WATTLE Webinar: Universities Australia – The Voice of Australia’s Universities.
The current unsettling higher education environment has led to uncertainty and unease amongst university staff. In this webinar we have invited the leaders of Universities Australia to share insights into the current and future state of universities in this country. Universities Australia advocates on behalf of its 39 member universities and provides a national voice for higher education. How does UA use their voice to influence policy and foster greater understanding of the role and value of universities in Australia?
Join us for a unique opportunity to hear Professor Carolyn Evans, Chair of UA and Luke Sheehy, CEO of UA discuss the role of UA and listen to their thoughts on the university sector.
EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS:
(for alum and guests)
TOPIC: Universities Australia – The Voice of Australia’s Universities
DATE: Friday, 14 November 2025
TIME: 1:00 PM – 2:00PM AEDT
VIA: Microsoft Teams
BOOKING LINK: https://www.trybooking.com/DGOSB
The Microsoft Teams webinar link will be sent to you upon booking confirmation.
Speakers:
Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice Chancellor and President, Griffith University, and Chair, Universities Australia.
Professor Carolyn Evans | LinkedIn
Professor Carolyn Evans is Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University, a role which she has held since the start of 2019. Carolyn graduated with degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne and earned her doctorate from Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
Before joining Griffith University, Carolyn served as Dean of Law and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Graduate and International) and Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne. Her scholarly work focuses on law, religion, and human rights. She received a Fulbright Senior Scholarship in 2010 to undertake comparative religious freedom research. In 2019, Carolyn was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Carolyn has held various leadership roles, including Queensland Chair and national Board member of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia from 2023-2025, President of Australian Higher Education Industrial Association from 2022-2024, Chair of the Innovative Research Universities from 2021-2022 and board member of Open Universities Australia from 2019-2023. Currently, she is a board member of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, a member of Chief Executive Women and Chair for Universities Australia.
Luke Sheehy, Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia.
Mr Luke Sheehy commenced as the CEO of Universities Australia in February 2024. He is a highly skilled leader with more than 20 years’ experience shaping the agenda of higher education.
Prior to UA, Mr Sheehy led the Australian Technology Network of Universities for almost five years. He has also held key education roles in government, worked as an education and strategy consultant for the Asian Development Bank and held senior management roles at Swinburne University.
As the first member of his family to graduate from university, Mr Sheehy knows first-hand the power of education to transform lives and is driven to ensure that opportunity is provided to as many people as possible.
Facilitator:
Professor Virginia Kilborn, Chief Scientist, Swinburne University of Technology, and WATTLE Founder.
Professor Virginia Kilborn | LinkedIn
Professor Virginia Kilborn is Swinburne’s inaugural Chief Scientist, working to further education, research, policy and equity at Swinburne and beyond.
Virginia’s background is in radio astronomy, and she works closely with the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University. Her research interests include tracing galaxy evolution by studying the neutral hydrogen gas in galaxies.
Virginia has pioneered a new educational program in Space Technology at Swinburne, allowing undergraduate students from any discipline to undertake space technology studies and industry projects. She is an executive sponsor of Swinburne’s Youth Space Innovation Challenge, enabling students to send experiments to the International Space Station.
With a long-term focus on equity initiatives, Virginia is also an executive leader of the Swinburne Women’s Academic Network and a founding member of WATTLE.