Ms Maria Vieira

I’m a migrant woman, Lecturer in Education Futures, and PhD Candidate in STEM at the University of South Australia. My work is grounded in a deep commitment to advancing educational equity through innovative, research-informed teaching practices that nurture creativity.

My research explores the role of creative confidence in closing the gender gap in STEM, with a focus on how innovative methodologies like Design Thinking and Futures Thinking can support new learning approaches. These approaches aim to increase interest and retention of women in disciplines where they remain under-represented.

I have published multiple first-author articles in Q1 journals in the fields of creativity and education and have received international media coverage, helping shape broader conversations about equity and innovation in education.

At UniSA, I lead key initiatives in course coordination, curriculum development, and outreach programs—most notably, the STEM Girls Academy, which empowers young women in STEM and strengthens the university’s engagement with the broader community. In my current role, I coordinate gender equity programs that reach over 200 schoolgirls annually across South Australia and Victoria, while building strong partnerships with industry leaders to provide students with real-world, hands-on experiences.

Driven by a desire to create meaningful impact in higher education, I have also contributed to curriculum development at the new Adelaide University, playing a central role in designing one of its flagship common core courses, Igniting Change: Ideas to Action.

I am an active member of the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L), a research centre exploring the intersection of human and artificial cognition, and its implications for learning and society. In this role, I have contributed to a range of innovative educational projects, including course design, facilitation, research, and project management.

Passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice, I communicate my work across multiple contexts and languages—English, Spanish, and Portuguese—to drive positive change in education locally and globally.

Qualifications

• Master of Psycocreativity Autonomous University of Barcelona

• Bachelor of Social Communication Regional University of Blumenau

• Diploma of Social Media Marketing Ironwood Institute

• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment Inspire Education

Work history

Prior to my academic career, I hold over 13 years of experience in digital marketing and communications, working for many startups and global technology corporations in Australia and overseas.