Biography
Dr Tebeje Molla (Mekonnen) is an ARC Future Fellow and senior lecturer in the School of Education at Deakin University. Tebeje holds qualifications in history, curriculum, sociology of education, and traumatic stress studies.
Tebeje has established a robust research program centred on understanding educational inequality and policy responses at systemic (national) and institutional (university and school) levels. He has investigated the issue of inequality in a range of contexts: early childhood education, schooling, vocational education and training, and higher education.
Through his DECRA and Future Fellowship projects, Tebeje has investigated the educational attainment and integration outcomes of African heritage youth from refugee backgrounds.
Tebeje has published in high-impact international journals in his field. His books include Higher Education in Ethiopia (2018, Springer) and African Heritage Australian Youth (2023, Routledge).
He actively engages with the media, publishing short commentaries on The Conversation, AARE blog, and SBS.com.au. He also occasionally appears on SBS radio (Amharic) to discuss current affairs concerning African communities in Australia.
Read more on Tebeje Molla's profileBiography summary
Dr Tebeje Molla's research focuses on education policy, social inclusion, educational justice, research training policy, and teacher professional learning. His interdisciplinary research draws on critical sociology and the capability approach to social justice and human development.
Career highlights
2023: Vice Chancellor’s Mid-Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence
2023: African Heritage Australian Youth (solo-authored book, Routledge)
2022: Australian Research Council Future Fellowship
2018: Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award
Research interests
- Trauma and learning
- Education policy
- Educational justice
- Social inclusion and education
- Educational experiences of refugee-background African youth
- Graduate research training and employability
- Teacher professional learning
Teaching interests
- Trauma-responsive education
- Education policy
- Sociology of education
- Qualitative research methods
Units taught
E512 (ETR704)
EDX704 Research Paper
EDX706 Minor Thesis
Knowledge areas
- Education policy
- Equity in education
- Teacher professional learning
- Trauma and school engagement
- Graduate research training and employability
Expertise
- Africa
- Education
- Higher education
- Policy
- Refugees
- Youth/young people's issues
Conferences
Tebeje has presented his work at annual educational/sociological conferences including:
- AARE: Australian Association for Research in Education
- BERA: British Educational Research Association
- ECER: European Conference on Educational Research
- ICES: International and Comparative Education Society (USA)
- TASA: The Australian Sociological Association
- TIES: The Inclusive Education Summit
Professional activities
Member: Refugee Council of Australia’s Education Special Interest Group
Co-convenor: Australian Association for Research in Education's Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Special Interst Group (2020-present)
Meember: The International Board of the following journals:
- Critical Studies in Education, CSE
- The Australian Educational Researcher, AER
- Ethiopian Journal of Teacher Education and Leadership, EJTEL
- Kotebe Journal of Education, KJE
Reviewer: Tebeje reviews manuscripts submitted to the following journals:
- Journal of Education Policy
- Higher Education Research & Development
- Critical Studies in Education
- The Australian Educational Researcher
- Australian Journal of Education
- Higher Education
- Studies in Higher Education
- European Educational Research Journal
- Policy Futures in Education
- Review of African Political Economy
- Discourse
- International Joural of Inclusive Education
Research groups
Research for Educational Impact (REDI)
Awards
- Vice Chancellor’s Mid-Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence (Deakin University, 2023)
- Mid-Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence (Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, 2021)
- Bristol 'Next Generation' Visiting Researcher Award (University of Bristol, 2020)
- Discovery Early Career Award, DECRA (ARC, 2019)
- Early Career Research Award (School of Education, Deakin University, 2019)
- Endeavour Research Leadership Award (DET, 2018)
- Postgraduate Publication Award (Monash University, 2012)
Publications
No publications found
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Enhancing Higher Education Participation of African Refugee Youth
Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen
ARC DECRA - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
- 2021: $126,478
- 2020: $131,612
- 2019: $110,668
Improving School Engagement of African Refugee Students
Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen
ARC Fellowships - Future Fellowships
- 2024: $60,340
- 2023: $204,854
- 2022: $102,860
Other Public Sector Funding
COVID-19 Online Learning Landscapes and CALDMR students: Opportunities and Challenges
Dr Lisa Hartely, A/Prof Loshini Naidoo, Dr Rachel Burke, Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen, Dr Clemence Due, Dr Joel Anderson, Dr Teresa De Fazio, Carolina Morison, Dr William Mude, A/Prof Ravinder Sidhu
NCSEHE National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Research
- 2020: $3,046
Development of a Suite of African Heritage Culturally Safe Resources to Support Victorian School Leaders Develop More Inclusive Schooling Environments.
A/Prof Tim Corcoran, Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen, Dr Kerri Garrard, Dr Martin Potter, Mr Simeon Taylor, Mrs Maria Bates
DETVic Grant - Research - Department of Education and Training Victoria
- 2022: $173,641
Industry and Other Funding
Cottage by the Sea-Where Young People Matter: Mentor Program
Prof Louise Paatsch, Prof Amanda Mooney, Prof Andrea Nolan, Prof Julianne Moss, Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen, Dr Sarah Healy
Cottage by the Sea, Queenscliff Inc
- 2023: $14,998
- 2021: $14,998
The Ripple Effect of Cottage by the Sea.
Prof Louise Paatsch, Prof Amanda Mooney, Prof Julianne Moss, Dr Tebeje Molla Mekonnen, Prof Andrea Nolan, Dr Trevor Mccandless
Cottage by the Sea, Queenscliff Inc
- 2023: $24,999
Supervisions
Omid Talebi Rezaabadi
Thesis entitled: Iranian Immigrants Discourse Struggles: a Case on Subjectivity and Second Language (L2) Selves
Doctor of Philosophy (Education), School of Education