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 9 July 2026. Sessions, times and rooms are subject to change.
Keynote speakers
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.
Further keynote speakers for Monday and Wednesday will be announced shortly.
Program at a glance
Sunday 22 November 2026
2:00PM
Registration opens
3:00PM – 4:00PM
Induction Session for New Equity Practitioners
4:00PM – 5:00PM
Welcome to Country Ceremony
5:00PM – 7:00PM
Welcome Reception
Monday 23 November 2026
8:00AM
Registration opens
8:30AM – 8:45AM
Welcome to Country
8:45AM – 9:00AM
Conference Opening
9:00AM – 10:00AM
Keynote Presentation
10:00AM – 10:30AM
Morning Tea
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, Oxford University; Professor Mollie Dollinger, Curtin University
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
GenAI-Supported Equity Integration in ICT Curricula
Prof Muhammad Aamir Cheema, Monash University; Dr Antonette Aileen Shibani Michael Xavier, University of Technology Sydney; Aster Cosmos, Monash University; Dr Anwaar Ul-Haq, CQUniversity; Dr Afaq Ali Shah, Edith Cowan University; Dr Chetan Arora, Monash University; Dr Sadia Nawaz, Monash University; Dr Naeem Janjua, Flinders University; Ms Jinchun (Goldi) Du, Monash University; Dr Isma Farah Siddiqui, Monash University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Rethinking widening participation policy enactment to re(insert) a social justice agenda
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 microaggression 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 and Jessica Yi, The University of Sydney
Room 3 · Digital Equity and the Inclusive Future
Digital Futures, Diverse Minds: Empowering Neurodivergent Women in Technology
Dr Munazza Zaib, Western Sydney University; Dr Wei Wang, Monash University; Dr Isma Farah Siddiqui, Monash University; Dr Dulaji Hidellaarachchi, RMIT University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Lived Experience Driving Purposeful Outcomes
Araz Ahmed & Semra Tastan, University of New South Wales
12:10PM – 1:10PM
Lunch
Parallel Session 3
1:10PM – 1:50PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Transformational Learning and Teaching in the Australian Settler-Colonial Context
Dr Liam Lynch and 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
2:00PM – 2:40PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Western's Academy U- Equity-Centred Sustainable Futures Hackathon
Ciaran Smyth & Alicia Pinning, Western Sydney University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Connecting Pathways: Relational Navigation and the EtE Program Case Study
Miss 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
From Access to Opportunity: Embedding Equity in University Career Systems
Kerri Laidlaw and Natasha Gaskin, Griffith University
Parallel Session 5
2:50PM – 3:30PM
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
Jess Macer-Wright, Charles Sturt University
Room 3 · Communities, Voices & Equity
UDL in Australian higher education: 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, Multicultural Disability Advocacy Australia
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
The Welcoming Universities Standard as a Framework for Change
Dr Trisnasari Fraser, Welcoming Australia
3:30PM – 4:00PM
Afternoon Tea
4:00PM – 5:30PM
Workshop: Five years of the Student Equity in Higher Education Evaluation Framework (SEHEEF): Where to from here?
5:30PM
End of Day One
Tuesday 24 November 2026
8:00AM
Registration opens
8:15AM – 8:30AM
Acknowledgement of Country and Day Two Opening
Patrick Broman, Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success
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
Ms 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
Associate Professor Cally Jetta and Associate Professor Shaouli Shahid, Curtin University
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Student Equity Practices Uncovered: Power, Identity and Emotional Labour
Sonal Singh and Professor Franziska Trede, University of Technology Sydney
9:30AM – 10:30AM
Keynote Presentation
Graeme Atherton, World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN)
10:30AM – 11:30AM
Morning Tea & Poster Presentations
Parallel Session 7
11:30AM – 12:10PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
A cross-institutional approach to evaluating school-based peer mentoring models
Dr Nadine Zacharias, Equity by Design; Ms Cara Scobie, Monash University; Ms Renee de Simone, The 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
12:10PM – 12:40PM
Student Panel
12:40PM – 1:20PM
Lunch
1:20PM – 2:20PM
EPHEA Chapter Meetings
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 & Alicia Pinning, 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; Mick Warren, University of New South Wales
3:10PM – 3:40PM
Afternoon Tea
Parallel Session 9
3:50PM – 4:30PM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Language, Power and Inclusion in Educational Spaces
Associate Professor Pearl Subban and Associate Professor Betty Exintaris, Monash University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Promoting Higher Education: Effective Engagement Strategies for Diverse Student Cohorts
Losana Nagy, Gerry Nettleton & Francesca Lavulo Mau, Western Sydney University
Room 3 · Indigenous Leadership, Knowledge & Systemic Change
Championing Australian First Nations Self-Determination and Allyship
Associate Professor 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
9:00AM – 9:15AM
Acknowledgement of Country and Day Three Opening
9:20AM – 10:20AM
Keynote Presentation
10:20AM – 10:50AM
Morning Tea
Parallel Session 10
11:00AM – 11:40AM
Room 1 · Building Capability, Collaboration & Courage
Students as Partners: Peer Leadership in Widening Participation
Travis Keene; Julie Smith, 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 and 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 & Alicia Pinning, Western Sydney University
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Strengthening Gender Equity Through Evaluation-Informed Redesign
Ms 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
1:00PM – 2:00PM
EPHEA AGM
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, 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, University of Sydney
Room 4 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Beyond Aspiration: the Transformation of Equity Practice in Rural Australia
Mx Han Worsley, Study Hubs Australia; Ms Sonal Singh and 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”
Hugh Rose-Miller, Sam Kimanuka, Hosna Saba and Naimo Abdi Ali, Griffith University
Room 2 · Communities, Voices & Equity
Affirmation Andragogy for Indigenous Student Transitions
Dr Robin Ladwig, and Mel Triantafyllou, University of Canberra and Professor Naomi Dale, Victoria University
Room 3 · Transforming Systems, Policy & Practice
Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning Procedure: From Saying it to Doing it
Emma Lovegrove and Denise Bertilone, Edith Cowan 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, Griffith University; Dr Lara Drew, University of Canberra; Dr Nick Emtage, James Cook University; Professor Michelle Picard, Flinders University; Mr Clancy Birrell, Griffith University; Ms Melanie Worrall, Flinders University; Ms Vivian Wu, Griffith University; Ms Rehana Lakhani, Griffith University
3:30PM – 3:45PM
Closing Session
3:45PM
End of Conference
Program subject to change.
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