Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership)

Professor Michelle Trudgett

Professor Michelle Trudgett is an Indigenous scholar from the Wiradjuri Nation in New South Wales. Michelle currently holds the position Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership) at Western Sydney University. Prior to this appointment she served as Pro Vice-Chancellor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education, Strategy and Consultation at Western Sydney University, Inaugural Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledges at the University of Technology Sydney, and was previously the Head of Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University.  In 2018, Michelle received the highly prestigious National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year Award, additionally she was also awarded the Neville Bonner Award for Teaching Excellence (along with colleagues Page and Bodkin-Andrews).

She has been a Chief Investigator on four Australian Research Council grants, three as the lead CI, which equates to $4,189,000 in funding. Michelle has developed an international reputation as a leading Indigenous Australian scholar whose research provides considerable insight into Indigenous participation in higher education, with a specific focus on the postgraduate sector. She is currently working on two significant ARC projects - one will reshape the way universities currently 'do business' with Indigenous Australians through focusing on Indigenous leadership and governance in higher education, whilst the other investigates how the sector can best support and develop Indigenous early career researchers. Michelle is deeply passionate about ensuring that all students and staff at Western Sydney University have the opportunity to meaningfully engage with Indigenous Knowledges.