Professor Jenna Gillett-Swan

Biography

Professor Jenna Gillett-Swan is a leading scholar in student voice, children’s rights in education, and participatory research. She is a Professor in the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where her research centres on wellbeing, rights, voice, inclusion, and equitable participation across educational contexts. Jenna’s work is grounded in a strong social justice orientation, with a focus on building individual and collective capability, agency, and wellbeing. She is internationally recognised for her expertise in qualitative, child-centred and participatory methodologies, particularly those that enable meaningful engagement with children and young people in research, policy, and practice. She was co-leader of the Health and Wellbeing Research Program within the Centre for Inclusive Education (C4IE) (2020-2026) and plays an active role in national and international research collaborations. Jenna is Co-Convenor of the European Educational Research Association’s Research Network on Children’s Rights and Education (2017-current) and is a foundation member and current Board member of the Australian Council for Student Voice. Through this work, she contributes to advancing rights-based, participatory approaches in education systems globally.

Professor Gillett-Swan has a strong track record of competitive research funding, including multiple Australian Research Council projects, Education Horizon grants, and international funding such as from the Swedish Research Council. She is currently a Lead Investigator on a major ARC Linkage Project examining unconventional spaces for student wellbeing self-management, alongside a portfolio of projects exploring student voice, child rights and wellbeing, school environments, and equitable educational participation. Her research has informed a range of initiatives, including frameworks for student voice in wellbeing, investigations into school engagement and belonging, student-led approaches to pedagogical improvement, and equity considerations in teacher education and schooling. Across this work, she collaborates closely with schools, systems, and communities to co-design research that has direct impact on practice and policy. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges) of the Higher Education Academy. She has held several leadership roles at QUT, including Chair of the Faculty Equity Committee (2019-current). Jenna is an award-winning educator, recognised with an Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, alongside multiple institutional and national awards for teaching and research excellence.