UQ academics feature on Indigenous 'world-changers' list

Brisbane River pattern from A Guidance Through Time by Quandamooka artists Casey Coolwell and Kyra Mancktelow.

Brisbane River pattern from A Guidance Through Time by Quandamooka artists Casey Coolwell and Kyra Mancktelow.

Brisbane River pattern from A Guidance Through Time by Quandamooka artists Casey Coolwell and Kyra Mancktelow.

Six University of Queensland staff members are featured on a national NAIDOC Week list of 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are changing the world.

The list was created with input from the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scientists and researchers across a broad range of disciplines.

The UQ academics appear in an article published by science magazine Cosmos:

A graphic of the 50+ Indigenous people changing the world.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) Professor Bronwyn Fredericks is a proud Murri woman with more than 30 years’ experience in the tertiary sector, with a focus on improving health, education and life outcomes for Indigenous peoples. She leads UQ’s Indigenous strategy and the implementation of UQ’s first Reconciliation Action Plan.

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson is a Goenpul woman of the Quandamooka people, working in UQ’s Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. She is the first Indigenous scholar outside of the US elected as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor James Ward is a Pitjantjatjara and Nukunu man, and director of UQ’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. His research projects on urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and infectious diseases have influenced national guidelines, policy and practice.

Professor Gail Garvey is a proud Kamilaroi woman and NHMRC Research Leadership Fellow, and Professor of Indigenous Health Research in UQ’s Faculty of Medicine.  She was among the first researchers to recognise the substantial impact of cancer on First Nations Australians, with her work contributing to key changes to improve health outcomes. 

Dr Keane Wheeler is a proud Ngarabal man and Accredited Exercise Scientist (ESSA) in UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences and Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. His research examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can co-design movement-based programs to engage children and young peoples.

Susan Beetson is Ngemba Wiradjuri and a research academic in UQ’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. Her work in STEM focuses on researching Aboriginal peoples' design methods in human computer interaction, specifically within cultural learning contexts including languages.

The list also features prominent UQ alum and honorary doctorate awardee Professor Megan Davis.

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