Professor Sarah Holdsworth
Details
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Department: School of PCPM
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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sarah.holdsworth@rmit.edu.au
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ORCID:
0000-0002-9813-0932
Open to
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
About
Dr Sarah Holdsworth is a Professor in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) in Environmental Science, a Master of Environmental Science, and a PhD in Urban Planning. Sarah teaches in the construction management program at RMIT.
Sarah has achieved competitive grant success and published more than 80 articles in built environment research.
Sarah collaborates with industry partners, professionals, and practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of the development of resilient communities. Her recent research projects include evaluating the planning practices for gas safety, regulatory mapping for future fuels, trades training for hydrogen, and understanding vulnerable customers in the transition to future fuels as part of the Future Fuels CRC.
Sarah has a strong understanding of the issues facing women in the construction industry, having undertaken research for the Victorian State Government since 2019. Sarah's research has provided evidence and a strong foundation for implementing the actions in Victoria's First Women in Construction Strategy 2019-22 and developing and evaluating the world's first Building Equality Policy. Sarah has partnered with the Victorian Government to develop the Building Equitable Future 2022- 2031 Strategy, Women in Construction and Action Plan. The research has been integral to the widespread cultural change we are now seeing. It is also the basis of ongoing conversations with employers, unions, industry associations and the Government about how practical actions can be implemented to address complex barriers.
Sarah's professional roles involve change projects related to improving tertiary learning and teaching, as well as delivering graduate capabilities to prepare students for the transition from university to the workplace.
Industry experience:
Advisor to Construction Skills Queensland's Women in Construction Advisory Committee
Provide ongoing advice to the Victorian Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC), government departments and other industry organisations on gender equity in the Victorian Construction Industry.
Accomplishments:
2015 Recipient of RMIT Teaching Award for the development of Graduate Learning Outcomes, specifically Environmentally Aware and Responsible, and Work Ready.
2015 Recipient of RMIT’s Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
Supervisor projects
- The Impact of Nature-based Solutions on Sustainability Outcomes for Urban University Campuses: A case study of RMIT's urban campuses, Melbourne
- 28 Feb 2023
- Towards Understanding the Diffusion and Adoption of Innovation in the Australian Construction Industry
- 13 Jun 2017
Teaching interests
Sarah collaborates with the construction management discipline to develop a technology-enhanced curriculum that fosters imaginative, critical, and reflective experiences connected to the industry, ensuring students understand their ethical responsibilities as global citizens. The development of RMIT's Graduate Attributes and associated SDGs is interwoven throughout Sarah's approach, ensuring graduates are work-ready. Sarah engages RMIT's student community with critical sustainability knowledge through the following courses, BUIL1229 Managing for Sustainability, a common first-year course undertaken by all PCPM students on-shore and off-shore in Hong Kong and Singapore, BUIL1266 Industrial Environment, a fourth-year course undertaken by Construction Management and Engineering students, electives BUIL1319: Global Built Environment Study Tour and BUSM4667: Construction for Shelter. Sarah has also developed and managed RMIT micro-credentials, including Sustainability 101 and Sustainability: Leading the Change, both accredited by Sustainability Victoria, as well as the Resilience and Adaptability micro-credential, accredited by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In 2015, Sarah was awarded RMIT's Learning and Teaching Award P9 Development of Graduate Learning Outcomes and RMIT's Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award.
Sarah's education research focuses on notions of sustainability in relation to curriculum development, graduate attributes, professional education in the built environment, and undergraduate assessment. Sarah's current research includes projects on developing learning activities and materials to foster essential skills for an environmentally constrained future, as well as devising drivers for the diffusion of sustainability studies in higher education programs.
Supervisor interest areas:
Research that informs the evolution of sustainable built environments through the following areas:
Policy development
Gender studies
Sustainable/resilient communities and buildings
Education – community and formal
Supervised projects:
PhD supervision: 1 current, 1 completed.
Research interests
Dr Sarah Holdsworth generates research and applies knowledge with purpose in three complex areas: Sustainability Education, Sustainable Built Environments, and Diversity and Inclusion in the Construction Industry.
Within the area of Sustainability Education, Sarah leads research and adds knowledge in developing and measuring sustainability capabilities and GAs to enable graduates to address the relevant goals of the SDGs in their professional practice. Since 2015, I have led a research team comprising local and international partners in developing the GAAT and researching best practice pedagogies, their application, and impact.
Since 2020, Sarah has contributed to developing research for Sustainable Built Environments as a lead researcher within the Future Fuels CRC Program 2: Social Acceptance, Public Safety & Security of Supply. Sarah's research has led to the amendment of policies and the development of professional skills to enable Australia's transition to a decarbonised energy future.
Sarah's research in gender equality in construction has been funded and informed Victoria's globally leading approach to attracting, recruiting and retaining women in the construction industry. In 2019, Sarah conducted pivotal research funded by the first Women in Construction Gender Equality Strategy (2019-2022), entitled "Women in Construction: Exploring the Barriers and Supportive Enablers of Wellbeing in the Workplace." The report has provided the government with evidence and impetus to lead change in policy and practice within the Victorian construction industry, including the development of the Building Equality Policy. Further research has been undertaken to identify the gender bias held by careers counsellors, VET/VCAL providers, and secondary teachers, and the results are pending release by the government. The report entitled: "Career Pathways of Women in Construction: Boots on the Ground (2022) informs the education priority areas of the Building Equitable Future 2022- 2031 Strategy, Women in Construction and Action Plan. Sarah led the consultation with the industry in partnership with Industrial Relations Victoria to develop the Building Equitable Future 2022-2031 Strategy.
