Fiona McLachlan

I am a senior researcher in the Safety and Wellbeing in Sport research group, and Associate Director, Research Training in the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES) at Victoria University.
I received my PhD from the University of Otago in 2012 which examined historical theory and social change in the context of the provision of public swimming pools. I have worked as an academic at Victoria University since 2012, where I have extended my historical work, specifically applying these theories to understand and transform gendered injustice and violence in sport.
I currently lead a program of high-quality interdisciplinary research in sport governance, culture, and inclusive practice. In the area of sport, history, and gender justice, I have contributed important theoretical and methodological innovations through my critical work on progress narratives and chronopolitics. I have secured more than $2m in external research funding, including as a CI on an ARC Discovery project Governance for Gender Inclusion. Through my applied work in child safety, gender equity, the prevention of gender-based violence and LGBTQ+ inclusion I have worked with multiple industry partners, and I have developed effective frameworks to build and support capacity for individual and organisational change in the sport sector.