Halftime Scholars

Maria F. Larrea is a PhD candidate at Griffith University in Australia with extensive practical experience in aviation training, hospitality, and higher education, which underpins her research endeavours. She is interested in exploring the learning process and competence development in service-sector jobs, with a particular focus on the aviation and hospitality sectors.

Maria's doctoral project offers a holistic perspective on learning beyond formal training to enhance the competence of cabin crew members. She contends that their learning process transcends structured curricula as it evolves through the friction and negotiations of knowledge, values, and identity fostered in formal training and situated in work practice. This dynamic process sees cabin crew members consistently mediating their performance in routine and unexpected situations, shaping their professional competence and identity.

Central to Maria's research is the recognition that social interactions, beyond technical skills, play a pivotal role in shaping cabin crew competence. Her study aims to make empirical contributions by offering insights into these social dynamics during training and at work, providing airlines with a more comprehensive understanding of cabin crew learning experiences from an insider's perspective. Ultimately, Maria's work aims to assist airlines in improving cabin crew performance and fostering positive attitudes toward their roles as safety compliance enforcers and service providers.

Please follow Maria's work on LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/maria-larrea-544a5765

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

Welcome to this episode of Half Time Scholars. In this episode, we're joined by Carolyn Wade, an Educational Leader with over twenty years of experience in curriculum design and school-community partnerships. Carolyn began her career in primary education before advancing to senior leadership roles.

Recently, she embarked on a research project during a 12-month sabbatical to explore the impact of parent engagement on school leadership, culminating in her MEPSR study presented at education conferences from the Gold Coast to Toronto. Now pursuing a PhD at Griffith University, Carolyn is focused on enhancing educational practices and the relationship between schools and families.

We'll dive into Carolyn's research, examining how school leaders navigate parent engagement in a culture of increased consumerism. Her work, based on interviews with school leaders, highlights the spectrum of impacts that parent engagement can have, from minimal to significant pressures on school administration. Carolyn will share insights on how these dynamics could inform changes in school leader development and parent engagement strategies.

Expect a discussion that merges academic rigor with practical insights, offering valuable perspectives for educators, parents, and policymakers interested in the future of educational leadership and collaboration.

#EducationLeadership #ParentEngagement #SchoolCommunityPartnership #AcademicInsights #EducationalResearch

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

Priscyll Anctil Avoine is an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Department of War Studies at the Swedish Defence University, specializing in Feminist Security Studies. Holding a Ph.D. in Political Science and Feminist Studies from the Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada), she was a Vinnova/Marie Curie/SSHRC postdoctoral fellow at Lund University’s Department of Political Science (Sweden). Actively engaged with the Fundación Lüvo collective (Colombia, Canada), she contributes to feminist and anti-racist projects, including the publication of Revista Lüvo.

Her research, spanning over a decade, concentrates on embodied and emotional processes in contemporary wars, with a focus on the post-disarmament militancy of women ex-combatants. Her recent work delves into the political militancy of women ex-combatants in Nepal and Colombia, exploring leftist armed struggles' aftermath. Situated at the intersection of War and Gender Studies within Feminist International Relations, she has published extensively in prestigious journals and edited volumes, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects nationally and internationally.

Priscyll's expertise extends to teaching and supervision, having designed innovative curricula in Gender Studies, Philosophy for Peace, International Relations, and Feminist Philosophy. With over 2500 hours of teaching experience in Colombia, Canada, and Sweden, she welcomes student research in International Relations, particularly in Feminist Security Studies, war, DDR, leftist insurgencies, and Colombian politics. Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, she has lectured at various universities globally.

For more information on her work, visit https://priscyllanctil.com/about/.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

On this epsiode we speak with SarahLangmanis a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne Australia. Prior to academia, she worked as a primary school teacher and leader in regional Victorian government schools, and holds a MEd in Educational Leadership and Management.

Sarah’s Ph.D. project examines datafication in spaces of educational leadership, with a specific focus on the digital data techniques and technologies utilised by those in positions of leadership. Her research uses poststructuralist theory, particularly assemblage theory (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987), to critically explore the logics that shape the policy landscape in Australian education as a result of the processes of data infrastructuring. She investigates digital data platforms deployed by the departments of education in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales and the role they play in reconfiguring school leadership, critically considering how datafication has created new possibilities for thinking and practising school leadership.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

On this episode our guest is Lana F. Zeaiter is a PhD candidate in Educational Studies at McGill University. Her research interests revolve around plurilingualism, language pedagogy, teacher education, and learners' identities. Lana's current doctoral research focuses on the integration of technology-mediated plurilingual pedagogy into language teacher training programs. Her work aims to develop sustainable teaching practices and promote plurilingualism. With extensive teaching experience in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada, Lana has gained valuable insights into diverse educational contexts. These experiences have shaped her understanding of the challenges and opportunities in language education. Currently, she is a lecturer in the B.Ed. TESL program at McGill University and the B.Ed. TESL and FSL programs at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). Lana's dedication to academic excellence is evident through her numerous publications, active participation in conferences, and involvement in service roles. Notably, she serves as a member of the organizing team of the GradTalks at DISE and as a social media strategist for ACLA/CAAL. Follow Lana's work on Twitter (X) @ZeaiterLana9 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

Dr. Nora Devlin grew up in Pennsylvania, lived in NJ from 2011-2022 and in 2022 returned to Pennsylvania. In early 2023, Nora completed her Ph.D. in higher education in the Higher Education department at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Nora worked under the advisement of Dr. Barbara A. Lee studying higher education law. Her dissertation was a study of over 150 faculty free speech cases filed between 2006 and 2020. Nora is an expert on higher education law, especially faculty free speech and faculty discrimination cases. She is also a trained mediator and is a skilled resolver of conflicts. As an expert on conflict within academia, she is excited to find ways to apply her research and improve organizational culture by helping organizations learn to resolve conflict in kind and generous ways. Nora has also served as an editorial assistant for two scholarly journals including the Journal of College and University Law under the editorship of Dr. Ray Solomon (2018-2020) and Dr. Barbara A. Lee (2020-Present). Follow Nora's work on Twitter @noraannedevlin, and @ https://noradevlin.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

Priscylla Joca, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Law at the University of Toronto, is deeply engaged in researching Indigenous Laws and Ecological Governance. Her academic journey includes a Doctorate in Law from the Université de Montréal and a Master's in Constitutional Law from the Federal University of Ceara, Brazil. As a lecturer at both the Université de Montréal and the École d’études autochtones, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Priscylla's expertise spans Indigenous Laws, International Indigenous Rights, Human Rights, Climate Justice, Environmental Justice, and more. Her work centers on the complexities of implementing autonomous consultation and consent protocols by Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and traditional communities for Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). Through documentary analyses of diverse protocols from the Americas and an exploration of the protocols' recognition within the international human rights system, she reveals crucial insights. Her research reflects on the legal-political challenges of implementing FPIC and highlights the importance of recognizing communities' autonomy in determining consultation frameworks and guidelines. Ultimately, Priscylla's work underscores the potential of these protocols to implement FPIC while respecting the rights and cosmopolitics of the communities that authored them

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

In today's episode, we delve into the emerging sector of rural entrepreneurship and the creation of entrepreneurial ecosystems in low-density territories. Our guest today is João Almeida, a researcher and entrepreneur dedicated to exploring the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and rural development. João holds a BA degree in Languages and Business Relations, an MSc. in Management, and is currently a PhD candidate in Business and Economics at the University of Aveiro. He is also a research fellow at the Research Unit in Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP). João's research focuses on entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the role of innovation in rural areas. He strongly believes in the untapped potential of rural and low-density territories to address the world's challenges while offering unique opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation. In today's episode, João will share insights from his PhD research, which aims to shed light on the creation and development of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) in low-density territories, with a particular focus on Portugal. Join us as we explore the motivations, drivers, and barriers behind the emergence of EEs in these areas and uncover strategies to promote sustainable local development. Follow João's work on Twitter @joao_mlalmeida --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

In this episode, we shine a spotlight on Dr. Shamara Wettimuny, a distinguished historian and specialist in ethno-religious conflict and discrimination, in Sri Lanka. Dr. Wettimuny's extensive research and unique perspective have shed new light on the 1915 anti-Moor pogrom, a pivotal episode in Ceylon's history.

With a background in International Relations and History from the London School of Economics, as well as a D.Phil from the University of Oxford, Dr. Wettimuny possesses a wealth of knowledge and academic expertise. As a Beit Scholar, she has honed her understanding of identity formation across majority and minority communities in Sri Lanka, focusing on the Sinhalese and Moor populations.

In her thesis, Dr. Wettimuny critically examines the roots of ethno-religious violence, drawing attention to the role of colonial policies and discourse that exacerbated tensions between the Sinhalese and Moors. By re-evaluating existing historiography and popular narratives surrounding the pogrom, she offers a fresh perspective on the outbreak, spread, and aftermath of this tragic event.

Moreover, Dr. Wettimuny's research unearths a comprehensive history of ethno-religious violence, exploring the complex interplay between indigenous practices, colonial legislation, and global influences. Through her meticulous analysis of religious, economic, and social spheres, she illuminates the evolution of ethnic and religious identities in Sri Lanka from the mid-nineteenth century onward.

As the Lead Researcher for the Minor Matters' Virtual Museum on Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka, Dr. Wettimuny not only unearths hidden narratives but also advises Sri Lankan and international organizations on countering hate speech and disinformation targeting minority communities.

Follow Shamara's interesting work @shamara4w on Twitter.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message

Welcome to Half Time Scholars, the podcast series that features the interesting work of independent and emerging researchers, who share their research, interests, and experiences. In this episode, we are joined by Li Xie-Carson, a PhD candidate at The University of Queensland Business School in Australia. Li's current research focuses on non-human influencer, virtual influencer, and influencer marketing in tourism. With over eight years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, Li brings a unique perspective to her research.

During her PhD, Li has been actively engaged in research, receiving numerous awards, including the Best Graduate 3-Minute Thesis Award at TTRA 2021 and the Best Poster Award at CAUTHE 2023. She is also open to research and teaching opportunities within and across disciplines when she graduates.

In this episode, Li will discuss her research on non-human influencers and virtual influencers, the challenges and opportunities of influencer marketing in the tourism industry, and her experience in both industry and academia.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/suren-ladd/message