Professor Nicoleta Maynard is a nationally and internationally recognised leader in engineering education research. Her work focuses on creating inclusive, evidence-based, and future-focused learning environments that strengthen student capability in design thinking, teamwork, communication, and ethical professional practice.

Her current research explores:

• Gender dynamics and unconscious bias in peer feedback and teamwork

• Inclusive practices to support neurodivergent students in engineering

• Sustainable curriculum models that embed systems thinking and real-world engagement

• Project-based learning and the integration of engineering into school STEM education

Nicoleta has led or contributed to several major grants, including an ARC Linkage Project on project-based learning in schools ($450,000), a national OLT grant on virtual WIL for engineering students, and a recent inter-faculty Monash Education Academy grant on pedagogical content knowledge.

She has published widely in high-impact journals and conferences such as the European Journal of Engineering Education, Advances in Health Sciences Education, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, and SEFI and AAEE conferences.

Nicoleta’s contributions have been recognised through multiple prestigious awards, including:

• 2013 OLT Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

• 2016 Caltex Award for Excellence in Teaching

• 2009 Engineers Australia/AAEE Award for Curriculum Innovation

• 2019 Premier’s Science Award finalist for the ‘STEMinist’ project

She is the ANZ Chair and International Co-Director of the CDIO Initiative and continues to shape the field through leadership, mentorship, and collaboration across engineering, education, and industry sectors.

Nicoleta Maynard’s research lies at the intersection of engineering education, equity, and curriculum innovation. She focuses on developing inclusive, authentic, and future-ready engineering learning environments. Her current work explores:

• Unconscious bias and inclusive team practices: Designing and evaluating interventions to reduce bias in peer feedback and teamwork dynamics, with a focus on gender and cultural inclusion in engineering teams.

• Neurodiversity in engineering education: Developing evidence-based frameworks to better support neurodivergent students and enhance teaching practices across diverse learning needs.

• Employability and professional identity development: Embedding and assessing teamwork, communication, leadership, and reflective practice in engineering curricula using design and systems-thinking approaches.

• Curriculum transformation for equity and sustainability: Embedding sustainable design, social responsibility, and systems thinking into engineering programs to better prepare students for societal impact.

• Cultural change in engineering education: Investigating how institutional norms and educational practices influence inclusivity, belonging, and student experience, with a focus on gendered feedback, peer evaluation, and academic cultures.

Her work is grounded in Engineering Education Research (EER) methodologies and is driven by collaboration with students, educators, and industry partners to inform both research and practice.