Aboriginal Engagement

About Us

The office of the Pro Vice Chancellor: Aboriginal Leadership and Strategy was established in 2016 to manage and coordinate all university activities pertaining to the education, employment, community engagement and research of Aboriginal Peoples at the University of South Australia.

Pro Vice Chancellor: Aboriginal Leadership and Strategy

Professor Irene Watson is the Pro Vice Chancellor: Aboriginal Leadership and Strategy, David Unaipon Chair, and Professor of Law at UniSA. She belongs to the Tanganekald, Meintangk Boandik First Nations Peoples of the Coorong and the south east of South Australia.

As Pro Vice Chancellor: Aboriginal Leadership and Strategy, she is responsible for providing strategic advice and guidance on internal and external issues in relation to improving the recruitment, support and success of Aboriginal students and staff. Professor Watson lead the development and implementation of the University’s second Reconciliation Action Plan, and initiatives to build cultural awareness and understanding among UniSA staff and students. She advises on the development and implementation of strategies to enhance the research outputs of the University’s Aboriginal academics and higher degree research students – and empowers them. She provides leadership for groups undertaking research involving partnerships with Aboriginal communities, and aims to ensure that research undertaken by the University values Aboriginal perspectives and reflects their own development priorities.