Queensland’s brightest research minds receive funding to tackle educational challenges

Some of Queensland’s brightest minds in education research, including two researchers who will focus on early childhood specifically, have been granted a combined $1 million in funding to respond to modern challenges in education and build solutions that will benefit Queenslanders for generations to come.

Associate Professor Kate Williams from the Queensland University of Technology will use her funding to learn more about how neuroscience can be used to influence and enhance early childhood education practices while Associate Professor Louise Phillips of Southern Cross University will investigate how early childhood settings, schools and education systems can respond to children and youth as active global citizens.

Queensland’s Education Minister Grace Grace announced the 14 successful projects to receive Education Horizon grants yesterday, with ten of the projects headed up by women.

“I’d like to congratulate all of the successful applicants. It’s heartening to see so many women represented among the grant recipients as well,” Ms Grace said.

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and it’s so important Queensland girls and young women see these role models succeeding in their respective fields.”

The successful projects cover a wide range of education matters, from health and wellbeing, to leadership, to learning in a rapidly changing modern world.

Speaking about Associate Professor Williams work, Ms Grace said the project “will help to bridge the gap between neuroscience and its application in an educational environment, to benefit the development, learning and wellbeing of Queensland children in early childhood.”

Each of the 14 projects were selected by a departmental panel from a total of 42 applicants, with the successful projects to be delivered over a six-month period.

The full list of 2022 Education Horizon grant recipients is as follows:

• Louise Phillips – Southern Cross University
• Susan Hopkins – University of Southern Queensland
• Michael Cowling – Central Queensland University
• Matthew Roy Sanders – University of Queensland
• Natasha Matthews – University of Queensland
• Rebecca Armstrong – University of Queensland
• Francisco Perales – University of Queensland
• Dawn Adams – Griffith University
• Tasha Riley – Griffith University
• Jennifer Cartmel – Griffith University
• Stephen Billett – Griffith University
• Claire Wyatt-Smith – Australian Catholic University
• Margaret Kettle – Queensland University of Technology
• Kate Williams – Queensland University of Technology

More details are available here.