Asia-Pacific Academic Mental Health Symposium
In recent decades, scholars have called for greater attention to the mental health crisis in higher education today. Although much of the existing evidence focuses on mental health issues among undergraduate students, research has revealed that PhD students, academics and professional staff encounter significant pressures in their working lives.
The inaugural Asia-Pacific Academic Mental Health Symposium will bring together researchers, educators, practitioners and higher education leaders to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing universities today: the wellbeing of staff and students.
Poor mental health has emerged as a significant concern in universities worldwide. Rising workloads, financial pressures, job insecurity, growing administrative demands and the constant pace of change are contributing to increased stress and mental ill-health among both staff and students.
The theme of this event is “The complexities and conditions of academic workers’ mental health”. The symposium will provide a collaborative space to share research, exchange ideas and work together to better understand and address current challenges and offer directions for the future.
About the event
The symposium will offer an opportunity to share new research, insights and practices that focus specifically on mental health in academia.
Date: 30 September 2026
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Location: Terrace Room, Level 6, Sir Llew Edwards Building (14) St Lucia, and online
RSVP
In person attendees: 5pm, Tuesday 22 September.
Online attendees: 5pm, Tuesday 29 September.
Who should attend
- Masters and HDR students.
- University teaching and research staff.
- Professional staff.
What to expect
The event will include:
- a presentation by keynote speaker and UQ Honorary Fellow Dr Jemma King
- a conversation with Safer Universities founder Dr Erika (Rik) Smith
- presentations from researchers and practitioners
- a workshop about SMART work design in universities from Dr Caroline Knight
- roundtable discussions and networking opportunities.
Cost
| In person | Online | |
|---|---|---|
General registration | $50 | $25 |
HDR students | $20 | $10 |
In-person registration includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon teas.
Registration
Program
General program (all participants)
| Time | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9am | Registration | |
| 9 – 9:15am | Welcome and Opening Remarks Speaker: Dr Marissa Kate Edwards, symposium chair | |
| 9:15 – 10am | Understanding and addressing student-perpetrated harm in universities: A conversation with Dr Erika (Rik) Smith | |
| 10 – 10:30am | Morning tea | |
| 10:30am – 12pm | Location-specific session (see table below for more details) | |
| 12 – 1pm | Lunch | |
| 1 – 2pm | Designing work for academic mental health and wellbeing. Speaker: Dr Caroline Knight | |
| 2 – 3pm | Keynote Speaker: Dr Jemma King, BioPsychAnalytics | |
| 3 – 3:30pm | Afternoon tea | |
| 3:30 – 4:30pm | Roundtable Discussions: Where to from here? The Future of Academic Mental Health | |
Location-specific sessions
| Time | In-person session | Online session |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 – 10:50am | The Loneliest Room in Academia: Come for the curriculum but stay for the community. Speaker: Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen | Beyond Workload: Recognition, identity, and wellbeing in education-focused academic roles. Speakers: Rebecca Bird and Tracie Leckie |
| 10:50 – 11:10am | “Help Me Help You”: AI and the Relational Risk of the PhD. Speaker: Christopher Rhyss Edwards | Supporting mental health and academic engagement through lived experience advocacy. Speakers: Christopher Wainwright, Ernesta Sofija, Neil Harris, Rob O'Leary and Tom Riley |
| 11:10 – 11:30am | What’s leadership got to do with it? A qualitative study of supervisor strategies to support casual academics' mental health. Speakers: Lauren Cox, Olav Muurlink, Angela J. Martin, Jo Bishop and Allison Mandrusiak. | AI as both a hazard and a healer in higher education? A health and safety analysis of AI technologies and psychosocial hazards in academic work Speaker: Dawn Duncan |
| 11:30 – 11:50am | Recovery experiences of Australian Higher Degree by Research candidates: Exploring the conditions and circumstances within candidates’ control or influence. Speaker: Jessica Blower | Ambitions vs. wellbeing: Towards institutional commitment for academic staff welfare in accreditation-driven universities. Speakers: Niranjan L R and Shivakami Rajan |
Contact
Dr Marissa Edwards, Symposium Chair
m.edwards@business.uq.edu.au
The symposium is kindly supported by the UQ Business School and the MOC Division of the Academy of Management.
About Business School Events
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