Sandra Gattenhof is Associate Professor and Director of Research Training in the Creative Industries Faculty. She has previously been Discipline Leader – Dance, Drama, Music in the Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (January-July 2017) and Head of Drama (2011-2016). She is co-leader of the Creative Education and Creative Workforce theme in the newly established Creative Lab at QUT. 

Sandra specialises in arts and cultural evaluation, drama/arts in schools & communities, postdramatic theatre and contemporary performance for children and young people. A life-long educator and trained primary teacher Sandra has a passion for art-based projects (with particular engagement of drama) that focus upon early childhood and primary students in low-socio economic situations.

Sandra has been at the forefront of the development of The Arts national curriculum serving as an Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Advisory Group Member and Drama consultant. She is a Drama Australia Board member in the role of Director of Arts Education and Industry Partnerships and is Drama Australia’s representative on National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) the body that successfully lobbied the Federal Government for the inclusion of The Arts in the Australian National Curriculum. Since 2006, Sandra has been active as content researcher, deviser, performer in a Research Consultancy Cluster between Creative Industries Faculty, Faculty of Health, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Queensland Health that focuses on using performance/drama methodology to develop and deliver training around conflict resolution and workplace change to clinicians and management personnel in Queensland Health settings.

In the past three years Sandra has undertaken large-scale arts evaluation projects for Brisbane Festival and Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Kite Yonder Project). In 2011 Sandra was recipient of QUT Creative Industries Faculty Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation and in 2012 was awarded Drama Queensland Life Member Award for Longstanding Contribution to the Drama Community. She is a recipient of the 2007 Vice-Chancellor’s Performance Award (in recognition of a significant and superior contribution to the work of the University); 2007 Carrick Awards Citation Nominee for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning; and 2006 QUT Creative Industries Faculty Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Early Career). Her creative practice and research centres on theatre for children and young people, contemporary performance primary drama education and new media/interactive teaching environments.