Keynote speakers

David Knight is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech and serves as Chief of Strategy in the College of Engineering and Special Assistant to the Provost. His research aims to promote a systems view of engineering education with an explicit mission to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness of the field. Knight’s research tends to be at the macro-scale, leverages large-scale institutional, state, or national data sets, and considers the intersection between policy and organizational contexts. He currently leads a National Science Foundation S-STEM Research Hub of 30 colleges and universities focused on understanding how to design, cultivate, and sustain organizational partnerships that support low-income engineering, computer science, and computing students. Knight currently serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Engineering Education. Prior to his appointment at Virginia Tech, Knight was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Engineering Education at the University of Queensland.

Dr Jennifer Leigh Campbell is an environmental engineer, scientist, and researcher, deeply committed to enriching STEM education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and connecting people with Country through community-led or codesigned infrastructure, with a particular focus on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), and blue-green infrastructure (BGI). As the recipient of the 2022 Queensland Women in STEM Breaking Barriers Award and a 2023 Australian Award for University Teaching citation, Dr Jen’s innovative approaches to learning and teaching aim to bring playful curiosity back into STEM fields but also promote inclusivity and diversity. She advocates for integrating project-based learning and undergraduate research into the curriculum to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. In her previous position at Griffith University, she co-founded the Kungullanji Indigenous Research Program and continues to work with universities and organisations to expand undergraduate research opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Professor Jason Lodge is the Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Jason explores the cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional aspects of learning, particularly in higher education and digital environments. He has a particular interest in self-regulated learning and artificial intelligence. Additionally, Jason is an Editor of Student Success and an expert advisor to the Australian Government and OECD.