Samantha Bennett is Professor of Music in the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Australian National University, Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Chair of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). Her academic leadership experience includes current terms as Treasurer and elected board member of the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of the Creative Arts (DDCA), member of the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH), and member of the Australian Council for Graduate Research (ACGR). Samantha’s institutional leadership experience includes a four-year term as Associate Dean Higher Degree Research, current Chair of the ANU Practice Research Working Group, and member of University Research Committee, and a term on University Education Committee. She is particularly passionate about mentoring underrepresented staff and students, particularly those from first generation and low-SES backgrounds, supporting campus community and cohesion initiatives, and committed to improving all aspects of the student experience.
Samantha is the author, co-author, and co-editor of six books including Gear: Cultures of Audio and Music Technologies (The MIT Press, 2025), and Modern Records, Maverick Methods (Bloomsbury Academic, 2018). She is the recipient of multiple academic awards, including the national ACGR Award for Graduate Research Leadership (2025), an Australian Award for University Teaching (2020), the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Education Excellence and a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence at the Australian National University (2019) and a Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Fellowship at the University of Westminster (2012).
