Tonia Gray

In 2012, Professor Tonia Gray was appointed to the Centre for Educational Research at Western as a Secondary Specialist in Pedagogy and Learning. In 2014, Tonia received the prestigious 'Australian Award for Excellence in University Teaching' for her contribution to Outdoor Learning and Experiential Education. Her interdisciplinary research includes: gender equity in outdoor learning environments, wellbeing associated with human-nature relationships, reflection and facilitation, and experiential learning in a variety of educational settings. Additionally, Tonia received the 2019 Association of Experiential Education's Distinguished Researcher of the Year in 2019.

With a wealth of experience in curriculum design, implementation and evaluation spanning over three decades, Tonia has been awarded two large consecutive ALTC (now OLT) grants for curriculum innovation to introduce reflective and experience-based learning to international education within tertiary settings. Her long-term involvement in NSW Curriculum with the Board of Studies and more recently with ACARA affords Tonia a depth and breadth of contemporary expertise in the National Curriculum renewal process.

As principal supervisor, Tonia has graduated over 30 HDR students; attracted several major research grants, and published in a vast array of monographs, book chapters and refereed publications.

Tonia is a past editor of the Australian Journal of Outdoor Education (AJOE) and currently an associate editor of Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education (JOEE), an international reviewer for the Journal of Experiential Education (JEE), and the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (JAEOL).

In 2018-2019 Tonia was selected to be part of a 80 Women-Only expedition to Antarctica with the Homeward Bound leadership program to elevate the climate change message through education and behaviour change.