Professor Mandy Thomas has been appointed Executive Dean of the QUT Creative Industries Faculty.
Formerly the Dean of Research Development at QUT, Professor Thomas is responsible for leading the Faculty in an important stage of its development as it consolidates its position as one of Australia's premier locations for study across such fields as Architecture, Film, Media, Journalism, Interactive Visual Design, Creative Writing, Acting, Fashion, Music and Dance.
Professor Thomas is an anthropologist who has undertaken research in both Vietnam and Australia. She has published widely on the lives of Vietnamese people who live under a communist regime and has also worked extensively with migrant groups in Australia on the migration experience.
Professor Thomas completed her PhD at ANU and then, on an ARC research fellowship at the University of Western Sydney, she worked closely with different migrant groups to try to understand the issues related to young people growing up in two cultures.
Before joining QUT, Professor Thomas was Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research and Research Training at ANU and was the ARC's Executive Director for the Humanities and Creative Arts from 2004 to 2006.
Professor Thomas has published numerous books and journal articles. She has also supervised many PhD students working in the areas of the anthropology of migration and Asian cultural studies.
