Cameron joined the BU Sydney library team in May 2022. He completed a Masters of Digital Information Management at the University of Technology, Sydney in 2019 and previously completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney in 2016 with a major in Celtic Studies.

Course Tutor: Differential Equations (MA226)

Dr. Shaila Akhter, an astrophysicist, educator, and science communicator, holds an MPhil and a PhD in Astrophysics, accompanied by graduation and two postgraduate degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Systems Engineering. Her doctoral degree was focused on star formation, interstellar medium, and Galactic dynamics in the Milky Way.

She is a lecturer in Astrophysics and Physics at the University of Wollongong, and WEA Sydney, and has a decade of teaching experience at UNSW in University Physics and Astronomy. Passionate about physics and astronomy outreach, she reaches diverse audiences across Sydney, the Australian Museum, and rural Australia, including National Science Week events. Serving as an international podcaster for Astronomy on the “365 Days of Astronomy Podcast” by CosmoQuest, Dr. Akhter represented Australia to a global audience, with each episode garnering over 10,000 listeners during the Year of Light.

Dr. Akhter is a committee member of the Australian Institute of Physics (NSW Branch), and a member of the Teachers Guild of NSW. She brings enthusiasm and support to her teaching, motivating students with a constructive and engaging style. Dr. Akhter inspires her students with the belief that genuine passion and hard work can lead to realizing dreams, encouraging them to pursue excellence in their academic journey.

Course Instructor: Australian Art & Architecture (AH 374), Australian Culture and Society (AN368), AN368 Module Instructor: (Un)Popular Cultures

Peter Barnes is a visual artist and Teaching Professional who has held teaching positions at the University of Newcastle and most recently the University of Sydney, where he is currently completing his PhD. His research interests focus on the interaction between the fields of visual art and popular culture. He has held solo and group exhibitions in Australia, and has curated a number of exhibitions, including the exhibition Living Elvis at the RMIT Gallery at RMIT University, Melbourne. Peter worked with the Historic Houses Trust of NSW for a number of years, holding positions at the Museum of Sydney, Hyde Park Barracks Museum and The Mint. He is the Managing Director of Livelo PTY LTD, a high performance bike rental business.

AN368 Module Instructor: STEM in Australia

Claire Bridges is a Boston University School of Engineering alumna who attended BU Sydney in 2014. After moving to Sydney in 2015, Claire continued to develop her passion for science and medicine in the clinical, industrial, and research spaces through a variety of careers and study. Claire is a perioperative Registered Nurse and Authorised Nurse Immuniser, has worked as a clinical consultant for Stryker, and teaches at a number of universities in Sydney. Currently undertaking a PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of New South Wales, Claire’s research focuses on molecular changes to the blood vessel wall during diabetes and potential biomaterials for treatment. 

Dr. Sharon Clarke joined the Sydney Program in 1998 to teach the Australian Literature course. She was a member of the full-time internship placement staff as an Assistant Director from 2000 to 2004 until her appointment to the position of Associate Director (Academics) in the second-half of 2004. Sharon retired from the Academic Director role in early 2017.

Sharon Clarke has a First-Class Honours Degree and received her Doctorate in English in 1996 from the University of Wollongong where she lectured and tutored in the English Department for over 10 years.   She has been a specialist teacher in Australian Literature, Fantasy, 20th Century Women Writers, Children’s Literature, Text and Gender, Creative Arts, and Creative Writing courses.

Her doctoral study of Australian novelist and playwright, Sumner Locke Elliott, was published as the critical biography Sumner Locke Elliott:  Writing Life (Allen & Unwin: Sydney, 1996) and was short-listed for Australia’s inaugural National Biography Award.  She is also the author of eleven children’s books and numerous critical articles and creative pieces published in academic journals.  Her current projects include the memoir of a Hitchcock writer with a focus on old Hollywood from the 1930s – 1950s;  and an ongoing biographical novel based on the life of Helena Sumner Locke, mother of Sumner Locke Elliott.

Course Instructor: Differential Equations (MA226)

Hugh Colburn has taught mathematics and computer science at school, polytechnic and university levels and has extensive industry experience in engineering and financial mathematics. His post graduate studies involved studying equations that required methods that minimised the round off errors inherent in computer arithmetic. These were the early days of computers where disk drives were limited and large reels of magnetic tape were used for storage.

Since retiring as CIO of the Southern Steel Group, he has been working in the Mathematicians in Schools program for CSIRO giving talks and workshops in mathematics and has developed the “Thinking Mathematically” course which teaches problem solving skills using elementary mathematics and tries to give students insight and understanding of how the mathematics they learn, is applied in various careers.

He has worked as a beta tester for Wolfram’s Calculator Center and is an accredited practitioner of both Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment and Cognitive Edge’s Cynefin and Sense-making.

Course Instructor: Film Production Using Video (FT352)

Will Davies began working with Film Australia (Commonwealth Film Unit) in 1972 following his graduation from the ANU.  In 1975 he added to his broad range of documentary and drama experience by working in Hollywood and with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol in the UK. On his return to Australia in 1977 he established Look Film Productions. Since this time, his company has been a major Australian producer of documentary programs to a wide range of national and international broadcasters including the ABC, SBS, Channels 9, 7 and 10 in Australia, the BBC in the UK, PBS and other broadcasters in the USA and a range of international television networks through the distribution of LOOK’s programming.

Major series include: When the War Came to Australia (ABC); Tales From a Suitcase (SBS); Our Century (Channel Nine); A Yen For A Dollar (ABC); In Our Collection: The Australian War Memorial (the History Channel); Railway Adventures (Seven and Ten networks). Will Davies is the co-author of two books, a biography and edited an Australian soldier’s story of the horrors of the First World War titled, Somme Mud which was published by Random House, Australia in 2006. He then delivered a follow-up book to Somme Mud, titled In the Footsteps of Private Lynch which was published in 2008, Beneath Hill 60 in 2010 and The Boy Colonel in 2013. In 2006, he completed a series of short films on the history of Norfolk Island and in 2007, series of films for tour groups to the Sydney Opera House.

Course Tutor: Differential Equations (MA226)

Dr Dawe has established an impressive record as a teacher, author, researcher, and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney in the field of Mathematics Education. He has wide international experience in schools and Universities, including Europe, the USA, Africa and the Pacific islands. In recent years he has supported innovative programs in schools, holding appointments as a mathematics consultant to PLC Sydney, Trinity Grammar School, Inaburra and Queenwood schools in NSW, and Penrhos College in Western Australia. He was honoured in 2016 as an Honorary Fellow of the Teachers Guild of NSW.

Course Instructor: Australian Cinema (FT345)

Dr Ann Finegan is a curator, film and digital arts theorist who has also worked as a creative producer for Cementa Contemporary Arts Festival (Kandos, regional NSW) which she co-founded in 2011. A cross-disciplinary thinker with a background in literature and continental philosophy, she has also engaged in numerous artist-writer collaborations across installation, moving image and media arts.

She has taught across a wide variety of contexts, including literature, philosophy, contemporary arts and digital arts, with more than twenty years of experience teaching cinema and experimental film in contemporary arts programs at Sydney College of the Arts (University of Sydney) and the University of Western Sydney. She has also taught media arts and moving image in Design at UTS and UNSW. As an arts writer she has been commissioned for numerous catalogues including the Biennale of Sydney, Biennale of Adelaide, MCA, Art Gallery of NSW, Experimental Art Foundation and Artspace. More recently, in her role as co-director of Cementa, and as a passionate advocate for the development of regional arts, she has written for the regional art galleries of Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, and Orange and Bathurst Regional Art Galleries, as well as Artist Run Initiatives such as MAP (Modern Artist Projects). She is a regular contributor to Artlink and also writes for a number of other arts journals including Artist Profile and Runway.

As a postgraduate she studied in Europe, where she was supervised by Umberto Eco in Bologna, and Jacques Derrida and Michel de Certeau in Paris.

Course Instructor: Cinema in Australia: The Sydney Film Festival (FT554)

Andrew Gilbert is an award-winning actor in the Australian screen industry. He has been a familiar face on Australian film and television screens for over three decades. Andrew has worked extensively in live theatre as an actor, writer and director. He is a widely experienced teacher, lecturer and facilitator in drama and screen, specialising in the Australian industry. He has lectured and tutored and operated as an Industry expert for Flinders University, Australian Film Television and Radio School, National Institute of Dramatic Art,Victorian College of the Arts, University of New England, Boston University and the University of Canberra.

Andrew is also a specialist in story and narrative techniques. He applies these skills within and beyond the screen industry including, in recent years, as a private consultant, working with at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system, group programs addressing domestic violence and coaching and facilitating with NIDA Corporate; media training and presenting programs.

Andrew has studied screenwriting at the Royal Melbourne Institute of technology (RMIT), is an acting graduate from the Western Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He has a MA in Applied Theatre Studies (UNE) a Graduate Certificate in Narrative Therapy and Community Work (La Trobe) and a Graduate Certificate in Client Assessment and Case Management (Swinburne). He has served as a judge for the ACCTA Film and Television awards and on selection panels for the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Course Instructor: Services Marketing and Management (MK463)

Janine Hendry is a business strategist who, as a qualified designer, is able to bring the essence of design thinking into the realms of business. Alongside her role in business strategy she continues to work as a Teaching Professional at the University of Sydney, and Monash University, Melbourne, a career pursued full time for over 20 years. Most recently she has been academically focused on Services Marketing and Global and International Marketing for the University of Sydney, and been a visiting teaching professional at IESEG, France.

She is also the Director and Founder of Bryn’s Schools, a trust that builds and runs schools in some of the most remote and under developed areas of the world. Bryn’s Schools currently educates around 2,000 students each year.

In summary Hendry’s skill base lies in leveraging the core competencies of a designer and applying these to the development and implementation of strategic thinking.

Course Instructor: Empires and Soft Power: A History of International Relations and Sport in the Pacific Rim (HI 356), and AN368 Module Instructor: Australian Cultural Transmissions

Dr Anthony Hughes is a lecturer in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Law where he teaches five courses in the Sport and Law area. Apart from Sport and Law, he has written on a wide range of issues including sport and ethnicity; sport and the Irish; sport and the Jews; sport and immigration; sport and federation in Australia; sport governance, and the Olympic movement. A recent publication is (As the co-editor with Dr Hickie, Deborah Healy and Dr Jocelynne Scutt) Essays in Sport and the Law, ASSH Studies Series, Melbourne 2008.

Tony published with Professor Richard Cashman the ground breaking Staging the Olympics: The Event and its Impact (UNSW Press) in 1999. In addition, Dr Hughes was also the co-author with Dr Hickie of The Game for the Game Itself: A History of Sydney Suburban Rugby (2004). He has also researched and written on Australian soccer – a sport in which he had a long career as both as a player and administrator. He maintains an interest in sport at UNSW where he is a member of the Ben Lexcen Sport Scholarship Committee and co-wrote (with Prof. Richard Cashman and Zoltan Zavos) The Pavilion on the Village Green: A History of Sport at UNSW (Walla Walla Press, 2005). Currently, he is working on Palestine, Israel, The IOC and Geopolitics of the Middle East 1933 to 1972. This work is based on research he undertook at the IOC archives in Lausanne.

Previously he has been Executive Officer of the UNSW Centre for Olympic Studies from 1996 until its closure in 2004. He was a member of the Chair for Modern Irish Studies Committee at UNSW from 1997 to 2006. In 2005 Dr Hughes was awarded the prestigious UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

Course Instructor: Australian Wine Industry (HF328)

With a background in school-based education, Kate Khoury moved into Executive Roles in schools and became a Curriculum Advisor to schools in the Inner West of Sydney. During this time she explored her love of adult learning and training, including lecturing post-graduate teachers at Australian Catholic University.

A sea change in 1995 occurred when Kate and her partner fell in love with a small vineyard and winery on the South Coast of NSW. From there began an adventure into small business and winemaking and tourism! Kate continued to work with schools on a consultancy basis and ran a School Resource arm as part of a Bookshop and Cafe.

Kate is a certified Life Coach and particularly enjoys supporting people in small business. She is researching and writing a social history about the area where she grew up on a property in country New South Wales. Kate has involved herself in the local convivium of SLOW FOOD where the mantra is “good, clean and fair food for all”, so learning and enjoying sustainable food and wine is a continuing interest!

Course Instructor: The Pacific Rim: Economic and Political Orders (EC464)

Andrew Mack’s early training and career was as a wool-textile technologist and quality controller. He then taught political economy and sociology at the South Australian Institute of Technology. He subsequently moved into a career as advisor the South Australian Minister for Industrial Relations, and as senior advisor for Neal Blewett, Minister for Health in the Australian Federal Government. This was followed by a career as industrial officer and federal President of the Theatrical and Amusement Employees’ Association, latterly the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance. He is a long-time associate of the Sydney University school of political economy, and an editor of the Journal of Australian Political Economy.

He holds a an Honours degree from Adelaide University on the Kaleckian Theory of Business Cycles. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney’s School of Economics and Business Studies; his doctorate thesis was on Colonial and Post-colonial Regimes of Capital Accumulation and Labour Regulation in Indonesia. His current research covers the Asia Pacific regional economic and strategic impacts of US – China economic competition. His personal interests including surfing, coordinating and playing tenor saxophone with the BU Sydney program rock band, and woodwinds for sax/woodwind chamber orchestra. 

Course Instructor: Brand Advertising and Promotion (CM406) and International Marketing Management (MK467)

Dr Peter McDonald is a great believer of ‘theory-into-practice’ and ‘shared learning’ and has co-authored a number of Journal articles on sources of brand equity & brand portfolio management. Also a Board Member of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, he still finds time to mentor founders of a marcoms agency, and a training & fitness business.

Peter started teaching at BU in 2007 and has taught branding/marketing/advertising subjects at Sydney University, UTS, and CSU. His business experience covers North America, Australia, NZ & Asia Pacific where he has performed brand, marketing communications and advertising agency business management roles.

Companies with whom Peter has partnered include: Aldi, Cadbury, Colgate, CBA, Domino’s, General Mills, Harris Farm Markets, Mars Inc., McDonald’s, Michael Hill International, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, 7-Eleven, Tourism Australia, and Unilever.

Early in his career, he lived, worked, travelled and studied (part-time) in North America for almost 8 years, and ever since Peter has encouraged his staff and students to do likewise. For him, the benefits of personal growth and a ‘global mind-set’ far outweighs any culture shock a person might initially experience by going overseas.

Peter has a B Com (Marketing), MBA (International Business), and a PhD (Management).

Course Instructor: Australian Global Environmental Challenges (EE328)

Dr Kathryn McLachlan is an experienced academic and community practitioner with a strong commitment to advancing education and research in Higher Education. Her extensive background encompasses a passion for outdoor learning environments and fostering nature connection. Kath’s multifaceted portfolio includes teaching, research, and engagement activities, all rooted in relational approaches with a central emphasis on reflective and contemplative practices.

Her pedagogical approach emphasises not only the experiential nature of learning, but also the cultivation of critical thinking skills and the ability to approach challenges with a creative mindset. At the heart of Dr. McLachlan’s philosophy is the belief that true learning extends beyond the confines of a classroom. Her commitment true learning extends beyond the confines of a classroom. Her commitment to reflective practice is evident in her encouraging students and colleagues alike to engage in thoughtful self-examination, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

She firmly believes that a relational approach is essential for comprehending, coexisting with, and addressing our social-ecological systems. She leverages her expertise to conduct workshops on creativity and reflective practice at both national and international levels.

Course Instructor: Australian Social Policy (SO308)

Christopher Sheil, BA (Hons), PhD, is an Australian historian whose principal interest is in the history of labour in society. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow in history in the School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales, an Associate Professor in history in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland, a former President and a Life Member of the Evatt Foundation (affiliated with the University of Sydney), a member of the Australian Society of Authors, and a former member of the Senior Executive Service in the NSW Government.

He has been a senior policy adviser under six governments (four Labor and two Liberal-National), has served on over 60 national and state social and economic policy committees (including a dozen cabinet committees), and is the author or editor of well over 200 academic and government publications. His work has been published widely in the media, including the Sydney Morning Herald, the ABC and the Australian, and he was a monthly columnist for The Australian Financial Review from 2001 to 2003. His main books are: Globalisation: Australian Impacts (UNSW Press: 2001); Water’s Fall: Running the Risks with Economic Rationalism (Pluto Press: 2000); War on the Wharves: A Cartoon History (Pluto Press: 1998); and Turning Point: The State of Australia (Allen & Unwin: 1997). 

Course Instructor: Australian Wine Industry (HF328)

In 1995, Gaynor with Kate Khoury bought a vineyard and winery on the South Coast of NSW. With a passion for wine and learning they set about developing their knowledge and skills in viticulture, winemaking, and business. Over twelve years, the property, wine and business gained success and recognition.

Gaynor’s career began in primary school teaching then led to working with teachers, adult training, and curriculum development. The passion for learning and business continued through a bookshop and cafe. Gaynor was involved in the International Slow Food movement; educating herself and others about good, clean, fair and sustainable produce. A philosophy that is explored through the wine industry.

Gaynor along with Kate wrote and have presented the Australian Wine Industry course since Spring 2009, this has enabled Gaynor to continue her passion for wine and learning.

Course Instructor: Australia and the Politics of Regional Security in Asia-Pacific (CAS IR 339)

Dr Keith Suter is the Managing Director of the Global Directions think tank. He is an economic and social commentator, strategic planner, author and broadcaster.

As a broadcaster, he appears on Australian radio an average of once per day. He is the TV Channel 7 “Sunrise” foreign affairs editor. He is also a foreign policy analyst for Sky TV Australia.

His first degree was in international relations, economics and international law. His first PhD was on the international law of guerrilla warfare. His second PhD was on the international political economy of the arms race. His third PhD was on scenario planning.

He teaches political science on the Sydney international campus of Boston University, USA.

In the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Suter was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to international relations, and to the Uniting Church in Australia”.

Course Instructor: Australian Literature – From Page to Screen (EN383), Travel Writing in Australia: Journalism and Non-Fiction (JO528)

Jimmy is a freelance journalist, author and TV scriptwriter who has written 15 books – 10 non-fiction, 2 children’s books and three novels – all published through mainstream publishers. His most recent work is a best-selling spy-crime thriller called Mole Creek (written under the name James Dunbar). The non-fiction books include two sporting biographies and three books about Australian army engineers, including the original Tunnel Rats of the Vietnam War. He has also created and written three television dramas and has worked in the UK, New Zealand, Kenya, the USA and Australia. He has created three TV drama series that were broadcast in Australia and the UK.

Jimmy gained his MA (Writing) through Swinburne University in Melbourne and currently writes a weekly column on apartment living for the Australian Financial Review. He edits a website dedicated to apartment living (flatchat.com.au) and another concerned with travel (mildrover.com).  He has been nominated three times for comedy writing awards by the Australian Writers Guild. His passions include supporting Glasgow Celtic Football club, travel in SE Asia (especially Vietnam) and crime fiction in all its forms.

Course Instructor: Australian Global Environmental Challenges (EE328)

Bronwen Wade-Leeuwen is a Creative Artist and STEAM lecturer working at Macquarie University’s Department of Natural Sciences. She is a practicing exhibiting artist, researcher, teacher (Art-ographer), applying STEAM frameworks using ‘Arts-based inquiry’ in tertiary education.

Bronwen’s research work includes working with Indigenous artists in Australia and with children and teachers in the Asian Pacific Region and she has played an active role in developing 21-century critical and creative skills in pre-service primary teachers during their tertiary education.

Her Post-doctoral Research Fellowship was with the National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP) investigating attitudes, opinions and behaviours of Indigenous youth in regional and urban secondary schools.  
She is the Director of STEAM Ahead Australia and has been teaching in prior-to-school settings; primary; secondary and tertiary education. She is particularly interested in transformative learning spaces and the relationship between creative and critical reflective learning spaces and the role of sustainability in diverse educational settings.

Bronwen has extensive experience working with international Artists and academics developing creative partnerships in Australia, China, Germany, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Course Instructor: Mass Media in Australia (CO350)

Michael Ward teaches Australian media in Sydney as part of Boston University’s Global Programs and is a seasonal academic at the University of Sydney, teaching global and digital media trends and policy.

He has completed a PhD in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. His research thesis is entitled Women’s sports media, Australian media policy and the ABC: an examination of discourses of sport and relevance of national identity, 1981 to 2018.

In 2018, he was awarded a Master’s degree (MA [Research] from Queensland University of Technology for his thesis: ABC Television Sport: Public Broadcasting, Innovation and National Building.

He is a graduate in Communication Studies from Murdoch University, Western Australia and studied media and film at Griffith University, Queensland.

Prior to his teaching and research, he worked as a senior executive at Australia’s leading public media organisation, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). For ten years, he was ABC Television’s Head of Policy and was also a General Manager of Operations Planning.

He has also worked in the analysis and development of Australian media and screen cultural policy, holding senior positions with federation government agencies, The Australian Film Commission and The Australian Film Finance Corporation.

Sue Williams is an award-winning journalist, columnist, travel writer, and best-selling author and biographer. She has written for all of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. One of her first books was a travel book about her years travelling the world alone with a backpack, Getting There: Journeys of an Accidental Adventurer. Ever since, she has been acclaimed both in Australia and Britain as a top travel writer, nowadays filing travel pieces mostly for The Australian, The Australian Magazine, The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph in Australia, and The Guardian and Observer in the UK. Her 11th book, Women in the Outback, as well as its sequel Outback Spirit and then the third in the series, Outback Heroines, has had her constantly travelling to outback Australia in order to capture the atmosphere and setting of some of the country’s most remote locations. In 2012 she wrote Welcome to the Outback, the story of her own travels around isolated Australia.

Sue’s first best-selling biography was Peter Ryan: The Inside Story, the tale of Australia’s most colourful, and controversial, police commissioner. Mean Streets, Kind Hearts: The Father Chris Riley Story was her second best-seller, which went into reprint an astonishing five times in the first three months of publication. Sue’s other books include: Death of a Doctor; And Then The Darkness: the disappearance of Peter Falconio and the trial of Joanne Lees (shortlisted for the international 2006 Gold Dagger Award for the world’s best crime non-fiction); another true crime Left For Dead; the biography Father Bob: The Larrikin Priest; Apartment Living: A Complete Guide to Buying, Renting, Surviving and Thriving in Apartments; and World Beyond Tears: The Ongoing Story of Father Riley (about his work with the survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami). Her contribution to Australia’s literary life is celebrated in Who’s Who of Australian Women.