversity and inclusion, and equity in organisations. More recently, she has also explored student experiences in higher education, with particular attention to how equity is defined, understood and operationalised within universities.

Gayani has taught across undergraduate and postgraduate programs at the University of Sydney and the University of Wollongong. Her teaching spans organisational behaviour, leadership, responsible business and career development. She has also contributed to subject coordination, curriculum design and educational initiatives that centre inclusion, reflection and Indigenous perspectives in business education.

Her scholarship is grounded in qualitative and interpretive research methods and is motivated by a commitment to advancing more inclusive workplaces and educational institutions. Through her research and teaching, she seeks to deepen understanding of identity, belonging and equitable participation in contemporary organisational life.

BA (Hons 1), PhD University of Sydney

Associate Professor Myra Hamilton is an ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellow in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney, and former Principal Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research at the University of Sydney (2020-2024). She is a sociologist and social policy scholar whose research focus is on gender, work and care over the lifecourse. Myra’s research explores how workplace and public policies and programs can build wellbeing and financial security in work and in care over the life course. She combines traditional academic research with applied policy research for government, industry and non-government organisations, including evaluations of policies and programs. She makes regular contributions to public and media debate on issues such as grandparenting, economic security in retirement, balancing work and care, young carers, intergenerational relationships and income inequalities. She has close working relationships with the community sector including peak bodies in the areas of carers and seniors, is Reviews Editor of the International Journal of Care and Caring and sits on the NSW Carers Advisory Council and the Board of Council on the Ageing NSW.

Associate Professor in Managing People and Organisations in the School of Work and Organisational Studies (WOS).

A/Prof Healy's expertise is in industrial/employment relations, labour economics, human resource management, and the sociology of work. His research interests include work in the gig economy, automation and job transformation, dignity at work, gender (in)equality, and the living wage.

A/Prof Healy's contributions encompass highly-cited research articles, government- and industry-commissioned research reports, journal editorial responsibilities, extensive classroom teaching experience, and expert commentary on radio and in print media. His recent research is published in top international journals, including New Technology, Work and Employment and Human Resource Management Journal.

A/Prof Healy is currently an Associate Editor of Labour and Industry: a journal of the economic and social relations of work and on the editorial boards of three other journals: Asia Pacific Journal of HR; Journal of Industrial Relations; and Research in the Sociology of Work.

BCS (Hons 1); MMS (Hons 1); PhD (Arizona State University); GradCertEdStud (Higher Ed), FHEA

Steven is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Steven works across the design, development, and delivery of experiential programs in the Business School such as placements, practicums, and study tours. Steven has extensive experience in teaching and has taught small and large courses across all levels of higher education.

Steven's primary stream of research examines on teaching and learning in higher education. Steven has an interest in processes of Work-Integrated Learning, engagement, assessment design, and innovative teaching experiences.

Steven has historically examined the discourse of, and practice surrounding, aged and generational narratives in the workplace. Steven is particularly interested in the perspectives of young professionals whose voices often go unattended in organizations, the popular press, and in scholarship.

Steven received a Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) at The University of Sydney in 2020 and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2018. Prior to joining The University of Sydney in 2016, Steven was a Graduate Associate at The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University where he received his PhD in Organizational Communication. Steven has a Bachelor of Communication Studies (Hons 1) and a Master of Management Studies (Hons 1) from The University of Waikato.

Maria is an education-focused Lecturer in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School, she is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Maria has a classical pedagogical education and a PhD in political science from one of the leading Russian universities (BMSTU, 2002). She spent more than 15 years working in organisational communications including more than 6 years as Chief Communications Officer and board member. She was extensively cited, results of her work and professional achievements were recognised by various awards at the national level and the book “Everything about internal communications” (2013) Maria co-authored was awarded as the Best Book about internal communications (VIII RuPoR Award, Russia). A highly skilled facilitator and MC, she chaired more than 100 business conferences.

Maria started her academic career in 2013 at the University of Queensland as a casual academic with the Business School and School of Communication and Arts. In 2017 she was invited to work for the University of Sydney. She coordinates undergraduate and postgraduate units and delivers masterclasses on organisational communication for students and professional staff, addressing both individual and organisational perspectives to guide learners toward professional success. Driven by a passion for amplifying Student Voice and the Students as Partners teaching philosophy, Maria’s innovative, industry-oriented, and personalised approach to education has been recognised with USYD’s most prestigious teaching awards, including the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2025), Business School Leadership - Student Experience Award (2024), Dean’s Award for Teaching (2022), Academic Enhancement of Student Life Award (2022), SRES Inaugural Award for 'Relationship-rich Education' (2021), Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (2020, team), and Wayne Lonergan Award (2019, team).

Maria’s vast professional experience and success across a variety of industries define her multifaceted approach to industry engagement, not only increasing the employability of graduates and helping these future business leaders to discover win-win-win communication but also inviting industry partners to challenge their thinking, co-create agile solutions to controversial organisational communication problems and co-promote their best practices publicly. In line with that, her SoTL interests lie in the field of core skills development (i.e., examining graduate qualities, embedding cultural competence into the curriculum, evaluating leadership development of students) and practice that improve teaching and learning experience (e.g., belonging, assessment feedback and student engagement, students as partners, learning by teaching, flipped classroom, co-creation of experience).

Dr Laura Jennings is a Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at the University of Sydney Business School. A behavioural scientist with expertise in qualitative methods, her research examines the workplace behaviours that drive inclusion, with a particular focus on male-dominated environments including construction, mining, and financial services. She is committed to bridging the gap between organisational practice and academic research, bringing evidence-informed thinking to real-world challenges.

Before pursuing her academic career, Laura spent more than two decades as a senior executive across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, including as a Chief Marketing Officer. She completed her PhD at Monash University with BehaviourWorks Australia, examining bystander intervention as a mechanism for workplace inclusion. Since joining the University of Sydney Business School in January 2026, her work has spanned large-scale evaluation of government-funded programs, applied research with industry partners, and conceptual work on inclusionary behaviours.