Alison Willis

Dr Alison Willis is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Tertiary Access at the University of the Sunshine Coast where she was previously the Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) before leaving permanent employment at the university in 2025 to pursue other interests, including business development and a short period as a senior policy advisor to the Queensland government. Alison is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Alison’s research investigates the effects of disruption, stress and trauma on learning. She is particularly interested in the roles teachers play in assisting students to overcome the effects of stress and trauma, learning in conflict and post-conflict environments, the effects of culture on learning, and the effects of teachers’ beliefs on student learning. Her recent projects include an investigation into psychological safety as an antecedent for student learning in an Australian secondary school context and a study of the phenomenon of education recovery after disruption in Southern Africa.