Program
The preliminary program for EPHEA 2026, covering the Welcome Reception on Sunday 22 November and three full days of sessions, Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 November.
Preliminary program as at 14 October 2026. Sessions, times and rooms are subject to change.
Keynote speakers
Professor Karen Nelson
MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER, 9:00AM – 10:00AM
Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students
Western Sydney University
Western Sydney University
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 (UniSQ), 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 and 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.
Graeme Atherton
TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER, 9:30AM – 10:30AM
Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Regional Engagement)
Vice-Principal, Ruskin College
Head of the Ruskin Institute for Social Equity (RISE)
University of West London
Vice-Principal, Ruskin College
Head of the Ruskin Institute for Social Equity (RISE)
University of West London
Graeme Atherton studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Trinity College Oxford and has been working in the field of education research and management since 1995. An international leader and researcher in the field, Graeme has produced over 200 conference papers and publications and frequently comments on social mobility and education in the UK and internationally.
He has led regional, national and international initiatives to increase opportunity in higher education. After seven years leading AimHigher in London, a national outreach project in England, he founded AccessHE — a partnership of higher education institutions in London working to widen access — and the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) in the UK. He now leads the World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN) and the Ruskin Institute for Social Equity (RISE), and is Vice-Principal of Ruskin College, Oxford.
Professor Andrew Harvey
WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER, 9:20AM – 10:20AM
Director, Pathways in Place Program
Griffith University
Griffith University
Program at a glance
Sunday 22 November 2026
2:00PM
Registration opens
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
3:00PM – 4:00PM
Induction Session for New Equity Practitioners
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
4:00PM – 5:00PM
Welcome to Country Ceremony
5:00PM – 7:00PM
Welcome Reception
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Monday 23 November 2026
8:00AM
Registration opens
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
8:30AM – 8:35AM
Welcome to Country
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
8:35AM – 8:45AM
Conference Opening
Dr Nicola Cull, EPHEA President
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
8:45AM – 9:00AM
Conference Address
Distinguished Professor George Williams AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
9:00AM – 10:00AM
Keynote Presentation
Professor Karen Nelson, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students, Western Sydney University
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
10:00AM – 10:30AM
Morning Tea
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 1
10:30AM – 11:10AM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Leading with the Body: Embodied Insights for Sustainable Equity Practice
Dr Tierney Marey, University of New South Wales
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Working while studying: equity students’ invisible education
Dr Nicole Crawford, Deakin University; Dr Franziska Lessky, University of Oxford; Professor Mollie Dollinger, Curtin University
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
GenAI-Supported Equity Integration in ICT Curricula
Prof Muhammad Aamir Cheema, Aster Cosmos, Dr Chetan Arora, Dr Sadia Nawaz, Ms Jinchun (Goldi) Du, Dr Isma Farah Siddiqui, Monash University; Dr Antonette Aileen Shibani Michael Xavier, University of Technology Sydney; Dr Anwaar Ul-Haq, CQUniversity; Dr Afaq Ali Shah, Edith Cowan University; Dr Naeem Janjua, Flinders University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Rethinking widening participation policy enactment to re(insert) a social justice agenda
Dr Kate Sheppard, James Cook University
Parallel Session 2
11:20AM – 12:00PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
A developmental evaluation rubric for systems change in equity
Dr Nicola Cull, Dr Alison Gable, Australian Catholic University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Partnering to tackle racism, discrimination and microaggressions on placement
Amani Bell, Bianca Aiello, Amabile Borges Dario, Elizabeth Bourne, Maree Doble, Sanetta Henrietta Johanna du Toit, Helia Nateghi Baygi, Monica Phong, Fereshteh Pourkazemi, Jacqueline Raymond, Warren Reed, Annelise Ryan, Heidi Xing, Jessica Yi, University of Sydney
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
Digital Futures, Diverse Minds: Empowering Neurodivergent Women in Technology
Dr Isma Farah Siddiqui, Dr Wei Wang, Monash University; Dr Munazza Zaib, Western Sydney University; Dr Dulaji Hidellaarachchi, RMIT University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Student Experience Driving Purposeful Outcomes
Araz Ahmed, Semra Tastan, University of New South Wales
12:00PM – 12:50PM
Lunch
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 3
1:00PM – 1:40PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Transformational Learning and Teaching in the Australian Settler-Colonial Context
Dr Liam Lynch, Ana Blazey, Curtin University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Small Schools, Big Aspirations: Primary Careers Education in Regional Communities
Ben Luck, Leo Alder, Tess Canty, University of Canberra
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
Assessment Design Toolkit: Supporting inclusion and assurance of learning
Dr Nicole Crawford, Ms Sue Sharpe, Dr Paige Mahoney, Ms Alcy Meehan, Associate Professor Joanna Tai, Deakin University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Targeting Cumulative Disadvantage in University Admissions
Adam Hennessy, Universities Admissions Centre
Parallel Session 4
1:50PM – 2:30PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Western’s Academy U – Equity-Centred Sustainable Futures Hackathon
Ciaran Smyth, Western Sydney University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Connecting Pathways: Relational Navigation and the EtE Program Case Study
Ms Emily Fuller, Mrs Ceanne Trotter, University of Newcastle
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
Equity students’ stories of studying with generative artificial intelligence
Dr Nicole Crawford, Professor Margaret Bearman, Associate Professor Joanna Tai, Dr Jack Walton, Deakin University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Does academic skills support improve outcomes for first-year, low-SES students? An IRU collaboration
Dr Ruth Kamrowski, Mr Clancy Birrell, Ms Vivian Wu, Ms Rehana Lakhani, Griffith University; Dr Lara Drew, University of Canberra; Dr Nick Emtage, James Cook University; Professor Michelle Picard, Ms Melanie Worrall, Flinders University
Parallel Session 5
2:40PM – 3:20PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Child-Centred Evaluation of Widening Participation Programs
Dr Lara Drew, University of Canberra
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Nothing About Us Without Us: Co-Designing Body Doubling with Neurodivergent Students
Dr Jess Macer-Wright, August Jacups, Gabriele Belli, Magdalena Fernandez, Patience Peitsch, Sara Drebber, Charles Sturt University
Room 3 · Communities, Voices & Equity
UDL in Australian HE: Diverse learners and educators co-designing assessment
Dr Samantha Woo, Dr Christine Krol, Dr Matthew Breaden, Dr Natalie White-Wall, Western Sydney University; Ms Alicia Rodriguez, Ms Yutong Luna Wu, Multicultural Disability Advocacy Australia
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
From Access to Opportunity: Embedding Equity in University Career Systems
Kerri Laidlaw, Natasha Gaskin, Griffith University
3:20PM – 4:00PM
Afternoon Tea
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
4:00PM – 5:30PM
Workshop: What’s Working? Lessons from Universities Growing Equity Participation
Patrick Broman, Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
5:30PM
End of Day One
Tuesday 24 November 2026
8:00AM
Registration opens
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
8:15AM – 8:30AM
Acknowledgement of Country and Day Two Opening
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 6
8:40AM – 9:20AM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
A platform to collaboratively navigate complexity and build capacity in equity in higher education
Julia Shaw, University of Newcastle
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Building Trust Through Place-Based Co-Design
Kimberley Pangilinan, Ashleigh Harrington, Emma Mannering, University of New South Wales
Room 3 · Indigenous Leadership, Knowledge & Systemic Change
Connecting with the Universal Pulse – a Transformative Framework
Dr Cally Jetta, Dr Shaouli Shahid, Curtin University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Student Equity Practices Uncovered: Power, Identity and Emotional Labour
Sonal Singh, Professor Franziska Trede, University of Technology Sydney
9:30AM – 10:30AM
Keynote Presentation
Graeme Atherton, World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN)
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
10:30AM – 11:00AM
Morning Tea & Poster Presentations
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Poster Presentations
10:30AM – 11:00AM, during Morning Tea
Poster 01 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Targeting Cumulative Disadvantage in University Admissions
Adam Hennessy, Universities Admissions Centre
Poster 02 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Putting Place-based Equity into Practice
Mrs Leah Gallagher, Miss Olivia Oswald, University of Newcastle
Poster 03 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Beyond the Vines: Surfacing Hidden Equity Barriers in Place
Dr Amanda Wells, Ms Kate Goodes, University of Tasmania
Poster 04 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
Cultivating Social Cohesion in Online Learning Spaces
Dr Robin Ladwig, Dr Emanuela Savini, Dr Mark Teoh, Dr Hao Yang, University of Canberra
Poster 05 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Creating Meaningful Connection: The Impact of Championing Community Voices
Josh Maher, Kate Dooley, Cathy Brown, University of New South Wales
Poster 06 · Communities, Voices & Equity
The sum of US- the story of ME
Mrs Selina Darney, Miss Larissa Johnston, University of Newcastle
Parallel Session 7
11:10AM – 11:50AM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Building evaluation capability for school-based peer mentoring across institutions
Dr Nadine Zacharias, Equity by Design; Cara Scobie, Monash University; Renee de Simone, University of Queensland
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Student-driven change through a decade of peer-led respect and inclusion
Ms Natasha Bucker, Monash University
Room 3 · Indigenous Leadership, Knowledge & Systemic Change
Belonging Before Enrolment: The University of Auckland Reframing Māori Recruitment
Mr Anaru Parangi, Miss Nia Cherrington-Thomas, University of Auckland
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
UNSW Gateway: embedding equity into admission policy and educational outreach
Dr Katie Osborne-Crowley, Mary Teague, Dr Mick Warren, University of New South Wales
12:00PM – 12:30PM
Student Panel
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
12:30PM – 1:10PM
Lunch
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
1:10PM – 1:50PM
EPHEA All Chapter Meeting
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
EPHEA Chapter Break Out
1:50PM – 2:20PM
Room 1Australian Capital Territory Chapter
Room 2New South Wales Chapter
Room 3Queensland Chapter (inc Northern Territory)
Room 4South Australia Chapter
Room 5Tasmania Chapter
Room 6Victoria Chapter
Room 7Western Australia Chapter
Room 8New Zealand Chapter
Parallel Session 8
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
From Spark to Action: Igniting Leadership Capability for Inclusive Change
Tamzen Armer, Dr Janin Bredehoeft, SAGE
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
From Access to Achievement: Ten Years of Transforming Opportunity for New and Emerging Communities
Liliane Utamuriza, Ciaran Smyth, Western Sydney University
Room 3 · Indigenous Leadership, Knowledge & Systemic Change
Walking Together: Relational Pathways to Higher Education
Taylor Cheney, Sarah Ellis, Regan Gauci, Maree Graham, Cindy Noah, Sonal Singh, University of Technology Sydney
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
UNSW’s Widening Participation Theory of Change: A whole-of-institution model
Dr Katie Osborne-Crowley, Julie Chinnery, Dr Mick Warren, University of New South Wales
3:10PM – 3:40PM
Afternoon Tea
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 9
3:50PM – 4:30PM
Room 1 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Learning Together: Pacific-Centred Academic Support and Student Success
Dr Vanisha Mishra-Vakaoti, Ms Isabella Culshaw, Ms Keilah Fox, Mr Bale Kito, Ms Marie Taufa, Mrs Losana Taungapeau-Ikahihifo, University of Otago
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Promoting Higher Education: Effective Engagement Strategies for Diverse Student Cohorts
Ms Losana Nagy, Ms Gerry Nettleton, Mrs Francesca Lavulo Mau, Western Sydney University
Room 3 · Indigenous Leadership, Knowledge & Systemic Change
Championing Australian First Nations Self-Determination and Allyship
Dr Cally Jetta, Curtin University; Chelsea Webber, Queensland University of Technology
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
From willingness to readiness: Enabling systems change for equity
Dr Nicola Cull, Dr Alison Gable, Australian Catholic University
4:30PM
End of Day Two
7:00PM – 10:30PM
Conference Gala Dinner & Awards
Wednesday 25 November 2026
8:30AM
Registration opens
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
9:00AM – 9:15AM
Acknowledgement of Country and Day Three Opening
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
9:20AM – 10:20AM
Keynote Presentation
Professor Andrew Harvey, Director, Pathways in Place Program, Griffith University
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
10:20AM – 10:50AM
Morning Tea
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 10
11:00AM – 11:40AM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Students as Partners: Peer Leadership in Widening Participation
Travis Keene, Wajiha Ikram, Julie Smith, Rifah Tamanna, Mourya Dave, University of New South Wales
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
From Entry to Graduation: Addressing neurodiverse needs across the student lifecycle at USYD
Susannah Gregory, Jessica Buhne, University of Sydney
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Embedding Equity Through a Community Engagement Charter
Mrs Lisa Aitken, University of Technology Sydney
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
The Inclusive Teaching Toolkit: A companion for more equitable education
Dr Katie Osborne-Crowley, Julie Chinnery, University of New South Wales
Parallel Session 11
11:50AM – 12:30PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
MOSAIC – Building Capability, Collaboration and Courage for Cultural Inclusion
Nilushi Karunaratne, Peishen (Elva) Zhao, Gopisankar Mohanannair Geethadevi, Kylie Hatch, Narges Mahdavian, Marian Costelloe, Betty Exintaris, Monash University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
We Rise Together: Culture, Belonging and Pasifika Student Success
Jane Sio, Talalelei Tutaia, Western Sydney University
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Strengthening Gender Equity Through Evaluation-Informed Redesign
Chelsea Webber, Queensland University of Technology
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
The financial impacts of gender-based violence on tertiary student victim-survivors
Jean Parker, Stephanie L. Hardacre, Julia Shaw, Penny Jane Burke, University of Newcastle
12:30PM – 1:00PM
Lunch
EE Foyer, Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
1:00PM – 2:00PM
EPHEA AGM
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
Parallel Session 12
2:00PM – 2:40PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Building Institutional Capability for Equity Through Uni Step-Up
Dr Nicola Cull, Aidan Stephenson, Jamie Fenech, Debbie Keen, Melanie Seal Moradi, Australian Catholic University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Centring Lived Experience: Designing Ethical Storytelling Partnerships in Equity Programs
Richard Short, Rifah Tamanna, Mourya Dave, University of New South Wales
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
EFFECT: A Systems Change Framework for Equity and Student Success Through Institutional Design
Professor Ryan Naylor, Dr Ruth Williams, University of Sydney
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Shifting Power: Community-Led Widening Participation in Regional Australia
Mx Han Worsley, Erin Wrafter, Study Hubs Australia; Ms Sonal Singh, Bethany Ross, Dr Jessica Hall, University of Technology Sydney
Parallel Session 13
2:50PM – 3:30PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
“I want to be the kind of support I needed”
Mr Hugh Rose-Miller, Mr Sam Kimanuka, Ms Naimo Abdi Ali, Ms Hosna Saba, Griffith University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Affirmation Andragogy for Indigenous Student Transitions
Dr Robin Ladwig, Mel Triantafyllou, University of Canberra; Professor Naomi Dale, Victoria University
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning Procedure: From Saying it to Doing it
Emma Lovegrove, Denise Bertilone, Edith Cowan University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
The Welcoming Universities Standard as a Framework for Change
Dr Trisnasari Fraser, Welcoming Australia
3:30PM – 3:45PM
Closing Session
EE.G.19 Ian & Nancy Turbott Auditorium
3:45PM
End of Conference
Program subject to change. Updated 14 October 2026 (v15).
Secure your place at EPHEA 2026
Registrations are open for 22–25 November at Western Sydney University, Parramatta South Campus.