Sarah O'Shea

Professor Sarah O’Shea is currently Dean, Graduate Research at Charles Sturt University and Honorary Professorial Fellow at University of Wollongong. She is a nationally and internationally recognised educator and researcher who has worked across the Higher, Vocational and Adult education sectors for nearly 30 years.

Sarah’s work is broadly situated in the field of educational equity and her activities have led to both national and international awards. She has held numerous university leadership positions, which have directly informed changes across the Australian higher education sector, particularly in the field of student access and participation.

This work has been used to inform both government policy and also teaching practices, with regular invitations to contribute her expertise to government panels, peak bodies, professional associations as well as educational providers. Professor O’Shea has led academic and professional teams with responsibility for budgets of up to $10.0 million, as well as managing a diverse and active international research grant agenda.

Her particular expertise in educational inclusion and equity issues has resulted in invitations to present keynotes, symposia, and workshops globally as well as providing contributions across media including print, television and radio.

Professor O’Shea is a prolific writer, with over 90 publications including books, book chapters, scholarly journal articles, media articles and commissioned reports produced in the last decade. In addition, she has designed and implemented numerous teaching interventions and created open-access resources to ensure this work has broad impact across the communities with which she collaborates.