Rate My Professor Rachel Lynwood

Dr. Rachel Lynwood serves as Associate Dean (Education) and Senior Lecturer (Teaching Scholar) in the Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples at Southern Cross University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales (BA, UNSW), a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from Southern Cross University (BA Hons, SCU), a Master of Education from the University of Technology Sydney (MEd, UTS), and a PhD. Her PhD thesis, titled "A narrative of scholarly life from the perspective of an Indigenous Australian academic," underscores her personal and scholarly commitment to Indigenous perspectives in academia. With more than 25 years of experience in the higher education sector, Lynwood has progressed through various leadership roles at Southern Cross University, including Acting Head of School and Deputy Director of Gnibi College.

Lynwood's scholarly expertise includes auto-ethnography, social and emotional well-being, trauma and resilience, Indigenous pedagogies, scholarship of learning and teaching, and Indigenous health. Her research interests further encompass Indigenous pedagogy, scholarship of learning and teaching, Indigenous women's academic leadership, trauma and resilience, social and emotional well-being, and Indigenous health. She has contributed to academic discourse through conference presentations, such as the keynote "Indigenous pedagogy: the use of story and human connection as an active learning method" at the 2023 SCU Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Symposium. In recognition of her outstanding teaching, she received the Inspiring Educators award in 2024 for her leadership in the INDG2001 Health and Indigenous Australian Peoples unit, where she managed large enrollments of 730-830 students and enhanced casual academic staff capacity. Additionally, in 2025, she was selected for the Inspiring Educators recognition for covering units for colleagues on leave, serving as Acting Indigenous Officer, Chair of the Faculty Board, mentoring newer staff, and developing units. Lynwood also chairs the Gnibi College Faculty Board and has served as Co-Chair of the university's Reconciliation Action Plan Committee.