I am a Chancellor's Research Fellow/Senior Lecturer at UTS.

My work focuses on understanding and advancing the work of historically marginalised groups to transform institutions and pursue change. I explore inclusion and exclusion in schools, media and other forms of governance, especially for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ peoples (as a non-Indigenous, trans scholar). I collaborate with non-government organisations, community groups, government and scholars in Australia and internationally on research focused on policy change, impact and justice. In recognition of my work, I received the 2025 Paul Bourke Award for Early Career Achievement from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Key arenas of my work include:

• the school-prison nexus, school exclusion, and community-led alternatives in Australia and internationally (supported by my Chancellor's Research Fellowship, the Australian Public Policy Institute Fellowship, and previous grants from Griffith University and University of Melbourne);
• Indigenous remodellings of schooling, media and governance to realise self-determination (supporters include the Dusseldorp Forum and community organisations, the NSW government, and the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion);
• the experiences and strategies of Indigenous, LGBTQ+, disabled and racially marginalised journalists in transforming media and representation in the era of diversity, equity, inclusion and access (as co-CI on ARC Discovery 2025 and previously with Aboriginal Affairs NSW);
• the strategies of trans and gender diverse peoples to advance their interests, especially in education and media (supported by the University of Melbourne and others).

As an early career scholar, I have secured and manage over $1m in research funding, including an ARC Discovery, government tenders and major philanthropic gifts. I have been invited as a visiting scholar to multiple universities across England, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada and Aotearoa/NZ. My scholarship has influenced NSW and national policy, parliamentary inquiries and Royal Commissions, and been included in the NSW Aboriginal Studies curriculum. I have consulted for groups including the Australian Human Rights Commission, The Guardian, and the NSW Government. My work has been translated into podcasts and featured on major media outlets. I was the recipient of the 2026 UTS Faculty of Design & Society ECR award for research impact and funding.

I am the lead co-author of Does the Media Fail Aboriginal Political Aspirations? (Aboriginal Studies Press, 2020), and Yipirinya: the true school of Mparntwe (2027, forthcoming), and editor of the forthcoming Educational Agitations (Routledge, 2026). My work is published in world-leading journals including Digital Journalism and Critical Studies in Education, and I am an Associate Editor of Australian Educational Researcher.

I design, coordinate and teach courses and subjects across education, communication and the social sciences, building on my interdisciplinary expertise, curriculum development experience and teacher training. I have collaboratively led the development of microcredentials in Indigenous research methods and ethics, and in embedding Indigenous graduate attributes. With colleagues I have redesigned whole course assessment projects, developed novel cross-subject, and led work-intergrated learning programs with community partners. My educational leadership has been recognised with a 2019 UTS Vice-Chancellor’s teaching excellence award, multiple subject awards and two Faculty awards for Indigenisation. 

I am a member of the UTS Faculty of Design & Society Social Justice & Inclusion Committee, and co-founder of the UTS Staff & Student Trans & Gender Diverse Advisory Group. I work on initiatives for LGBTIQ+ inclusion in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion.