Dr Michelle Newcomb

Biography

Dr Michelle Newcomb is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at QUT, internationally recognised for her research on practitioner and student wellbeing in the social work profession. With over 15 years of frontline experience in domestic and international human services, Michelle brings a deeply grounded, real-world perspective to her academic work. Her practice career includes roles in youth homelessness, domestic violence, and community development, notably as a founding member of a complex needs project for young homeless people in London and as Homelessness and Social Housing Coordinator with Brisbane City Council.

Michelle’s research is shaped by a strong commitment to feminist principles and social justice. She explores how gendered expectations and emotional labour affect social workers, particularly in high-stress environments. Among her most notable contributions is the concept of “hidden strengths” such as the emotional, relational, and reflective capacities that social workers rely on but which are often undervalued in professional discourse.

Her work has significantly contributed to understanding burnout, staff attrition, and student disadvantage in social work and human services. In 2022, she was named one of Australia’s Top Five early career researchers in the Humanities by the ABC, recognising her impact on the field. Michelle’s scholarship has been published in leading social work journals and she regularly presents at national and international conferences.

She is actively involved in curriculum development, professional accreditation, and collaborative research projects, including work on trigger warnings in education, abolitionist approaches to child protection, and reforming self-care practices in academia. As a passionate educator and mentor, Michelle is dedicated to fostering critical thinking, ethical practice, and professional resilience in the next generation of social workers.