Dr Natalie McMaster is a Lecturer in Education at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) and a member of the Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre (ITRC). Her research addresses critical gaps in educational equity, health, and wellbeing, with particular expertise in remote contexts and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Key Research Impact
Dr McMaster is an Early Career Researcher, whose doctoral research, Voices from the field: Understanding the complexities of health work in Australian outer regional and remote schooling, explored health-related roles undertaken by teachers in remote Australian communities. Her findings have directly informed policy discussions and practice frameworks supporting culturally responsive health and education strategies in remote Indigenous communities, leading to enhanced recognition and resourcing of these vital roles.
As project lead for MindSET-do, an innovative STEM outreach program, Dr McMaster has achieved measurable impact on educational equity. Funded at AUD 1.8 million over five years, the program has engaged over 8,000 students from 200 schools and delivered professional development to 500+ teachers across Queensland. The program's distinctive multi-stakeholder approach demonstrates significant improvements in STEM confidence, particularly addressing gender participation gaps, with ongoing longitudinal research tracking long-term career influence.
Dr McMaster supports teachers and preservice teachers in developing digital technology integration skills, supported by Google Educator grants. Her co-authored textbooks, including Teaching Health and Physical Education in Early Childhood (2019) and Teaching with Technologies (2022), translate research into practice-oriented resources adopted nationally in teacher education programs.
Recognition and Impact
Dr McMaster's excellence has been recognised through multiple UniSC Vice-Chancellor's Awards (2017, 2020, 2023), the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) Young Scholar Award (2019), and Women in Technology (WiT) Regional Awards finalist recognition (2020).
Her sustained contributions demonstrate measurable impact across STEM equity advancement, teacher capacity building, policy influence, and knowledge translation, exemplifying UniSC's mission of delivering socially impactful research that supports equity and inclusion in education.
