Paula has been the Executive Dean, University of South Adelaide (UniSA) Justice and Society since 2020. Before that she was the Head of School: Creative Industries (2019-2020) and Associate Head of School (2018-2019). Prior to moving to UniSA, Paula was an Associate Professor of Sociology (2006-2018) at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne during which she was an Acting Associate Dean, Learning Innovation (Faculty of Health, Arts and Design) (2016) and Academic Director, Learning Innovation and Quality (School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities) (2014-2016).
Paula completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne and holds an honours and undergraduate degree from James Cook University. Her thesis examined the relationships between occupational aspiration and identity for young people living on family farms in Victoria. Paula’s research interests sit at the intersections of scholarship about place, identity and youth.
“I believe in the transformative opportunities afforded through access to quality education. I believe that quality education is achieved through the delivery of coherent programs of study that truly engage and empower stakeholders to think beyond the constraints of the day, to show courage and to take risks, and to act with reflexive integrity.“
