Marian Mahat has 20 years’ experience in leadership, management, and administration; research and research training and supervision; learning and teaching; and engagement. Her academic career builds on five qualifications obtained at renowned institutions in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia between 1995 and 2016, and on her academic work at the University of Melbourne since 2013. Additionally, with over 12 years in professional roles in higher education, including within the Federal government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, she has made further significant contributions in leadership, engagement and service in the field.
The major focus of her academic contribution is on improving student learning and outcomes in various educational contexts. Her core research program focuses on learning environments, with an emphasis on co-designing curriculum and pedagogy, teacher-led inquiry, and professional development of teachers. Working across multiple fields of inquiry, utilising innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration with other universities, industry and schools, her work is driven by a desire to make enduring contributions to theory, methodology and practice in various contexts from pre-school to higher education to improve educational outcomes. Her research program is recognized nationally and internationally, exemplified by a strong record of publications, research grants and consultancies.
She is highly passionate about building capacity and capability of academic staff at universities. She is series editor of Surviving and Thriving in Academia and book editor of Achieving Academic Promotion, Women Thriving in Academia and Building Academic Resilience (forthcoming in 2022) published by Emerald.
When away from her work, she enjoys having intellectual discussions with her two young children and getting lost in new landscapes around the world.