Professor Ann Farrell

Full description

Ann Farrell is Professor and Head of the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, QUT.  Her previous accomplishments include:

• Earned PhD from The University of Queensland (1996). Her comparative international study of children and their mothers in prisons (United Kingdom, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria) generated prison reform for children and families impacted by incarceration

• Awarded Honorary Doctorate from Gothenburg University (Sweden) (2012) for international leadership in early childhood research

• Professional experience as an early childhood teacher in rural and urban Australia and British Columbia (1976-1989); and Preschool Adviser with Creche and Kindergarten Association  (C&K) QLD (1990)

• International authority in Early Childhood Education and Care research and advocacy  evidenced in more than 100 scholarly publications, $6m in research funding and invited presentations to academic and professional audiences in 25 countries

• Collaborative Australian Research Council  (ARC) research into teachers reporting suspected child sexual abuse led to legislative change in Queensland and her ARC research into integrated child and family services  provided impetus to Australia’s national ‘hubs’ initiatives

• Expertise in research ethics, children’s rights to protection and participation, childhood and families studies, children in the legal and criminal justice systems, researching with young children, Early Childhood Education and Care, early childhood teacher education, globalization and diversity

• Appointed as Minister’s Nominee to Board of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), Australia’s national body supporting the National Quality Framework for of ECEC (2016)

• Invited member of the Collaborative Research Network “Excellence in Research in Early Years Education” involving QUT, Charles Sturt University (lead) and Monash University and funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (2011-2015) $5.3M

• Led six-university consortium for international mobility involving 54 students and 36 staff in “Intercultural dialogue for global leadership and citizenship in early childhood education” (2010-2014), funded by the European Union and Australia’s Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, with QUT (Australian leader), Charles Sturt University, Monash University, Gothenburg University (EU leader), University College of Northern Denmark and University of East London.

• Appointed to the  Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Expert Panel (Teacher Education: Early Childhood) (2013)

• Ministerial Appointee to the Early Childhood Education and Care Forum, a sector-wide consultative body for Towards Q2. Tomorrow’s Queensland; and Ministerial Appointee to the Office of Higher Education Review Panel, Department of Education, Training and Employment (Queensland)

• International review panels at University of Pretoria (South Africa)  (2013) and Malardarlen University (Sweden)  (2014)

• ARC International Reader (IntReader), contributing special early years expertise in assessing ARC grants and collaborative bids between the ARC and the United Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research Council. She serves as an External Assessor for the NHMRC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and South Africa’s National Research Foundation, Reviews and Evaluation Directorate

• Recognized by Department of Education, Training  and Employment (Qld) as an expert in research, academic and evaluation services