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Distinguished Professor Ien Ang
Institute for Culture and Society
"There are so many different stories to tell about people from varied backgrounds and life trajectories," says Distinguished Professor Ien Ang, a global leader in cultural studies and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Ang developed an ethnographic approach to audience research which attracted worldwide attention as an innovative direction in the study of media and popular culture. Since then her wide-ranging scholarship has focused on cultural globalisation, migration, multiculturalism and transnationalism, with a special interest in Asia-Australia relations.
She joined Western in 1996 as a dynamic research leader and was the Founding Director of the Institute for Culture and Society, where she has worked with major cultural organisations including the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), the City of Sydney and the Powerhouse Museum.
Distinguished Professor Kathryn Holmes
School of Education
Distinguished Professor Kathryn Holmes' research helps young people learn to love science and mathematics. With a focus on student educational and career aspirations, gender equity, STEM education, and student wellbeing, Holmes' research has helped transform how STEM subjects are taught in schools across NSW.
"We would like all children to be well supported to achieve their aspirations but in some STEM fields there are significant gender disparities that are proving difficult to shift," says Holmes.
She and her team at the Centre for Educational Research, work closely with school systems and teachers to develop pedagogical approaches that engage students and improve learning outcomes, particularly for students and teachers in disadvantaged schools.
Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Western’s Researcher of the Year for 2018, Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp is an international leader in the field of early childhood interventions in primary and community health and translational research. Through the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) program she developed in south-west Sydney, Kemp’s work has touched the lives of more than 15,000 families across the world.
"Seeing the difference MECSH makes for children and families, and the increased satisfaction of the nurses who work with them, brings me personal and professional enjoyment," says Kemp.
Kemp joined the University in 2015 as the Director of the School of Nursing and Midwifery’s Translational Research and Social Innovation team.
Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
After an initial stint as a merchant banker, Belinda Medlyn went back to university, obtained a PhD in theoretical biology and never looked back.
"As a keen outdoors type, I was fascinated by the idea that one could apply mathematics to the outdoors," says Distinguished Professor Medlyn.
Now a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for 6 years running (2018-2023) and the recipient of the 2019 ARC Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellowship, Medlyn has not only transformed our understanding of the effect of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change on forests, but also significantly advanced the standing of women in science.
Distinguished Professor Kerry Robinson
School of Social Sciences
Distinguished Professor Kerry Robinson’s research aims to support the health, wellbeing and rights of gender and sexuality diverse people.
"Equity, social justice and working collaboratively with communities has always been foundational to my research," says Robinson, who has been based at Western for more than 30 years.
Currently, Robinson is leading a project funded by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) which focuses on the experiences of LGBTQ young people who have faced sexual harassment in the workplace; as well as a project funded by Multicultural NSW on young people, diverse communities, and social cohesion.
In 2023 Robinson was awarded an ARC Discovery Project Grant exploring Australian trans and gender diverse children’s experiences of affirming their gender.
Distinguished Professor Vivian Tam
School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment
A world-leading researcher in construction engineering and management, Distinguished Professor Vivian Tam excels in designing green, sustainable alternatives for industry.
Her invention, CO2 Concrete, has made it possible to produce recycled concrete with durability and strength matching that of virgin material while also reducing CO2 emissions and landfill.
Tam was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship for 2023-2026. "We hope to solve Australia’s mixed construction and demolition waste disposal problem and lower its greenhouse-gas emissions at the same time," she says.
Tam also serves as the Associate Dean (Research and HDR) of the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment and Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering. She became Western Sydney University’s first ever Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2023.
Distinguished Professor Anne Cutler
1945 - 2022
The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development
A world-renowned pioneer, Distinguished Professor Anne Cutler devoted her life to the pursuit of scientific excellence.
Distinguished Professor Cutler’s research significantly advanced our understanding of how listeners process speech. Not only did she study and explain speech communication, she epitomised it. In preparing spoken addresses, she gave deep and careful thought to her audience which translated into spoken communication that was clear, clever, concise, and illuminating.
Distinguished Professor Cutler passed away peacefully in the Netherlands on 7 June 2022. She will be remembered by many students and colleagues around the world who she mentored throughout her career. She will continue to be celebrated for her research and teaching, as well as her unique, life-changing contributions to her field.
Credit
Future-Makers is published for Western Sydney University by Nature Research Custom Media, part of Springer Nature.
© Michael Amendolia
© Sally Tsoutas
