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LEaRN People
Our experienced executive team guides our talented staff and graduate researchers. Our partners and network also direct and inspire research to create meaningful, positive change in learning environments.
LEaRN Executive
LEaRN Staff
LEaRN Graduate Researchers
LEaRN past members
We appreciate the contributions and support of the following people.
Past executive members:
- Prof Julie Bines Deputy Head, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry & Health Sciences
- Dr Dianne Chambers Assistant Dean (Learning Technologies) & Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Prof Tom Kvan Professorial Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning
- Prof Geoff McColl Head of the Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Science
- A/Prof Clare Newton Senior Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning
Past staff members:
- Dr Joanne Blannin Plans to Pedagogy Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Isabella Bower Research Coordination and Communication Officer, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
- Dr Terry Byers ILETC Research Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
- Joann Cattlin ILETC Project Manager, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- A/Prof Kenn Fisher Honorary Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
- Dr Sarah Healy ILETC Project Manager and Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Dr Sianan Healy Building Connections Project Manager, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning
- Kirra Liu Research Assistant, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Heather Mitcheltree Project & Research Manager, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
- Roz Mountain Research Assistant, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning
- A/Prof Lucio Naccarella Project Collaborator, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
- Phuong Nguyen LEaRN Research Communications Coordinator, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning
- Dr Philippa Soccio LEaRN Research Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
- Lachlan Stewart ILETC Research Assistant, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Past graduate researchers:
- Dr Dan Murphy PhD completed
- Dr Graeme Oliver D.Ed (Research) completed
- Dr Mark Osborne PhD completed
- Leanne Rose-Munroe M.Ed (Research) completed
- Dr Dion Tuckwell PhD completed
- Dr Ethel Villafranca PhD completed
- Dr Fiona Young PhD completed
Caroline Morrison
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
PhD Candidate (supervised by Dr Dianne Mulcahy & Dr Ben Cleveland)
Caroline is a PhD Candidate and APA recipient at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne. Her PhD is an empirical inquiry into the influence of policy on practices enactments of teachers, students and leaders in New Generation Learning Environments (NGLEs). Data were gathered in four Melbourne Catholic schools, two primary and two secondary schools that have had significant infrastructural renovation and construction. Questions are: What entities are assembling in teacher, student and leader practices in schools which are working to become NGLEs? And, who and what are NGLE policies for and what do they produce?
Marian Mahat
ILETC Research Manager
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Marian Mahat is the lead Research Fellow of the ILETC project. As the Research Manager, she oversees all research activities and the dissemination of project findings including the management of Research Fellows and graduate researchers. Marian has over twenty years of professional and academic experience, spanning several Australian universities, the Australian Federal and local governments, as well as the private sector. Highly proficient in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, she has worked on collaborative projects, written numerous publications and presented in conferences in education. Her research focus is in student learning and outcomes in different learning and teaching contexts.
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Raechel French
ILETC Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by A/Prof Wes Imms, Dr Marian Mahat & A/Prof Clare Newton)
Raechel French is visiting LEaRN in 2017 as a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar. She has undergraduate degrees in both Architecture and Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master's in Human-Environment Relations from Cornell University. Raechel, based in Austin, Texas, has spent the past four years as an educational planner and currently works for DLR Group. Raechel is completing research this year with the Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project, specifically looking at what can lead to a successful transition from traditional spaces to more innovative ones in the context of the design and construction process.
Chris Bradbeer
ILETC Research Fellow
Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning
Chris Bradbeer is an Associate Principal at Stonefields School in Auckland, opened in 2011. He has a strong interest and experience in the development of Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) in New Zealand schools; how design affordances can support approaches to contemporary pedagogy, and the opportunities engendered by the provision of new educational spaces. He is currently completing a PhD at the University of Melbourne, focussing on the nature of collaborative teacher practices in ILEs. He is also a Research Fellow (part time) on the 2016-2019 Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project (ILETC).
Anne Knock
ILETC Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by A/Prof Wes Imms and Dr Ben Cleveland)
Anne has worked in education, commencing as a primary school teacher, and has been the state executive officer for registration and accreditation of an independent school system. Since 2010 Anne has been Director at Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning (SCIL), an activity of Northern Beaches Christian School. In this role she consults with a wide variety of schools in the areas of rethinking education, learning space design and leadership. She holds a Masters of Special Education from the University of Sydney, with particular interest in student behaviour and how teachers can provide the optimal conditions for students to learn.
Ana Sala-Oviedo
E21LE Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by A/Prof Wes Imms & Dr Ben Cleveland)
Ana has a background in architecture and academia and is the Director of the educational planning consultancy New Learning Environments (NLE). She is a member of the SA Chapter of the Association for Learning Environments and is currently undertaking a PhD as part of the 2013 - 2016 ARC Linkage Project Evaluating 21st Century Learning Environments at the University of Melbourne under the LEaRN umbrella. Her focus is on the evaluation of learning environments to determine their effectiveness in supporting contemporary practice for the development of 21st century skills and the role that the educational space planner can play in this evaluation.
Nick Donaldson
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
M.Ed (Research) Candidate (supervised by A/Prof Wes Imms & Dr Ben Cleveland)
Nick is a graduate researcher at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, the University of Melbourne. Following his study at the Victorian College of the Arts and his work as an actor in film, TV, and theatre, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education at Victoria University (where he received numerous awards for excellence in Post Graduate studies and teaching). Nick currently works at Woodleigh School (Langwarrin South) where he teaches the Arts and Humanities and contributes to development and implementation of innovative, collaborative and inquiry-based educational approaches.
Wesley Imms
Head of Visual Art Education
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Wesley Imms is an Associate Professor in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, is the Head of Visual Art Education, and the Research Higher Degree Coordinator for Curriculum and Teaching. He is the lead Chief Investigator of the ARC Linkage Project Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change which will run from 2016-2019, and also leads the Evaluating 21st Century Learning Environments ARC Linkage Project, which is being run from 2013 to 2016. He has been involved in a range of solo and collaborative projects since 2000 involving approximately $11 million of external funding, has published over 70 peer reviewed articles, chapters, conference papers and books, numerous reports and invited lectures here and overseas. He is an experienced educator and is involved teaching subjects spanning visual art curriculum and studio practice, innovative learning spaces, and Masters-level learning spaces capstone and teacher/practitioner subjects, in addition to supervising 19 Doctoral, Master of Education/Philosophy and Master of Teaching honours theses.
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Ben Cleveland
Associate Professor
Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning
Dr Ben Cleveland is Co-Director of the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN). His current research activity includes leading the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project, ‘Building Connections: Schools as Community Hubs’ (2019-2022) and actively contributing as a Chief Investigator to the ARC Linkage Project ‘Innovative Learning Environments + Teacher Change’ (2016-2019). He recently led a three-year program of learning environment evaluation for Catholic Education Melbourne and Catholic Diocese of Parramatta and reviewed the Victorian Department of Education and Training’s school area standards, resulting in significant policy updates including the development of new School Facility Area Schedules. Ben teaches a range of cross-disciplinary subjects and supervises more than ten PhD and Masters students in the field of Learning Environments Research. Ben has consulted widely on the design of new school facilities in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Northern Territory, and New Zealand. He is immediate past Chair of the Victorian Chapter of Learning Environments Australasia.
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Julia Morris
Plans to Pedagogy Honorary Research Fellow
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Dr Julia is the Visual Arts Education (Secondary) Coordinator at Edith Cowan University and an Honorary Fellow with Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. Julia is primarily a mixed methods researcher with an interest in the area of engagement. Her doctoral research investigated how students respond and think critically about visual artworks. It resulted in the creation of a diagnostic tool to help teachers monitor student responses to artworks. Her publications are often cross-disciplinary, focusing on the use of data to change practice. Julia also engages in creative arts research as a visual artist and educator.
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Raed AlBanna
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
PhD candidate (supervised by Dr Ben Cleveland & A/Prof Wally Smith)
Raed is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. His research of interest focuses on the concept of embodiment in designed environments. He aims to investigate how architecture, technology, and fellow student (peers) can influence students experiences of learning with their bodies in Primary Schools. Raed holds a Masters in Multimedia Design from Monash University (Australia), and a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (Saudi Arabia). Raed has been granted a scholarship from Saudi Arabia to pursue his PhD study.
Qusai Anteet
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
PhD candidate (supervised by Dr Ben Cleveland & Prof Kim Dovey)
Qusai holds a Master of Architecture and is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, having previously worked in both academia and industry. His research investigates the alignment of emerging pedagogies, school architecture and decision-making process (briefing/programming) in the context of the Saudi Arabian education system - towards fostering evidence-based school design. The research explores how school architectural design, integrated technologies and the social organisation of students contributes to students embodied learning experiences. Qusai has been granted a scholarship from Saudi Arabia to pursue his PhD study. He is a member of Learning Environments Australasia.
Scott Alterator
LEaRN Research Fellow
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Scott is Research Fellow with Learning Environments Applied Learning Network (LEaRN). Scott is currently investigating Special Education Needs environment performance. Scott's recent book, School Space and its Occupation (Alterator & Deed (Eds), 2018), brings international authors together to conceptualise and investigate the lived experience of learning environments. Scott consults on learning environment design and innovative occupation across the world. Scott is a committee member of Association for Learning Environments and is driven to share insights on the meaningful combination of education and design narratives.
Sarah Backhouse
Building Connections Project Manager
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Sarah is a registered architect who has been facilitating future focused conversations about workspace and learning environments for the past 20 years. She has consulted on projects as diverse as Global Workplace Guidelines for Microsoft and User Briefs for more than 20 Universities in the UK, Europe and Australia. Sarah's research interests and expertise span learning environments, academic workspace transformation, architectural briefing, and psychological wellbeing in the built environment. With expertise in higher education learning and working environments, Sarah managed the Academic Workspace Evaluation (AWE) project which aims to provide universities and research institutions with guidance on appropriate workspace typologies for the future. Since May 2020, Sarah has taken on a new role as the Project Manager for Building Connections ARC Linkage Project.
Philippa Chandler
Research Fellow
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Dr Philippa (Pippa) Chandler is Research Fellow with Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) where she is investigating how schools can double-up as community hubs. Philippa is a member of the Institute of Australian Geographers and is particularly interested in how people ‘perform’ community in everyday Australian life. Her recent PhD explored place-attachment, community and environmental conflict among return visitors to the Ningaloo Reef region of Western Australia. In her spare time, Philippa dabbles with journalism and occasionally contributes articles about arts and culture to Guardian Australia.
Natalie Miles
Building Connections Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by Dr Ben Cleveland & Dr Philippa Chandler)
As part of Building Connections Project, Natalie is researching ‘Spatial Analysis of School and Community Interaction, identifying and recording who, where, when and how community members are using school facilities.
Natalie is also a registered architect in Victoria and has been practicing architecture as an Associate at Austin Maynard Architects with several award-winning projects under her belt since completing her Master of Architecture in 2013. This PhD project sees a return to her interest in schools and education after her master’s thesis titled School/City.
Carolina Rivera Yevenes
Building Connections Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by Dr Ben Cleveland & Dr Philippa Chandler)
As part of Building Connections Project, Carolina's research will focus on how schools can be planned, designed, governed and managed to thrive as community hubs.
She holds a Master of education from the University of Melbourne and a degree in education and philosophy. She has more than ten years of experience as a teacher and is also working with schools as an academic consultant and formulating intervention programs. In 2012, she co-founded NGO Innovacien, Chilean organisation working in the development of 21st-century skills, technology and innovation in schools.
Tim Baber
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
PhD candidate (supervised by Dr Ben Cleveland)
Tim Baber holds a Bachelor of Education (QUT), a Master of Landscape Architecture (QUT) and a Master of Philosophy (Built Environments, UNSW). He is an experienced landscape designer and secondary school teacher, and has tutored students in UNSW’s Faculty of Education. Tim is keenly interested in the role school grounds play in the lives of children and adolescents, and the potential of designed environments to promote personal development. He commenced his PhD at The University of Melbourne in 2021, investigating the impact of schools’ physical attributes on adolescents’ sense of place.
Elizabeth (Ella) Masters
LEaRN Affiliated Researcher
PhD candidate (supervised by A/Prof Clare Newton)
Part-time PhD student Elizabeth is researching the relationship between recent education policy and learning space innovation in NSW and Victoria. She is also an architect and runs the ACT-based Howff Design linking learning with place. Clare Newton and Ben Cleveland are supervisors for her PhD with Kenn Fisher and Wes Imms on her supervisory panel.
Hayley Paproth
Building Connections Project
PhD Candidate (supervised by Professor Janet Clinton - MGSE)
Hayley Paproth joins the Building Connections team as a PhD Candidate in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne. Hayley will be evaluating the social impact of community hub schools, seeking to identify cases of improved social outcomes due to community hub schools, and the factors that lead to this success. She will also investigate ways to support community hub schools to conduct their own monitoring and evaluation.
Hayley holds a Bachelor of Engineering, a Bachelor of Science, a Masters of Teaching, and a Masters of Evaluation and has over 7 years’ experience as a teacher and leader in Victorian schools. She also has experience in diverse evaluation projects, including managing large-scale projects being conducted for the Victorian Department of Education and Training, as part of her work with the Centre for Program Evaluation at the University of Melbourne.
Robert Polglase
Building Connections Project
PhD Candidate (Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University)
Joining the Building Connections team culminates Rob’s long held dream to collaborate to build research based evidence for sharing knowledge to influence policy settings, connected to planning, design, delivery of learning and community sites to meet diverse community needs as flourishing centres.
Rob’s research proposal is steeped in years of project work related to Building Connections objectives for evaluating policy-planning-design-governance settings. This experience includes education, health, community sectors, commercial, multi-residential, public realm, transport infrastructure, urban renewal and land development programs. These projects have incorporated urban policy development, strategic planning, funding submissions, setting site planning and development vision, concept to final agreed design, contract procurement to delivery with advocacy for clients, stakeholders, communities, and all levels of Government.
Rob has extensively participated in industry forums and academic teaching throughout his career. Rob’s recent teaching focus has included affordable, socially inclusive design for education, community health, housing density, connected neighbourhoods.
Rebecca Colless
Research Communications Coordinator
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Rebecca has studied science, communication, writing and journalism and enjoyed a 30-year career as a writer and presenter. She helps research organisations, businesses, government and non-profits to educate and motivate diverse audiences with exceptional empathy, creativity, clarity and brevity. Through co-owning two successful businesses, Rebecca has gained direct and deep understanding of brand development, stakeholder engagement and targeted marketing.
