This interactive half-day workshop is designed for academics, professionals, and students who want to improve their understanding of the political and government landscape and how to frame and promote their research to inform and help shape policy.
Tuesday 22nd April 2025
9:30 - 1:30 PM
Room S201, Hawken Engineering Building (50)Â Staff House Road, UQ ST LUCIA CAMPUS
Presenters include:
Professor Brian Head joined UQ in 2007 after holding senior roles in government, universities, and the non-government sector. His extensive government experience informs his work on public management, governance, and policy processes. He has conducted numerous consultancies for government on program evaluation, policy review, organizational performance, and governance. Head specializes in addressing complex "wicked problems" in public policy, focusing on evidence-based approaches, program evaluation, and integrity within public administration. He is dedicated to strengthening connections between research and policy sectors, applying his government expertise to improve public sector outcomes through collaborative governance frameworks.
Dr. Caitlin Curtis investigates the societal impacts of science and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and genomics, emphasising trust and responsible implementation. Her interdisciplinary research informs policy debates on ethical, legal, and social issues in these fields. As a UQ's Centre for Policy Futures and the Trust, Ethics, and Governance Alliance Research Hub member, she has extensive experience translating research into policy and engaging with government stakeholders. Her communication excellence earned her the 2018 ABC Top 5 Scientist Media Residency Award, the 2019 Australian Institute of Science & Policy Tall Poppy Science Award, and appointment as a 2019 Queensland Flying Scientist with the Office of the QLD Chief Scientist.
Dr Liz Young is the Research Director of the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub, leading efforts to connect universities, industry, communities, First Nations people, and government to co-create knowledge and solutions that accelerate Queensland’s clean growth future. A strategic leader with extensive experience in environmental policy, climate action, and public sector governance, Liz has had a distinguished career in the Queensland Government, working across a broad range of environmental and climate-related challenges. She has shaped high-level policy frameworks and driven innovative solutions that bridge expert advice and public policy.
Dr Morgan Tear is a behavioural scientist with a decade of experience across academic, government, and private sectors. At CPF, he works on Work Futures and Economic Security initiatives. Previously, Morgan established and managed Queensland's Behavioural Economics and Research Team (BERT), the state's first central behavioural insights unit. There, he led research-based projects that informed Queensland government policy and programs. His expertise spans organisational culture, social inclusion, regulation, and public policy, employing qualitative methods, trial design, statistical analysis, and psychological behaviour change theories. Morgan's work bridges the gap between evidence and implementation by placing human behaviour at the center of policy design.