Researcher Development Calendar

Upcoming events at Western Sydney University are listed below.

• Suggest a new event

• Sep 4
  Meet the Editor, The Conversation (Zoom)

  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to this second of three exclusive ‘meet the editor’ sessions.

  academic events; Conferences and seminars; Training and skill upgrade
  Western Sydney University Academic Staff, Researchers
  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to this second of three exclusive ‘meet the editor’ sessions.

  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to an exclusive ‘meet the editor’ session.

  This is the second of three sessions which will provide expert tips on how, why and what to pitch to The Conversation – including the flow-on effects that publication can have which can include national media coverage, industry engagement and policy influence.

  The Conversation Australia and New Zealand is a unique collaboration between academics and journalists and is the world’s leading publisher of research-based news and analysis.

  Please register via Eventbrite(opens in a new window) for this online event

  Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +1000
• Sep 9
  Thought Leadership Panel: Climate Justice Through Reuse and Repair

  Learn how local practices of reuse and repair can drive broader systems change, build climate momentum, and revalue care-based practices.

  academic events; Conferences and seminars
  General
  Learn how local practices of reuse and repair can drive broader systems change, build climate momentum, and revalue care-based practices.

  Join researchers, council representatives, activists, and community organisers for a dynamic conversation on how everyday practices of reuse and repair such as clothing swaps, mending, and circular sharing, can be harnessed for climate justice. This panel will explore how local action can drive broader systems change, build post-election climate momentum, and revalue care-based practices as legitimate climate strategies.

  Panellists: 

  • Dr Jenna Condie – Western Sydney University / Blue Mountains Parents for Climate
  • Rob Morrison, Blue Mountains City Council representative – Local government climate & reuse strategy
  • Nic Seton, CEO Parents for Climate – Community-based climate action
  • Student activist – WSU Clothes swap organiser (tbc)
  • (Chair/MC): A/Prof Stephen Healy, Western Sydney University

  Guiding questions:

  1. What is your current project and how does it connect reuse/repair with climate justice?
  2. How can researchers, councils, and communities collaborate to extend impact?
  3. What does an effective post-election climate politics look like from the ground up?
  4. How can reuse and repair practices be recognised as legitimate and measurable forms of climate action?

  Come along to be inspired, challenged, and connected.

  Please note: This event is hybrid (online or in-person)

  Physical location: Parramatta City Campus, Peter Shergold Building, Level 9, Room 2.

  Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +1000
• Sep 10
  Invitation to the Social Sciences and Social Sustainability Seminar

  Invitation to the Social Sciences and Social Sustainability Seminar

  academic events; Conferences and seminars; Exhibitions and performances; Information sessions; Social events; Training and skill upgrade
  All Welcome
  Invitation to the Social Sciences and Social Sustainability Seminar

  As part of Social Sciences Week 2025, we invite staff, HDRs, and collaborators to participate in a one day symposium exploring the role of the Social Sciences in advancing social sustainability.

  The symposium seeks to showcase interdisciplinary research that reflects on how social science theories, methods, and practices contribute to building fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable societies.

  • Date: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
  • Time: 10am until 5pm
  • Venue: Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus (Peter Shergold Building / 1PSQ), Level 9, Conference Rooms 1 & 2, 169 Macquarie Street, Parramatta NSW 2150

  The event will have 3 amazing Panel sessions followed by a SaGR workshop:

  Panel 1:

  Equity of Opportunity and Civic Engagement – showcasing research amplifying Western Sydney youth voices

  Panellists:

  • Dr Sherene Idriss, Lecturer, School of Humanities and Communication Arts
  • Ms Joelle Sassine, Associate Research Fellow & Research Assistant, Whitlam Institute & Centre for Western Sydney
  • Dr Melissa Phillips, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences & Acting Director Research and Policy, Whitlam Institute

  Panel 2:

  Gender Equity and Sustainability in Leisure – promoting scholarly discussion around issues of gender, equity, inclusion, sustainability, migration, labour, and culturally responsive research methodologies in the field of sport and leisure

  Panellists:

  • A/Prof Helene Joncheray, ICS Visiting Scholar from Paris Cité University, France
  • Dr Jennifer Cheng, Lecturer in Sociology, School of Social Sciences, WSU
  • Moera Tufunga, Researcher (Female Pasifika Rugby Players and Financial Literacy), School of Social Sciences, WSU

  Panel 3:

  Destabilising Manhood and Masculinity by Adjunct Professor Bob Pease – drawing upon his recently published book, this presentation outlines problems associated with men, manhood, and masculinity. It critiques alternative masculinities that essentialise men’s bodies, highlights the systemic and structural dimensions of gender privilege, and proposes strategies for men to move beyond binary gender identities and adopt multiple, fluid subjectivities.

  This will be an informal and collegial event aimed at generating discussion, building networks, and celebrating the important contribution of the social sciences to sustainable futures.

  Please register here to attend and advise of any dietary requirements.(opens in a new window)

  Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:30:00 +1000
• Sep 16
  How Autobiography Helps Health Professionals Understand Women’s Experience of Postpartum Psychosis - Dr Diana Jefferies

  Dr Jefferies will discuss three autobiographies of women’s accounts of postpartum psychosis, which occurs in 1-2 women in 1000.

  academic events; Conferences and seminars
  General
  Dr Jefferies will discuss three autobiographies of women’s accounts of postpartum psychosis, which occurs in 1-2 women in 1000.

  Dr Diana Jefferies is a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She has a clinical background in mental health and HIV/AIDS nursing and an academic background in the humanities. It is this interdisciplinary combination of knowledge that has sparked her interest in exploring how women make meaning of their mental distress after childbirth, their access to healthcare, their response to treatment, and any strategies they may use to promote recovery.

  One method of accessing how women make meaning of their experience of postpartum mental distress is through published autobiography. As this is the woman’s writing, unmediated by the health professional’s lens, their thoughts about their illness become a pure distillation of their experience. This experience can then be read against current clinical knowledge and guidelines to identify if gaps in services exist and could be improved from these personal accounts.

  Dr Jefferies will discuss three autobiographies of women’s accounts of postpartum psychosis, which occurs in 1-2 women in 1000 in the first four to six weeks following childbirth. This condition is a frightening and traumatic experience involving rapid mood swings, hallucinations, delusions and confused thinking. Many women are reluctant to disclose their symptoms as they worry about the consequences of having a mental illness after childbirth, such as losing custody of their child. Even though women may recognise there is something wrong, they may not receive treatment until the illness has become very severe.

  These autobiographies are:

  • The Book of Margery Kempe (c.1400), Oxford University Press (2015)
  • Thomas Walsh, Amanda (2022): A Mother’s Mind: A Story of Postnatal Psychosis, Anxiety and Depression, Green Olive Press.
  • Beetson, Ariane (2024): Because I’m Not Myself: A Memoir of Motherhood, Madness and Coming Back from the Brink, Black Inc.

  Reading about women’s experience of postnatal psychosis from the early 15th century to the present demonstrates a longitudinal view of an illness that remains constant. It is from this perspective that it can be read against current clinical guidelines to ensure that women have optimum health accounts.

  Western Sydney University was Western Sydney University has been named number one in the world in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, topping the world's university sustainability ranking for an unprecedented three years in a row. This the only global performance measure that assesses universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Library’s Thought Leadership event series aims to celebrate and promote this #1 ranking, complementing work being undertaken across the University as part of its Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy 2030.

  If you have any questions, please email our team at: libtle@westernsydney.edu.au

  Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +1000
• Sep 19
  Introduction to Research Data Management

  Join Karen Sheehy and Jeff Wang for this workshop in Research Data Management.

  Information sessions; Training and skill upgrade
  Academic researchers and HDR candidates
  Join Karen Sheehy and Jeff Wang for this workshop in Research Data Management.

  As a WSU researcher or HDR Candidate, understanding your responsibilities around managing your research data is important.

  WSU’s Research Data Management Policy requires all researchers and HDR candidates to develop a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) before starting research at the University.

  An RDMP will help you think proactively about your project and the data that will be produced, including how it will be collected, organised, managed, stored, preserved, shared and possibly published during and after your research project.

  In this workshop, you will learn more about the process of creating a comprehensive RDMP, including:

  • How to access and submit an RDMP on the Research Repository
  • How to manage your research data according to legal, statutory, ethical, funding body and university requirements.
  • Research data storage options at WSU
  • The importance of update and review of your RDMP
  • The benefits of publication and re-usability of research data
  • How to access support with research data management planning

  Co-presented by: Karen Sheehy (Research Data Management Consultant) and Jeff Wang (Intersect)

  Enquiries: Jeff Wang

  Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1171949686059

  Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +1000
• Oct 17
  Introduction to Research Data Management

  Join Karen Sheehy and Jeff Wang for this workshop in Research Data Management.

  Information sessions; Training and skill upgrade
  Academic researchers and HDR candidates
  Join Karen Sheehy and Jeff Wang for this workshop in Research Data Management.

  As a WSU researcher or HDR Candidate, understanding your responsibilities around managing your research data is important.

  WSU’s Research Data Management Policy requires all researchers and HDR candidates to develop a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) before starting research at the University.

  An RDMP will help you think proactively about your project and the data that will be produced, including how it will be collected, organised, managed, stored, preserved, shared and possibly published during and after your research project.

  In this workshop, you will learn more about the process of creating a comprehensive RDMP, including:

  • How to access and submit an RDMP on the Research Repository
  • How to manage your research data according to legal, statutory, ethical, funding body and university requirements.
  • Research data storage options at WSU
  • The importance of update and review of your RDMP
  • The benefits of publication and re-usability of research data
  • How to access support with research data management planning

  Co-presented by: Karen Sheehy (Research Data Management Consultant) and Jeff Wang (Intersect)

  Enquiries: Jeff Wang

  Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1172104007639

  Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +1100
• Nov 6
  Meet the Editor, The Conversation (Zoom)

  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to this third and final exclusive ‘meet the editor’ sessions.

  academic events; Conferences and seminars; Training and skill upgrade
  Western Sydney University Academic Staff, Researchers
  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to this third and final exclusive ‘meet the editor’ sessions.

  We are delighted to invite all Western Sydney University academic staff to an exclusive ‘meet the editor’ session.

  This third and final session will provide expert tips on how, why and what to pitch to The Conversation – including the flow-on effects that publication can have which can include national media coverage, industry engagement and policy influence.

  The Conversation Australia and New Zealand is a unique collaboration between academics and journalists and is the world’s leading publisher of research-based news and analysis.

  Please register via Eventbrite(opens in a new window) for this online event

  Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +1100
• Nov 10
  Author Talk: A Storybook of Culling - Associate Professor David R. Cole

  At this event, Associate Professor David R. Cole will discuss "A Storybook of Culling", his work of speculative fiction and imagined eco-futures.

  academic events; Conferences and seminars
  General
  At this event, Associate Professor David R. Cole will discuss "A Storybook of Culling", his work of speculative fiction and imagined eco-futures.

  At this event, Associate Professor David R. Cole will discuss his latest book A Storybook of Culling, a work of speculative fiction and imagined eco-futures.

  The year is 2095, the devastating effects of climate change persist despite global efforts to mitigate their impact. Set in the Persianized city of Sal’lad, this tale explores the collision of two disparate narrative within the same tumultuous backdrop. As the twenty-first century lurches from crisis to crisis, humanity remains mired in unresolved turmoil. Unbeknownst to the world, a secret society devises a solution to the planet’s woes. Yet, their plans are shrouded in mystery, guarded by the threat of death for any who dare to speak of them. Navigating the treacherous landscape of impending catastrophe and lost love, only the innocence of a child-like consciousness may comprehend the precipice navigate the precipice of these singularly horrific acts. A Storybook of Culling is both a tale of heartbreak and the chilling rationalization of acts too unspeakable to fathom.

  David R. Cole is an Associate Professor in Education and Cultural Analysis at Western Sydney University. He has lived in Egypt, South America and Australia. In the 1990s, he was at the University of Warwick, UK, and studied theory-fiction alongside the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU). He has previously published two works of speculative fiction; A Mushroom of Glass and The Nook in the Stream. He has been working in teacher education in Australia since 2004, and during that time has published 18 academic books that helped to define the knowledge field of Deleuze and Education. He believes that creativity and imaginative thought are under threat in contemporary society, and their renewal is the key to humanity’s future survival.

  Western Sydney University was Western Sydney University has been named number one in the world in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, topping the world's university sustainability ranking for an unprecedented three years in a row. This the only global performance measure that assesses universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Library’s Thought Leadership event series aims to celebrate and promote this #1 ranking, complementing work being undertaken across the University as part of its Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy 2030.

  Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +1100