Volunteer Stories
Volunteer assignments are locally-led by our University partners. Here are some of their stories.
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Mongolia’s GMIT Welcomes Professor Julie Owens for 12-month Assignment
Emeritus Professor Julie Owens has embarked on a 12-month hybrid assignment with the German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology (GMIT) to support the development of the University’s newly established Research and Innovation Centre and next research strategy. In collaboration with the GMIT team, Professor Owens will develop strategies, policies, and procedures to manage the University's research and intellectual property, including research translation and commercialisation. “The assignment focuses on building capabilities and capacity, promoting inclusive development, and delivering strategic management support,” she said. The university’s esteemed Rector, Professor Battsengel Baatar, met with Professor Owens in the first days of her posting and she was invited to join the Rector on the jury for the Mongolian Finals of the global Falling Walls research innovation competition, hosted by GMIT and partners at the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. Professor Owens said that she has been comprehensively briefed by the Director GMIT’s new Research Innovation Centre, and by the Vice Rector Finance and Administration, Enkhbayar Bold and will be meeting with leaders and staff over the next month. “I now have a better understanding of the business model, overall strategy, and current research state. This provides a great starting point for effective collaboration on the work ahead. We are already discussing opportunities for additional academic volunteer assignments, both general and academic.” With a long and distinguished academic career, Professor Owens brings a wealth of research translation and commercialisation experience to GMIT. She was previously the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research at Deakin University and a Professor in the Faculty of Health and Pro Vice Chancellor (Research Strategy) at the University of Adelaide. The German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology (GMIT) is a state-owned university established in 2013 by the German and Mongolian governments. Its goal is to educate highly qualified, socially responsible, internationally recognised engineers and to advance research and innovation for the benefit of society. It uniquely delivers all education and training for its students in English and is regarded as a great model for the future. The University has recently established a Research and Innovation Centre responsible for research development, research infrastructure, knowledge transfer, and research commercialisation. GMIT’s main campus is located in the Nalaikh district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. September 2025
Photo: Julie Owens (front left) shares a group photo moment with Australia's Governor General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, at an Australian government NGO partners event in Mongolia.
Strengthening SINU's Research Potential:
Dr Padma Lal's Impactful Assignment
Distinguished Ecological Economist, Dr Padma Narsey Lal has just completed the first 12 week in-country stage of a hybrid capacity-building assignment with the Solomon Islands National University (SINU). The primary goal of Dr Lal’s assignment is to enhance SINU's ability to access, implement, and manage externally funded research and development projects to enhance their research capability. She accepted this formal assignment at the invitation of the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Transform Aqorau. She had previously worked with SINU's team remotely to develop an NGO partnership. Dr Lal is an expert in designing and implementing interdisciplinary analytical approaches to support informed decision-making in the Pacific. She has decades of experience successfully undertaking policy related research in the Pacific Islands Forum Countries, as well as Australia. Specific areas of her expertise are climate change, disaster risk management; water and sanitation; agriculture and food security; infrastructure development; coastal fisheries; and mangrove management. One of the key initiatives led by Dr Lal is the "Research for Outcomes" (R4O) Training at SINU. This programme includes two hands-on training modules designed to build applied interagency institutional capability. The first module focuses on Internal Research Mobilisation, equipping academic staff with practical skills in robust proposal writing, detailed research design, including full cost recovery based project budgets, and stakeholder engagement. The second module is dedicated to External Grant Application Development, providing a platform for cross-functional teams to co-develop a signature interdisciplinary R4O grant proposals. SINU has identified several priority areas for capacity building with Dr Lal's ongoing leadership and support. These are: (1) Establishing a formal, policy-based relationship with the Solomon Islands Government and other bilateral, multilateral, and non-state actors; (2) Establishing a coordinated institutional mechanism for transparency and accountability across the university by clarifying the roles of the Office of Research and Postgraduate Studies (ORPS), the Faculties and the Finance department. (3) Targeting direct access to global funds such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility. Dr Lal's assignment is scheduled to finish at the end of 2025. Discussions regarding a second assignment are underway. September 2025
Photo credits: 1. Fiji Times, Jonacani Lalakobau, May 08, 2023 (https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/the-fight-to-save-our-mangroves/). 2. SINU Website, August 2025: SINU VC Professor Transform Aqorau accepts the Reading Machine owned by the late Professor Brij Vilash Lal and gifted by Dr Padma Lal to the SINU Research Office.
Career progression, leadership capability and gender equity
Emerita Professor Marilys Guillemin from The University of Melbourne recently embarked on a 12-month hybrid assignment with the University of the South Pacific (USP), focusing on Professional Development to support the University’s ambitions to enhance career progression, leadership capability and gender equity among USP's academic and professional staff. The assignment includes a crucial, four-month in-country component in Suva, Fiji. The in-country segment is divided into two parts in March-April and July-September. During the initial phase, Marilys conducted 42 individual and small group interviews with a diverse range of USP staff. These interviews were instrumental in understanding the existing landscape and identifying key areas for development. Following these consultations, Marilys presented her findings and a draft organisational development program to the Senior Management Team at USP. This resulted in the University committing support for the proposed program, marking a significant step forward in the initiative. The next stage of the assignment will continue to involve close collaboration with the Human Resources (HR) department at USP. “Together, we will develop a comprehensive business case and support the design and development of an organisational development program for the university to implement,” Marilys said. Professor Guillemin’s assignment highlights the strong partnership between Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad, the Australian Volunteers Program, and the University of the South Pacific. Committed to professional development and organisational enhancement, Marilys is supporting the University to deliver on its commitment to the long-term success of its staff. April 2025
From left: Neelta Goundar, Senior Business Partner in Human Resources and Emerita Professor Marilys Guillemin on the USP campus.
Supporting USP's commitment to mental health education and training
In late March, Emeritus Professor Kim Halford, a Clinical Psychologist from The University of Queensland, began the in-country phase of a 12-month hybrid assignment with the University of the South Pacific (USP), a supra-national university serving 12 Pacific Island nations. Supported by the Australian Volunteers Program in partnership with Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad (AAVA), Kim’s assignment includes a four-month in-country placement at the USP Laucala campus in Suva, Fiji. This initiative is driven by USP's commitment to enhancing mental health education and training in the region. The purpose of Kim’s assignment is to develop a framework and business case for a program of short courses and a Master’s in Psychological Practice. This program aims to support the professional development needs of local mental health practitioners in the region. "This vast, dispersed geography makes traditional face-to-face training unfeasible. Online delivery is the only viable option," Kim said. Under USP's guidance, he engaged with over 65 stakeholders during his initial three weeks, including USP staff, local counsellors, doctors, psychiatrists, social workers and regional researchers. He also consulted with psychology-education experts in Australia and New Zealand to explore partnership opportunities and best practices, all aligned with USP's vision. In many communities, the psychologist's role is an unfamiliar one. To address this, in collaboration with the USP team, Kim is delivering seminars illustrating the benefits of a science-practitioner approach in strengthening assessment and intervention in counselling and mental health services. Kim’s next step will be to pilot a modular online workshop series, gather feedback from participants across the region, and refine the curriculum. These findings will inform a detailed proposal for USP’s continuing-education framework and the new Master’s program, ensuring both cultural relevance and scalability under USP's leadership. Professor Halford's work contributes to supporting USP’s crucial role in strengthening mental health across the Pacific region. April 2025
Talaona with Mr. Kiri Morawa CEO of the Diabetes Fiji and colleagues
A workshop and Talanoa session with Fiji
Counsellor Association
Solomon Islands National University (SINU) focuses on quality assurance and the student experience
SINU’s recently appointed Vice-Chancellor, Professor Transform Aqorau, contacted AAVA in late 2023 to express his keen interest in filling a highly specialised academic volunteer assignment with governance, quality assurance and academic capacity-building responsibilities. The perfect match for this assignment came in the person of Professor Angela Hill, who had contacted Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad with an expression of interest just a month earlier. With extensive senior leadership experience in higher education that includes working in Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka, Angela was previously Dean, Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement at James Cook University and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) at Edith Cowan University. Professor Hill’s years of experience in academic leadership and her focus on teaching and learning and the student experience, resonated with Vice-Chancellor Aqorau’s ambitions for SINU. One of the newer universities in the Pacific, SINU was established in January 2013 to provide quality and affordable education. With 200 staff and over 8,000 students in five faculties, the University has a critical role play in the future of the Solomon Islands. Professor Hill’s 17-month assignment, approved and enabled by the Australian Volunteers Program, will commence remotely in August 2024, with a three month in-country component scheduled for early 2025. The objectives of her assignment include: guiding a comprehensive review of all academic programmes and policies at the University; supporting the development of strategies that lead to accreditation; and initiating a suite of capacity building programmes that enhance the capabilities of academic staff. July 2024
Professor Angela Hill
AAVA Volunteer
Professor Transform Aqorau, Vice-Chancellor, Solomon Islands National University
Closing the leadership gap
The University of the South Pacific (USP), founded in 1968, is one of only ten supra-national universities globally. Owned by the governments of 12 Pacific Island countries, USP enrolls 20,000 students and employs 1,600 staff. Retaining, attracting and developing senior academic leaders is a key challenge faced by the University and others in the region. To assist USP in its on-going efforts to address the senior leadership gap in many academic disciplines, Professor Graham Schaffer was engaged for a 12-month hybrid assignment to establish an academic volunteering program designed specifically to attract academic leaders who can support the disciplines and enable the careers of others. Other specific objectives for Graham’s assignment are to support curriculum renewal and development, to develop research collaborations and to contribute to teaching. Approved and enabled by the Australian Volunteers Program, this assignment was shaped and led by USP. “The reality for all universities is that senior scholars are needed to lead disciplines, to foster quality teaching and research, and to partner effectively with government, industry, the professions and the community,” Graham said. The cause of the academic leadership gap is complex and includes tight budgets, a hotly competitive and global marketplace for talent and barriers to enabling the promotion of early and mid-career staff when senior leaders aren’t available to guide, support and enable their careers. Graham started working with USP remotely in February 2024, followed by a three month in-country component from April to July. His appointment as an Adjunct Professor and volunteer will continue through February 2025. July 2024
Professor Graham Schaffer teaching an engineering class at USP
On assignment at USP
Internationalising the Curriculum
For more than 20 years, IIHS has helped professionalise nursing and allied health education in Sri Lanka and the region. As Sri Lanka’s pioneer International University Learning Centre where more than 3,000 local and regional students have gained an opportunity to access the global health and education workforce, IIHS is committed to improving the quality of the learning experience by introducing students to international perspectives and experiences. The University contacted AAVA in late 2023, seeking support to develop international research collaborations, internationalise the curriculum and mentor early career staff. Working with the University, AAVA helped prepare an assignment for a Professor of Nursing to build academic capacity and support the careers of others. After an extensive national recruitment campaign, AAVA identified Professor Violeta Lopez as the ideal candidate and introduced her to the University. With a vast range of higher education and academic experience as a Professor of Nursing in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines, Violeta is a trailblazing figure in the nursing community, renowned for her exceptional academic achievements and unwavering dedication to promoting nursing excellence. Professor Lopez’s 12-month assignment, approved and enabled by the Australian Volunteers Program, will commence remotely in November 2024, with a six month in-country component scheduled for early 2025. October 2024
Professor Violeta Lopez
IIHS staff and students farewell Professor Lopez at the end of her assignment.