Welcome to new Graduate Research candidates joining us and congratulations to our current and graduating candidates on your achievements!
(Please note that this is based on reporting up to and including the 9th April. Candidate achievements recorded after that will appear in the next month’s GR News)
If you have news about awards, grants, publications or other achievements please let us know so we can share it.
New candidates
Faculty of Arts and Education
Rebecca Drummond, Isabelle Martiensen, Maurice O’Connor, Tracy Ryan and Lainie Shimell.
Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences
Chol Atem, Bernardo Campos Diocaretz, Patrick Hamilton, Sasha Sarago and Michael Sinclair.
Faculty of Science and Health
Millicent Ager, Mohammad Altememi, Matthew Ludowici, Stephanie Nixon and Yvette Rainbow.
Thesis Submitted for Examination
Faculty of Arts and Education
George Rafael School of Social Work and Arts
Thesis Title: Workplace Bullying: A Social Work Perspective
Hemopereki Simon School of Social Work and Arts
Thesis Title: Toitū Te Mana: A Mediation on Mana Motuhake, The White Possessive, Settler Colonialism, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and The Collective Future of Aotearoa New Zealand
David Drennan Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation
Thesis Title: Transmitting al-Shāṭibī: Towards a Reception History of the Muwāfaqāt and Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa in Mālikī Fiqh across Al-Andalus, the Maghrib, and Mauritania
Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences
Michael Fryer School of Business
Thesis Title: Corporate Governance and Australian Charity Financial Sustainability
Samrah Arif School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
Thesis Title: Wireless Channel Characterisation for Low Power IOT Devices using Machine Learning Techniques
Jennifer Biney School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
Thesis Title: Bring Your Own Device: Adoption, Security Implications, and Policy Design — the Cases of the Privately Owned Internet Service Providers and Higher Education Institutions in Ghana
Jamil Ispahany School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
Thesis Title: Novel ransomware detection techniques using incremental learning
Tajrian Tajrian School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
Thesis Title: Analysing Misinformation Using Data Science Techniques: Application to Child Development Issues
Gnana Thedchanamoorthy School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering
Thesis Title: Privacy-Preserving Data Collection for Statistical Aggregation
Jen Gillian Schwarz School of Psychology
Thesis Title: Identity in the Context of Autism
Faculty of Science and Health
Olivia Brunton School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Thesis Title: Prospects for using dual placement P fertiliser in south-eastern Australia: Understanding crop specific responses with a focus on roots
Benjamin Fowler School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Thesis Title: Winter Silage – the potential to utilise excess winter crop growth and manage early cereal development
Timothy David Green School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Thesis Title: An ideotype of a short-season, late-sown wheat for a changing Australian climate
Veronika Vicic School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Thesis Title: Barriers and production solutions surrounding dairy beef supply chains in Australia.
Candidates approved to graduate
Faculty of Arts and Education
Jason Cummings School of Education
Principal Supervisor: Aspro Alan Bain
Co-Supervisor: Dr Greg Kevin Auhl
Thesis Title: Teacher preparation and professional language development: Do pre-service teachers develop a professional language for inclusive classroom teaching practice?
Juana Katzer School of Social Work and Arts
Principal Supervisor: Prof Manohar Shankar Pawar
Co-Supervisor: Dr Lynelle Grace Osburn
Thesis Title: Social Workers’ Decision-Making Processes with Children who Exhibited Problem Sexualised Behaviours
Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences
Sheree Moore School of Psychology
Principal Supervisor: Aspro Rachael Fox
Co-Supervisors: Brona Nic Giolla Easpaig, Aspro Linda Michelle Deravin
Thesis Title: Family and Domestic Violence in Australian Rural Emergency Departments: A critical analysis of institutional discourses and narratives
Tasia Power Centre for Law and Justice
Principal Supervisor: Aspro Emma Jane Colvin
Co-Supervisors: Dr Francesco Vecchio, Dr Anna Elizabeth Corbo Crehan, Prof Alison Frances Gerard
Thesis Title: Humanitarianism in the Securitisation of ‘Resettlement’: The Cambodian Resettlement Agreement
Faculty of Science and Health
Anne Charlotte Johnson School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Principal Supervisor: DProf Geoffrey Michael Gurr
Co-Supervisors: Dr Jason Patrick Smith, Dr Judith Anne Crockett, Dr Yann Guisard
Thesis Title: Implementation of agroecological practices in viticulture: Identification of factors that motivate or constrain uptake
Karly Liffen School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Principal Supervisor: Prof Hayley Davina Randle
Co-Supervisors: Prof Natalie Waran, Dr Cath Charlotte Henshall, Dr Jessica Louise Rose
Thesis Title: Australian cattle feedlot working horses: a series of novel studies of welfare under field work conditions.
Brianna Maslen School of Agricultural, Environmental & Veterinary Sciences
Principal Supervisor: Aspro Sam Dinkar Pant
Co-Supervisor: Prof Jason David White
Thesis Title: Faecal Microbiomes and their Relationship with the overall Health and Productivity of Cattle.
Congratulations to Nushrat Azam on her recent presentation
Here is a write-up from the presentation.
On March 29, 2025, I had the opportunity to present my paper (online session) at the “Women Who Create 2025: The Feminine and the Arts, A Transdisciplinary Conference,” conducted by the London Arts-Based Research Centre. This enlightening conference, held at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, concluded online on March 31. Co-authored with Dr. Suzie and Dr. Ellie, my research delves into themes critical to feminism and gender studies.

The paper “The Other Within: A South Asian Women’s Perspective on Identity and Alienation in Migrant Narratives” is a pivotal component of the Exegesis for my PhD thesis. This work examines how “otherness” and “alienation” manifest in South Asian literature, focusing on Monica Ali’s Brick Lane, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, and Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine.
My analysis reveals how these narratives highlight the internal struggles of female migrant protagonists in response to societal pressure, shedding light on the delicate balance between individual desires and cultural expectations, particularly for migrant women. The study underscores how South Asian women writers articulate the nuanced experiences of identity and belonging in diasporic literature.
The feedback received during the conference session, as well as insights from other presenters, have greatly enriched my understanding of these topics. The conference’s diverse themes—including feminist theory, transdisciplinary practices, the struggle of female writers in a male-dominated world and the impact of influential female writers—have expanded my perspective and inspired new avenues for research. Engaging with such a vibrant community of scholars has affirmed the importance of dialogue in fostering deeper knowledge and understanding.
Take a Moment to read these Articles by PhD Candidate, Annette Bowen
Development of a grading system for visually assessing equine quality of movement
Abstract
The Equine Quality of Movement Score: How reliable is it?
Abstract
Abstract
A week before my 50th birthday I was diagnosed with a rare form of mitochondrial disease, so rare in fact that it does not have its own name. While this necessitated negative changes in my life, it also created a window for me to explore my creativity: Something that I had never had time to devote to previously. This started with an introduction to basic acrylic painting. It has now developed into oil and watercolour painting, charcoal drawing, sketching, crochet, and origami. As a social worker I know the importance of sensory therapies such as music, dance, play and art. Sensory therapies are patient-centered treatments that promote self-management and self-care, ameliorating some of the side effects associated with pharmacological treatments. As I was taking over 30 tablets a day, I was interested in exploring alternative options that did not exactly fit into the scope of my medical therapy. In this paper, I have used autoethnography to achieve a meaningful understanding of personal experience from a cultural perspective. Using a psychological constructionist world view allowed for personal iterative inner construction. Exploring creativity happened for me by accident. After I started painting classes, I realised there was a change occurring in my mood. I found that I could live a more positive life with improved well-being, I enjoyed learning more about my creative abilities, including selling items in order to create an income stream. These multiple positive outcomes were unexpected and extremely beneficial, demonstrating the importance of creativity throughout the life course during times of illness.
