Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students

Professor Nelson is an internationally recognised higher education leader, researcher, and strategist with more than two decades of distinguished service to the Australian university sector. A highly respected senior executive, scholar, and change agent, she has consistently advanced evidence‑based reform. Her leadership is marked by major institutional achievements, including serving as Vice Chancellor, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at the University of Southern Queensland, where she led a comprehensive program of organisational transformation focused on culture change financial sustainability, and strategic realignment. Prior to joining UniSQ, she was the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor Students at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Director Student Success and Retention and Director First Year Experience at QUT.

Karen is widely acknowledged as an authority on student engagement, retention and success, and the first‑year experience. She has contributed extensively to national policy and practice improvement through leadership of national projects, and in elected roles with the Universities Australia Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Executive, the Regional Universities Network and the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre. She has sustained service to the sector as the Founding Editor‑in‑Chief of the Student Success Journal and Chair and Co-Chair of the FYHE/STARS and Student Success Conferences. Her scholarly work, which includes more than 100 publications, 7,170 citations, and significant competitive funding has shaped sector policy and practice and national discourse on equity, learning analytics, and student experience.

Her contributions have been recognised through three national teaching awards, Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. She is a Professor Emeritus at the University of the Sunshine Coast and at the University of Southern Queensland.