AI in Education Festival 2025

Prof. Sarah Maddison is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) at UNSW. Sarah has worked in Higher Education for 25 years, with 10 years of senior leadership experience, including Department Chair, School Dean, Faculty Executive Dean, Pro-Vice Chancellor, and most recently Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education, Experience & Employability) at Swinburne University of Technology. A champion of innovation in learning and teaching and research-informed practice, Sarah has led her team to win a prestigious Australian government Office of Learning & Teaching Citation and an Open Universities Australia NOVA award for innovation in online learning to build student agency and digital communities. She has been invited to numerous national and international panels on topics including the use of learning analytics to support student retention, learning ecosystems to support borderless education, and pedagogy and learning spaces. Learn more about Sarah.
 

A/Prof. Lynn Gribble (she/her) is nationally and internationally recognised for her thought leadership in AI teaching and learning and digital innovation practices, which have won multiple awards.  With community at heart, she created and co-leads the AI Community of Practice to disseminate, collaborate and advocate the use of AI in education practices at UNSW. An early adopter, adapter and authoritative voice in AI, she led the terms of reference responses for the Australasian Academic Integrity Network's submission to Parliament on the impacts of Artificial Intelligence in Education (2023) and also presented evidence to the Parliamentary enquiry of the same. In addition, Lynn’s teaching excellence is held in high esteem nationally and internationally (Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, 2020), gaining the Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2020), ASCILITE Community Fellow (2023) in recognition of her contribution, leadership, development and community building encouraging and supporting the use of technologies for Teaching and Learning and Senior CMALT(2025) a rare accolade, with only 50 globally denoting evidenced strategic influence and impact using technologies. 

Professor Christine (Tini) Mathies is the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education (PVCE). Her portfolio provides strategic direction and services supporting educational excellence and innovation at UNSW.  Tini is an established strategic leader committed to student learning and student experience, with extensive expertise in award-winning curriculum design and innovation and has a strong understanding of teaching and learning in higher education. Tini has over 20 years of experience as a marketing academic. Her research and teaching focuses on services marketing, exploring how people and technology can create service experiences that generate value for organisations, employees and customers alike.

Professor Alison Beavis is the Director of Education Innovation and Partnership at UNSW Sydney. She leads a talented team of education designers, innovators and technologists who focus on partnerships with the UNSW community to enhance the educator and student experience. Prior to commencing in her current role, Professor Beavis held several education leadership positions, most recently as Deputy Dean Education in the Faculty of Science at UNSW where she led significant curriculum renewal and championed work-integrated learning opportunities for science students.
With a disciplinary background in analytical and forensic chemistry, Professor Beavis has established an international profile in the study of trace evidence, particularly the detection and interpretation of explosives, drugs, and gunshot residues. She has led and contributed to research projects supporting government, law enforcement agencies, and has partnered with law enforcement and forensic science laboratories to improve forensic intelligence practices.
An award-winning educator, Professor Beavis has been recognised with institutional, national and international awards for her innovative approaches to curriculum and student learning. 
 

Amanda White is an Education-Focused Associate Professor in Accounting at the UTS Business School. She has been recognised at a national level for her innovation in assessment and the learner experience, as a winner of Teaching Excellence Award by the Australian Awards for University Teaching and a Medal in the Order of Australia. Amanda is currently experimenting with using AI Agents (Chat Bots) to support learning and reflection at scale, with anywhere from 600 to 1700 students enrolled in her Introductory Accounting subject.