Professor Chris Ziguras

Professor Ziguras is a leading authority on the social, economic and political dimensions of the internationalisation of education. This interest is carried across his higher education leadership and management roles at RMIT, his prominent research on cross-border higher education, his teaching in international development and public policy, and his active public engagement.

Accomplishments and achievements

• Tony Adams Visiting Senior Scholar, Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, 2013.
• RMIT University Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, 2011, in recognition of sustained commitment to excellence in international education, through exemplary teaching practice, academic leadership and research.
• RMIT University College of Design and Social Context Award for Research and Teaching, 2011.
• Monash University Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2000–2001.
• Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Award for Best Educational Resource, 1998. Awarded to Court Stories, a 20-minute educational video program written with film production company Screen Productions for Victoria Legal Aid, Human Services Victoria and the Justice Department.
• US International Film and Video Festival Awards, Silver Screen Award – Visitors’ Centres and Museums, 1998, awarded to Mildura – Reflections, Echoes, Dreams, a 10-minute video program written with media production company Australian Business Theatre for the Mildura Rural and City Council.
• Australian Postgraduate Research (Priority) Award, Monash University, 1993-1996.
• Dwight Final Examination Prize for Combined Honours, University of Melbourne, 1992.

Profile on social media

• Twitter: @ChrisZig
• LinkedIn
• ResearchGate

Chris studies varied aspects of the globalisation of education, particularly the ways in governments and institutions manage flows of students, institutions and models across borders. 

As Deputy Dean, International, he develops and oversees an extensive array of learning experiences in Australia and abroad that reflect RMIT's commitment to internationalism, praxis-based learning, and meaningful partnerships with similarly-minded organisations. 

Professor Ziguras is President of the International Education Association of Australia.

Major research projects

• ‘Equitable employment for women in mining companies in Laos and Thailand’, AusAID Development Research Award, Australian Agency for International Development, 2013-2015.
• ‘Good Practice in Enhancing the Social Dimension of International Student Experience On and Off Campus’, Australian Education International and ISANA International Education Association Research Consultancy, 2010-2011.
• ‘Export Education Innovation – Offshore regulations’, Education New Zealand Research Consultancy, 2008-2009.
• ‘Models and Guidelines for Good Practice in Transnational Education in New Zealand’, Education New Zealand Research Consultancy, 2007.
• ‘Governing International Trade in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of International Education Policy Development’, Australian Research Council Discovery Project, 2005–2007, with Dr Grant McBurnie.
• ‘Australian perspectives on the meaning of key terms for trade in education services’, Research Consultancy for the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005.
• ‘Debating the Impact of International Trade Agreements on Transnational Higher Education’, Australian Research Council Discovery Project, 2003, with Dr Grant McBurnie.
• ‘Strategies for Negotiating International Trade Agreements in Education’, Research Consultancy for the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, 2002, with Dr Grant McBurnie and Dr Leanne Reinke.
• ‘Review of the Health Benefits of Community Arts Programs’, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Research Consultancy, 2002, with Professor Paul James and Douglas McQueen Thomson.
• ‘Investigating the potential of touch screens in early childhood education’, Microtouch Australia Research Consultancy, 2001, with Dr Geoff Romeo, Suzy Edwards, Dr Sue McNamara and Dr Ian Walker.

Research supervision

Current doctoral students' topics

• Recruitment and Retention of Teachers in Rural Schools in Vietnam
• Implementation of Student Centred Learning in Transnational Programs
  
• Work Experiences by Doctoral Students in Victoria, Australia
  

Completed research higher degrees

• Pham, A, 2015 The Contribution of Cross-Border Higher Education to Human Resource Development in Ho Chi Minh City, PhD, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Spencer, J 2014 Policy, Business and ICT: A Study of the Growth and Decline of Private Vocational Training Providers in the Education/Migration Industry in Australia, PhD, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Lynch, K, 2014, Australian Universities' Preparation and Support for Fly-in Fly-out Academics, PhD Thesis, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Loh, R, 2013, Private Higher Education in Malaysia: Access, Internationalisation and Quality Assurance, Master of Arts by Research, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Vann, M, 2013, Stakeholders' Perceptions of Quality in Cambodian Higher Education, PhD Thesis, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Scarf, C, 2010, Knowledge sharing for development: online networks and the dual dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, PhD Thesis, School of Global Studies, Social Sciences and Planning, RMIT University.
• Tripolitakis, K, 2010, Network governance and public policy: language planning and language policy in Australia and Greece within a globalising context (1970-2005), PhD Thesis, School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, RMIT University.
• Gribble, C, 2010, International student mobility and skilled migration: an analysis of government policy from the perspective of sending countries, PhD, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne.

• PhD Monash
• GradCertHighEd Monash
• BArts(Hons) Melbourne
• MAICD

Chris is President of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) and and has been an energetic contributor to the Association for many years through roles in the Association's Research Committee and Board before becoming Vice-President in 2014 and President in 2015. He has is regularly involved in organising research and professional development workshops and conferences on varied aspects of international education.

Chris regularly writes for industry publications and judges awards programs including those of the IEAA, the Victorian Government and the Australia - APEC Women in Research Fellowship. He is also a member of the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society, the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia and the Asia Pacific Association for International Education.