La Trobe University has academic experts, available to talk to the media during the summer period.
Please contact experts directly over the summer.
Many experts prefer SMS as the first method of contact.
Some may not be available on public holidays, noted under their contact information.
If unsure, please contact on email first.
Contents
- Aged care and ageing
- Animals and pets
- Education, back to school, reading
- Bushfire safety, recovery
- Conspiracy theories and anti-vax sentiment
- Gender, Safety
- Health, diet, alcohol, sport and exercise
- Media, history and politics
- New Year ahead
- Science and tech
- Tourism and transport
- Working, not working
You can search all La Trobe University academic staff on Scholars La Trobe.
AGED CARE AND AGEING
- Aged care, especially rural aged care, ageing, older people
Professor Irene Blackberry, John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research (Albury-Wodonga-based)
0410 626 880 / [email protected]
ANIMALS AND PETS
- Looking after your dogs and cats during Summer (including during fireworks), adopting pets as Christmas presents
Professor Pauleen Bennett, Head of Department Psychology and Counselling (Bendigo based)
0427 700 260 / [email protected]
EDUCATION, BACK TO SCHOOL, READING
- Improving your child’s reading abilities before they head back to school, what to look for in how your child’s school is approaching reading instruction.
Professor Pamela Snow, Cognitive Psychology, School of Education (Bendigo-based)
0458 377 253 / [email protected]
Associate Professor Tanya Serry, Literacy and Reading Education, School of Education
0418 384 085 / [email protected]
- Blending remote and classroom learning; digital technologies in the classroom; e-learning; online learning
Dr Stefan Schutt, Senior Lecturer in Learning Design, School of Education
0410 387 622 / [email protected]
Not available: 24, 25, 26 December, 1 and 2 January
BUSHFIRE SAFETY, RECOVERY
- Bushfire season, risks, planned burns and summer in Australia, bushfire recovery, impacts of bushfire on flora and fauna
Professor Michael Clarke, School of Life Sciences
0427 368 851 / [email protected]
- Bushfire preparedness, particularly in areas that have not traditionally experienced such events, recovering from the trauma of a bushfire event
Adjunct Professor Jim McLennan, School of Psychology and Public Health
0438 096 548 / [email protected]
CONSPIRACY THEORIES, ANTI-VAX SENTIMENT
- How conspiracy theories and ideologies take hold, conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 and vaccination , why people can be vaccine hesitant, how to respond to someone spreading disinformation
Dr Mathew Marques, School of Psychology and Public Health
0405 507 727 / [email protected]
GENDER, SAFETY
- Drink spiking; sexual assault; family violence; women’s safety; LGBTQ communities; sexual harassment
Dr Jess Ison, researcher at the Judith Lumley Centre
0481 880 596 / [email protected]
HEALTH, DIET, ALCOHOL, SPORT AND EXERCISE
- The meaning of food in people’s lives, how food embodies cultural values, sustainable consumption, veganism/vegetarianism
Dr Matt Ruby, School of Psychology and Public Health
0490 854 736 / [email protected]
In North America for December & January, please allow for time difference
- How we can keep active, healthy and eating well over the summer period, and why it’s important
Dr Steve Cousins, Lecturer Community and Allied Health (Bendigo based)
0450 318 190 / [email protected]
Not available between December 24 to 28
- Memory systems, Indigenous memory systems, songlines, Indigenous knowledges – science, writing non-fiction
Dr Lynney Kelly AM, Humanities & Social Sciences School
0409 554 193 / [email protected]
- Sustainable and nutritious future foods and plants/foods for outer space
Dr Kim Johnson, Institute for Agriculture and Food
0418 858 465 / [email protected]
Not available 24, 25 December, 1 January
- How regional/rural hospitals are coping over the summer break
Professor Jane Mills, Head of School, Rural Health School
0409 762 200 / [email protected]
- Sport sponsorship, management, organisational theorist, systemic governance, ambush marketing and consumer behaviour
Dr Geoff Dickson, Associate Professor of Sport Management
0475 776 029 / [email protected]
- Knee pain in young people (adolescents and adults), noisy knees
Dr Danilo De Oliveira Silva, physiotherapist and knee specialist
0426 188 766 / [email protected]
- Sports injuries, women’s AFL, female athlete, knee arthritis, kneecap pain, ACL injuries
Dr Brooke Patterson, physiotherapist, Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre
0418 527 768 / [email protected]
Not available 25, 26 December and 1 January
- Perceptual, visual and cognitive skills of athletes and in sport, virtual reality training, mental health within fantasy football, the visual impact of pink ball in cricket
Dr Luke Wilkins, subject coordinator for Motor Behaviour in Sport and Talent Identification and Development
0451 117 652 / [email protected]
Not available 24, 25, 26, 31 December and 1 January
- Sports medicine, sports injuries, musculoskeletal injuries
Dr Joanne Kemp, Associate Professor, Physiotherapy
0410 175 435 / [email protected]
Not available 24 and 25 December
- Sports injuries, recovery, load management, prevention of injury
Dr Andrea Mosler, Specialist Sports Physiotherapist
0417 290 558 / [email protected]
Not available 25 December
- Hip and groin pain, hip osteoarthritis
Dr Matthew King, physiotherapist
0423 057 818 / [email protected]
Not available 25 December and 1 January
- Exercise, running, fitness, injuries, knee pain, osteoarthritis
Dr Christian Barton, Associate Professor Physiotherapy
0403 012 914 / [email protected]
Not available 25 December
- The Australian Ballet, Victorian Institute of Sport & tendon injury, persistent pain, sports injuries
Dr Ebonie Rio, Senior Research Fellow Physiotherapy
Not available 24, 25, 26, 31 December and 1 January
- Benefits of exercise programs for women,
Dr Andrea Bruder, Associate Professor Physiotherapy
0418 511 909 / [email protected]
Not available 24, 25, 26, 31 December and 1 January
MEDIA, HISTORY AND POLITICS
- Australian foreign policy, maritime disputes in the Indo-Pacific, China-Australia relations
Dr Bec Strating, Executive Director, La Trobe Asia
0400 287 758 / [email protected]
- Afghanistan and the US, Middle East politics
Dr Niamatullah Ibrahimi, Lecturer in International Relations
0403 000 570 / [email protected]
- Social media cultures and platform trends, youth-focused platforms such as TikTok, the use of social media for education/learning, digital misinformation, fandom/celebrity
Dr Clare Southerton, Digital Technology and Pedagogy
Not available 25, 31 December and 1 January
- History of Coal, Climate change, Australian Aboriginal/Colonial history, feminism, body image, mothering
Dr Liz Conor, Department of Archaeology and History
0424 132 605 / [email protected]
Not available 24 & 25 December
- Digital and social media, digital self-marketing, politics and social media, personal branding
Natalie McKenna, discipline lead in strategic communication
0420 378 026 / [email protected]
Not available 24, 25, 26 December
NEW YEAR AHEAD
- New Year’s resolutions, enhancing resilience, wellbeing and positivity post-pandemic
Adjunct Lecturer Ros Ben-Moshe, School of Psychology and Public Health
0413 592 030 / [email protected]
Not available 25, 26 December and 1 January.
SCIENCE AND TECH
- Engineering, shortage of engineers, regional Australia issues, regional manufacturing
Professor Chris Stoltz AM, Director of Regional Advanced Manufacturing Hub
0417 147 631 / [email protected]
- Artificial Intelligence, Data, Automation, Robotics, Ethics, Technology, Security
Dr Daswin De Silva, Deputy Director of the Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition (CDAC)
TOURISM AND TRANSPORT
- Child friendly cities, children’s everyday mobilities, school travel, car dependence
Dr Hulya Gilbert, lecturer – Community Planning and Development Program
- Tourism in Melbourne and Victoria
Dr Kiran Shinde, Convener, Planning Program
0415 754 735 / [email protected]
Not available 29 December to 7 January
WORK, NOT WORKING
- Needing to take a break, working from home verses the office, switching of from work
Dr Jodi Oakman, Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors
0447 152 944 / [email protected]
Not available 25, 31 December and 1 January
Image: “An Australian Beach” by Joe Shlabotnik is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
