Professor Helen Forbes-Mewett is a Sociologist in the School of Social Sciences. She is also Senior Fellow of the International Education Association of Australia. Helen is the author of five books and many scholarly journal articles. She is a Chief Investigator of the Fire to Flourish Research Program along with several other large research projects. In 2022, Helen was awarded the Noam Chomsky Global Connection Award - North Star Medal of Lifetime Achievement for outstanding achievement and success in transnational research and scholarly collaboration. Helen's interdisciplinary background includes Sociology, Psychology and International Business, degrees all awarded by Monash University. Her work focuses on human security, resilient communities, migration, cultural diversity, and social intergration. Much of her research has related to international students, migrant populations, and vulnerable and resilient populations. Helen supervises a large cohort of PhD students from many different backgrounds and countries. Helen is also a member of the following boards/committees:

• Multicultural Settlement Committee 
• Communities’ Council on Ethnic Issues (Eastern Region) Inc.
• Victorian Government Research Institute on Social Cohesion (RIOSC) (Member)
• International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) 
• National Expert Advisory Board and former Editor in Chief, Journal of Sociology
• Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of International Students 
• Advisory Board, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education