People rely on their memories to provide details of events that happen in their lives. But it can often be hard to retrieve the details when feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed by emotions.
Researchers at Griffith University are focused on helping victims of traumatic crimes to better remember and report their experiences. Their recent focus is on achieving justice for adult survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Centre for Investigative Interviewing has received a boost to pursue this important work thanks to a major philanthropic donation in memory of Dr Nina Westera, a police officer and then researcher who devoted her career to ensuring victims voices could be heard with clarity and integrity.
Professor Martine Powell and Dr Nina Westera
Dr Westera’s work highlighted adults who reported sexual assault and domestic violence were sometimes vulnerable to misunderstanding and miscommunication, and thus great care was needed to ensure the interview process helped them do their best.
Director of the Centre, Professor Martine Powell from Griffith Criminology Institute, acknowledged there were several challenges that needed to be addressed when interviewing victims about stressful or traumatic events.
“Historically the focus was on children and people with a cognitive impairment being classed as vulnerable. But there are often compounded problems affecting adults’ memory and willingness to report too,” she said.
“Interview frameworks used by police around the world are not always specifically designed with the unique needs of these victims in mind.
“A domestic violence victim may be worried about the consequences of reporting, for example, or they might be confused about some of the specific details due to having experienced similar prior attacks by the same perpetrator. What this funding enables us to do is follow through on Westera’s vision to develop specialised interview procedures for these witness groups.”
Understanding these issues and knowing how to address them in interviews would be a key area of focus for researchers as they built on Westera’s initial stream of work.
“To successfully prosecute a specific act of violence, it’s important that the victim is able to recall details of the incident to support the legal process,” Professor Powell said.
Dr Sonja Brubacher
“However, we know that people who experience repeated acts of violence tend to recall generic details about what typically occurred with relative ease, but have difficulty recalling specifics of an individual incident.”
Dr Sonja Brubacher (Adjunct Senior Research Fellow) together with Professor Powell, would embark on several research projects related to supporting victims of personal crimes.
Dr Brubacher noted research had already uncovered a variety of verbal and nonverbal behaviours interviewers could use to build rapport and make interviewees feel more comfortable in interviews, but recommendations to use these techniques were broad, and interviewers often struggled to know when and how to put them into practice.
“When talking to the police, it’s critical that victims feel listened to, and as comfortable as they can be, so that they can access their memories and give their best evidence,” Dr Brubacher said.
“Improving just outcomes for adult sexual assault complainants may require more simplified and streamlined police interview frameworks.
“While research in this area is growing, there are still many things we don’t understand about the supports vulnerable adult victims actually need in police interviews, and when interviewers need to provide them.
“This donation to continue Westera’s important work has real potential to make a difference for victims who come through the justice system.”
Achieving first-class honours at Griffith University is a huge achievement for anyone, but for Daniel Clarke, this extraordinary accolade is worthy of recognition.
Graduating with first-class honours, Daniel Clarke with his father, Rodney Clarke.
Daniel has cerebral palsy, though he has never let his disability stop him from achieving his goals.
Prior to his academic endeavours, Daniel has been recognised nationally and internationally for his conservation and advocacy work.
He was named the 2021 Queensland Young Australian of the Year, served as the National Ambassador for the 2021 International Day of People with Disability, and co-authored two award-winning books on orangutan conservation which were incorporated in the NSW school curriculum.
With achievements also spanning sport and public service, Daniel has represented Queensland in wheelchair rugby, appeared on ABC’s Australian Story, received a Pride of Australia Medal, and personally signed letters of recognition from former United States President Barack Obama, David Attenborough and the Princess of Wales, Princess Catherine.
“I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t let my disability get in the way of anything I do,” Daniel said.
With a Bachelor of Social Science majoring in politics, Daniel began work on a Community Transport project as a research assistant at Griffith University, and was encouraged to incorporate this topic into a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) thesis.
Director, International (Arts, Education and Law) and Senior Lecturer, Migration and Security (School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science) Dr Samid Suliman.
Director, International (Arts, Education and Law) and Senior Lecturer, Migration and Security (School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science) Dr Samid Suliman was Daniel’s honours supervisor.
“Throughout his honours degree, Daniel paired his passion for human rights and social justice and his commitment to his academic excellence with unique research insight that can only come from researchers with lived experience of living with disability,” Dr Suliman said.
Daniel’s thesis had three areas of focus surrounding community transport which included: mapping the complex funding pathways of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Commonwealth Home Support Package, which fund community transport; analysing technological advancements in the sector; and identifying user tolerances of clients using community transport.
“Community transport has received very little attention and investigation,” Daniel said.
“My research was able to uncover and present the range of algorithms, smartphone apps and technologies currently used by community transport operators to provide an efficient service.
“When separate operators are sharing an algorithm to service the community, it provides a seamless service to customers and improves efficiency to the community transport fleet, instead of individual drivers competing for minimum distance for maximum pay off.”
This research was unique, as Daniel drew on his lived experience of disability to shape his thesis, outlining the challenges he had to overcome when completing his honours.
These challenges included disability-induced fatigue and support worker availability.
Determined to overcome these challenges, he worked closely with Griffith staff to raise awareness and find solutions to reach his goals.
“Whenever I needed a bit more time, or if I needed to take a break from work for a bit, everyone around me at Grifith has been so supportive,” Daniel said.
Dr Suliman said Daniel’s hard efforts to deliver meaningful research despite the challenges, and continue his advocacy work, was a testament to Daniel’s determination to succeed and was well deserving of achieving first-class honours.
“There’s always a pathway to achieve my dream,” Daniel said
Looking ahead, Daniel is now working with a team using quantum computing to help people with disability navigate crowds and transport at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The project analyses pedestrian flows to minimise risk and transport routes to maximise efficiency, helping people in wheelchairs navigate high-traffic pedestrian areas and ensuring they can get to their destination in a timely fashion.
“We know we’ll get a huge number of visitors in 2032, and by using quantum computing we can effectively calculate millions of different journeys to make sure everyone can get to their destination easily and safely,” he said.
“At the moment there is a mismatch between support and demand – there is more demand for access to vehicles than there are vehicles.
“At the Paralympic games, demand will go through the roof.
“We need an algorithm to ensure people with disability don’t experience major delays, their dignity is not impacted and people with disability aren’t excluded from events.”
Ganalay and guli are species of native grasses – used as a food source and ground into a flour – that used to thrive on the black alluvial soil plains of Moree, New South Wales, particularly after heavy rains or flooding.
Kerrie Saunders winnowing grasses on a coolamon. Credit: Kerrie Saunders
In summer, they produce florets containing seed that can be eaten raw or cooked as flour; however, grazing, cropping, water regulation, and irrigation have caused their decline.
But a project led by Griffith University historian Dr Margaret Cook, from the Australian Rivers Institute, and Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders in Moree has helped restore Kamilaroi women’s knowledge.
Their 2024-25 research, funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, explored how changing water flow regimes and agriculture had affected the Kamilaroi people, the grasses, soils and waterways in Moree.
“In Kamilaroi culture, harvesting grain was women’s work,” Ms Saunders said.
“Much of the food consumed by Aboriginal people was plant based, harvested and cooked by women.
“Through colonisation much of the knowledge of the grasses, harvesting and food production has largely receded into memory.”
Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders
Ms Saunders and Dr Cook recorded the oral histories of 19 Kamilaroi women, and informed by sensory ethnography, they asked each woman to smell a cup of wet guli as a mnemonic device or memory trigger.
This opened a rich seam of childhood stories about playing cubby houses in the long grasses and catching fish and swimming in the Mehi River, which was once clear, abundant with animals, flowing, and fresh to drink.
In the 1970s, the New South Wales Government constructed Copeton Dam, six weirs and regulators to regulate the flows of the Mehi River and creeks.
“With water supply seemingly assured in a wet decade, unregulated water licenses were over supplied by about 50 per cent of the river system’s capacity,” Dr Cook said.
“This brought cotton to the region, which has become highly industrialised, corporate and large scale, and depends on fertilisers and pesticides to sustain high yields.”
Dr Margaret Cook from Griffith University with Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders.
Ms Saunders and Dr Cook said the Kamilaroi women spoke of hearing the pumps starting as soon as there was any flow in the river and seeing the Mehi River run backwards, such was the strength of the pumps.
Although restrictions have since been introduced, irrigation continues, and the largest water users in Moree Shire currently are irrigators (mainly cotton producers) who used on average 95 per cent of the water consumption.
“Excessive water extraction, pesticides and fertilisers, the women say, brought pollution and sickness to the rivers and Kamilaroi people,” Ms Saunders said.
“The women lamented the loss of favourite fishing holes and declining fish numbers and species.
“Land holdings and weirs meant swimming places were fenced off, so that now rivers rarely flowed and the water was murky and stank.
“Many of the women stopped swimming in the river as children ‘were coming home with yellow toes’ and ‘their hair started falling out from the chemicals in the water’.
As the river’s health declined, the government introduced environmental water flows designed to restore the environment.
“They drink bottled water as the river water is no longer safe to drink.
“The riverbanks are bare and surviving grasses have gone yellow from no nutrients.”
Ganalay bread with lilly pilly jam. Credit: Kerrie Saunders
While they helped, the women criticised their timing, with water released after the harvest and not when the wetlands need them.
Despite the degradation and water loss, guli (native millet) and ganalay (curly Mitchell grass) have survived and can flourish if watered at the right time.
Ms Saunders has been working with local grazier, Patrick Johnston, to harvest grasses and together they are working to produce native flour.
“Ganalay and guli require less water than imported grasses, are gluten free and have a higher protein content and lower glycaemic index than wheat, making them a healthy alternative,” she said.
“It’s my dream to put Australian native grasses into mainstream Australian diets.”
Through her business, Yinarr-ma, Ms Saunders hoped to sell ganalay and guli flour for everyone’s cooking.
“The Kamilaroi women’s stories remind us that water policy is never just technical —it is also cultural and political. Rivers are not only about flow rates or farming; they incorporate social justice, health and respect. A rethinking in water management is needed that honours Aboriginal rights and restores ecological relationships.”
Dr Margaret Cook, Griffith University
The report ‘Wetland Grasses, Ancient Grains, and Indigenous Food Production’ has been published by the Murray Darling Basin Authority.
COVID-19 does not just affect the respiratory system, but also significantly alters the brain in people who have fully recovered from the infectious disease, highlighting the long-term neurological impact of the virus.
Researchers from Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Disease (NCNED) used advanced MRI techniques to ascertain the neurological implications of COVID-19 compared with those who had never been infected.
The research provided compelling evidence that even in the absence of ongoing symptoms, prior infection with the virus could leave a measurable imprint on the brain.
Dr Kiran Thapaliya
Lead author, Dr Kiran Thapaliya, said: “We used multimodal MRI techniques to examine both grey and white matter brain regions critical for memory, cognition and overall brain health and found clear differences across all participant groups.”
“The unique MRI approach identified significant alterations in brain neurochemicals, brain signal intensity, and tissue structure not only in individuals with Long COVID but also in those who considered themselves fully recovered,” he said.
“The research also reported that altered brain tissue was associated with symptom severity in individuals with Long COVID, suggesting the virus may leave a silent, lasting effect on brain health.”
These findings offer vital insights into how COVID 19 affects the central nervous system and may help explain the cognitive problems, such as memory and concentration, reported both shortly after infection and months or even years later.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
NCNED Director, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, said: “The NCNED brings together a critical mass of talented researchers and clinicians committed to improving the lives of the patients.”
“We are privileged to access state-of-the-art technologies which drive transformative scientific discoveries.”
The research was funded by ME Research UK and the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.
The paper ‘Altered Brain Tissue Microstructure and Neurochemical Profiles in Long COVID and Recovered COVID-19 Individuals: A multimodal MRI Study’was published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity – Health.
Dr Maarten Wynants (right) co-led the fieldwork in Tanzania.
Recent fieldwork by Griffith University researchers has highlighted an African country is facing a rapidly escalating environmental crisis as severe gully erosion – locally termed “mega gullies” – advances across valuable agricultural landscapes.
Associate Professor Andrew Brooks and Research Fellow Dr Maarten Wynants from Griffith’s Precision Erosion and Sediment Management Research Group (PrESM) found the affected areas in Tanzania supported high-value farmland critical to local food security and economic stability.
“Without swift and coordinated action, the situation is a ‘time bomb’ that could inflict irreversible social, economic, and ecological damage,” Dr Wynants said.
“The onset of these mega gullies dates back 30–50 years, but recent evidence suggests they are now expanding on an exponential growth curve, meaning that each year they erode more and faster.”
Drivers of the problem
Through their years of fieldwork and study, Associate Professor Brooks and Dr Wynants said the trigger for this major erosion was caused by increasing human pressures and changes to how they interact with their environment, including:
Overgrazing
Deforestation
Removal of natural vegetation for farmland, driven a rapidly growing population in Tanzania (doubling about every 25 years and currently at 70 million people)
Forced settling of nomadic pastoralists
And loss of socio-economic capital (the loss of indigenous skills during the colonial period, a lack of governance of natural resources, and no investment in soil conservation).
“There are, of course, also some natural factors that make the region so vulnerable to this issue, such as volcanic and dispersive soils, variable rainfall with switching of droughts and extreme floods, and hilly terrain,” Associate Professor Brooks said.
Images from the site show the dramatic erosion and risk to nearby properties.
But primarily, the major shift in human land use played the critical role.
“Following independence, many Maasai pastoralists relocated into permanent settlements, abandoning the nomadic grazing patterns that once allowed landscapes to recover during seasonal migrations,” Dr Wynants said.
“Today, land that was historically grazed only seasonally is permanently cropped and overgrazed, placing immense strain on fragile volcanic and dispersive soils.”
Impacts: social, economic, ecological
The research team said not only did the mega gullies threaten agricultural lands, grazing lands, roads, and bridges, they also posed risks to schools, homes and community areas.
In a region where about 70 per cent of people relied on subsistence farming, the loss of arable land directly jeopardised both income and food security.
“Infrastructure was equally at risk: two bridges in the study region, each costing about USD $100,000, were destroyed within a decade of installation – an immense setback in a nation striving to develop essential services,” Dr Wynants said.
“Collapsing roads and bridges also stop people from selling excess produce to distributors or taking it to the markets, so they cannot earn money.”
Downstream, sediment from eroded landscapes was rapidly filling reservoirs and lakes, degrading water quality and threatening biodiversity hotspots such as Lake Manyara National Park, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere reserve which is home to more than 350 bird species and a wide range of typical African terrestrial wildlife such as lions and elephants.
Researchers and land holders on site.
Solutions and restoration activities
In response to these erosion impacts, Griffith researchers, in collaboration with the Tanzanian Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology, Ghent University, Belgium, and Tanzanian stakeholders and NGOs such as the Women’s Agri-Enviro Vision, have initiated monitoring stations and demonstration projects using indigenous, low-cost erosion-control techniques – including slow-forming terraces, earth bunds, and leaky dams – but these measures can only stabilise smaller gullies.
The team emphasised large-scale restoration, significant financial investment, and major societal shifts in livestock management and soil stewardship were urgently needed to halt the further advancement of mega gullies to protect Tanzania’s future.
“To completely stop this problem, we need a total shift where people destock and better regulate livestock grazing, but also invest in soil improvement and management,” Associate Professor Brooks said.
“And there is also a need to set up a large investment fund supporting the ongoing restoration and future prevention of these mega gullies.”
A long way from her home in Papua New Guinea, Adrine Monagi’s journey as an athlete and scholar has demanded extraordinary commitment and courage, and her graduation reflects a remarkable milestone.
Dr Caroline Riot, Director of Games Engagement and Partnerships, and Adrine Monagi at GOMA for a Griffith Asia Institute event, “Games impact in Oceania”.
Specialising in the 100m hurdles, she has built a distinguished athletics career, representing Papua New Guinea at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Oceania Championships and Pacific Games.
Through the Griffith University Oceania Australia Foundation Athletics Business Scholarship, which included full tuition, accommodation, and financial support towards athletics, Ms Monagi completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance.
The scholarship was made possible through a Griffith partnership with the Oceania Australia Foundation and the Oceania Athletics Association.
“From the beginning, I knew a degree would make a massive difference in my life,” Ms Monagi said.
“I am so grateful for the scholarship and the chance to study at Griffith, and train using the facilities.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to live in Australia while I study, train and compete.”
Oceania Foundation Executive Director Helen McMurray said Ms Monagi was the first to graduate from the scholarship program.
“Adrine is an inspirational individual who did not allow earlier setbacks to deter her from reaching her goal,” Ms McMurray said.
“Adrine has never wavered in her determination to achieve this degree, and the Foundation Board extends its congratulations to her on this outstanding achievement.”
Griffith Sport Collage Director Naomi McCarthy OAM said it was an honour to support Ms Monagi’s athletic and academic journey.
“Witnessing Adrine’s athletic and academic success during this time has shown the power of this scholarship,” Ms McCarthy said.
Griffith Sports College Manager Naomi McCarthy OAM.
“It has been a privilege for Griffith Sports College to be part of Adrine’s journey, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for her.”
In the first year of her scholarship, she won two gold medals and one silver medal at the Solomon Islands 2023 Pacific Games.
Proving a credit to her country, she set a new Papua New Guinea record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.46 seconds at the 2024 Australian National Championships in Adelaide.
She also set a national record in the 60m hurdles at the 2025 Australian Athletics Short Track Championships in Sydney.
“I am also very proud to have been one of eight athletes to compete in the World Athletics Continental Tour 2025 in Melbourne, which is highly competitive and requires world-class results,” she said.
Her success in the athletics arena has shown immense mental strength, a drive that has transferred to her academic study.
With a demanding schedule including five days of training each week, attending course classes, completing assessments and managing part-time work, balancing the demands of elite training with full-time study called for an extraordinary commitment.
Reflecting on her final year, Ms Monagi admitted it tested her resilience more than ever, but with the support of Griffith Sports College, coaches and sponsors, she found the strength to persevere.
“This final year of my degree and sport scholarship has really tested my mental strength, and sometimes parts of you can break and they need healing before you can move forward,” she said.
“I know I have been strong through my athletic and academic career but making it through this year has been a real test of my resilience.
“I have been training and travelling for athletics since I was quite young, and these experiences have helped me to develop resilience and learn valuable lessons both on and off the field.
“I’ve learned to handle challenges independently and set my priorities straight.”
Beyond study, sport, and part-time work, Ms Monagi had embraced life on the Gold Coast.
“I have loved living on the Gold Coast and enjoyed the outdoors lifestyle,” she said.
“I’m an outdoor person and enjoy my own privacy and personal space, so I’ve really loved the morning walks, beaches and going to cafes.”
Looking to the future, Ms Monagi was guided by a passion for justice and integrity towards a career focused on the ethical and legal dimensions of security at both global and regional levels.
With a few years remaining in her peak athletic performance, she was eager to begin a professional journey in Queensland, building on the momentum of her academic success and looking ahead to a future that reflected her achievements and courage to forge a path beyond the ordinary.
Every December, the professional world seems to split into two camps: those who race to the finish line, and those who pause to take stock. Increasingly, it’s the second group, those willing to reflect before they plan, who emerge as the leaders moving further, faster, and with greater clarity.
According to Griffith MBA Director Professor Naomi Birdthistle, reflection is no longer a soft skill; it’s a strategic one.
“Self-awareness is the bedrock of leadership,” she says. “When you understand what shaped you this year, the choices, the challenges, the values, you enter the next year more grounded and better prepared.”
Leadership research echoes this: growth accelerates when reflection is deliberate. As 2025 draws to a close, this may be the most important habit professionals can carry into 2026.
Leadership begins with values, but values aren’t static
If your values are your compass, it’s worth asking: are they still pointing you where you want to go?
Many professionals charge ahead in their careers without stopping to notice how their priorities have shifted. Why certain decisions felt right. Why others felt like compromises. Why some moments energised them while others drained them.
Research into authentic and values-based leadership suggests this is more than introspection, it’s performance. Leaders who understand their values make clearer decisions, build stronger trust, and weather uncertainty with more stability.
So, over the break, reflect not just on what you achieved, but on what those achievements reveal about who you are becoming.
2025 has certainly been a year of rapid change across industries, and many leaders found themselves focusing heavily on immediate goals. But the leaders who set themselves apart are the ones who think in arcs, not sprints. An arc represents a long-term trajectory or narrative, a strategic path that connects today’s actions to a bigger vision and future outcomes. It’s about continuity, evolution, and purpose over time. A sprint, on the other hand, is a short, intense burst of activity aimed at achieving immediate goals or quick wins. While sprints are useful for execution, thinking in arcs ensures that those efforts contribute to a broader, sustainable direction rather than isolated successes.
Ask yourself:
What part of your work this year will still matter in five years?
Who is better off because of your leadership?
What systems, relationships or insights did you strengthen?
Legacy isn’t just for CEOs; it’s built in everyday decisions. The small, consistent actions that ripple forward. Professor Birdthistle reminds us: “Leadership is about shaping more than the present moment. Your decisions set direction for the people who come after you.”
The behaviours you carry into 2026 matter more than the goals you set
Goals shape intentions, but behaviours shape leaders.
Great communicators become great by practising how they communicate. Strategic thinkers grow by reflecting on decisions. Resilient leaders strengthen by noticing emotional habits and adjusting in real time. So instead of writing a long list of resolutions, choose a handful of leadership behaviours you want to embody next year:
Listening with intent
Making decisions with long-term perspective
Regulating emotion under pressure
Creating space for others to lead
This is where reflection becomes action.
A stronger 2026 starts with one simple question: What kind of leader do you want to be?
Professor Naomi Birdthistle
Reflection may feel like a luxury in a busy year, but it has long distinguished those who lead with purpose. It’s what separates frantic productivity from meaningful progress. As Professor Birdthistle puts it: “When you pause to really see your leadership, its strengths, its gaps, and its patterns, you give yourself the chance to begin the New Year with intention, not inertia.”
If you’re looking to grow your career in 2026, the most powerful work you can do right now isn’t planning your goals. It’s understanding the type of leader you are wanting to be from the New Year onwards.
A moment to consider new opportunities
For professionals thinking about taking the next step in their career, the end of the year is also the ideal moment to explore further study. Griffith Business School offers a range of MBA scholarships designed to support diversity, excellence and responsible leadership.
With applications now open for the 2026 Trimester 1 MBA scholarships, future students can take this time to reflect on their aspirations and consider how postgraduate study could help shape their leadership journey.
Announced by The Honourable Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, the Centre has secured $35 million in federal funding with an additional $50 million contributed from collaborating partners and universities, bringing the total funding to $85 million.
Led by Professor Michael Petraglia, Director of the internationally renowned Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, the new Centre of Excellence – which is Griffith University’s first to be awarded as the lead institution since 2007 – will spearhead groundbreaking research to reframe the study of human origins.
“Despite its promise, human origins research remains hindered by geographic bias, exclusion of Indigenous and traditional knowledge, and lingering colonial narratives – limiting its potential to tell inclusive, globally representative stories of our origins.”
Professor Michael Petraglia
To overcome longstanding biases in human origins research, the Centre is the first of its kind globally, assembling an international consortium of researchers and partners in the field.
The Centre is a collaboration between eight leading Australian universities, led by Griffith University. Partner institutions include The Australian National University, Flinders University, La Trobe University, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, Monash University, and the University of Western Australia.
It brings together 62 researchers across science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and humanities and social sciences (HASS) disciplines, working with 30 national and international partners to integrate Indigenous knowledge systems, traditional knowledge perspectives, and cutting-edge scientific methodologies.
The Centre’s inclusive and transdisciplinary approach will see researchers co-design and co-conduct fieldwork with our partners and their communities in understudied regions across Africa, Asia and Australia, revolutionising our understanding of human adaptation and innovation.
The Centre will also support a new generation of transdisciplinary researchers including more than 40 research fellows, 70 PhD and Masters students, and 112 Honours students – with half the opportunities prioritised for Indigenous peoples or those from the Global South.
In addition to formal academic pathways, the Centre will develop co-designed microcredentials and ranger training programs in collaboration with Indigenous communities.
A suite of outreach and engagement initiatives will be delivered in partnership with organisations and communities, including an annual symposium, touring and virtual exhibitions, a seminar series, a transnational white paper policy series, as well as various methods and translational workshops.
Importantly, the Centre will empower Indigenous and traditional knowledge researchers and communities to lead new dialogues that reshape how we understand both past and present human experiences. It will also contribute to public education and inform national and international policies on nature, heritage, and climate resilience.
Griffith University has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the APEC region through the refreshed and strengthened Griffith Asia Institute APEC Study Centre, a hub dedicated to advancing sustainable development and regional cooperation across the APEC economies.
Building on the strong foundations laid by its earlier leadership, the Centre continues its role within the APEC Study Centres Consortium—a global network supporting research and capacity building across APEC’s 21 member economies. Operating from within the Griffith Asia Institute, the Centre will deliver rigorous, policy-relevant research aligned with APEC priorities, including sustainable growth, trade, labour markets, migration, health systems, social inclusion, and climate resilience.
Centre Lead of the APEC Study Centre, Associate Professor Parvinder Kler, said the renewed focus comes at a critical moment for Australia’s regional engagement.
Associate Professor Parvinder Kler, Centre Lead.
“The regions encompassing the APEC economies are navigating profound transitions—from demographic shifts and labour mobility to climate challenges and digital transformation. The APEC Study Centre enables Griffith to contribute evidence-based insights that support more inclusive and sustainable economic outcomes across these economies.”
He noted that the Centre’s work will remain firmly guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring its research is globally relevant and regionally impactful.
A key feature of the strengthened centre is the Young Professionals Program, providing emerging scholars with hands-on experience in live policy conversations. Investing in the next generation of regional thinkers is essential. The Young Professionals Program helps students and early-career researchers build the skills and networks needed to shape the region’s future.
Deputy Centre Lead Associate Professor Shyama Ratnasiri emphasised the importance of partnerships and co-creation.
Associate Professor Shyama Ratnasiri, Deputy Centre Lead.
“Griffith Asia Institute’s APEC Study Centre brings together universities, government agencies, and industry partners to co-create solutions. That collaborative spirit is the foundation of APEC, and it’s central to our mission.”
The APEC Study Centre website is now live, offering information on research priorities, partnerships, programs and upcoming opportunities.
Children from low-income groups were disproportionally disadvantaged by online testing, according to a new report from Griffith University which used data from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).
Researchers found numeracy, spelling and reading subjects were most affected by the transition from paper testing to online testing.
Head of Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics Professor Alberto Posso said the shift to online testing may have worsened educational inequalities.
“Even modest score reductions can accumulate and compound disadvantage,” Professor Posso said.
“NAPLAN results can influence placement in selective programs or school applications.
“Lower test scores can put low-income students at risk of reduced opportunities and long-term inequalities.”
The study showed children in grade three and grade five had been disproportionately disadvantaged by the transition to online testing, and numeracy showed the largest decline.
Researchers analysed data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, covering 10,529 schools between 2008 and 2023.
Income records from the Australian Taxation Office were then correlated to examine the link between household income and school performance.
“Students in the lowest income group scored lower than their peers in the highest income group,” Professor Posso said.
“The results highlighted the need for targeted support for disadvantaged communities, such as equal access to digital resources and training for students, teachers, and parents.”
