Dr Jenny Wilson

Jenny's research interest centres on the relationship between the university, its management systems and the 'academic tribes' which inhabit them. She has a particular focus on visual and performing arts disciplines and their position within the research management framework. Her PhD thesis, undertaken through MCSHE and the Victorian College of the Arts at the University of Melbourne, represents the first comprehensive analysis of the relationship between artistic researchers and the university research framework. The thesis forms the basis of her book “Artists in the University: Positioning Artistic Research in Higher Education”, which will be published by Springer in 2017.

She has held senior administrative management positions in Australian and UK universities since 1995. These include in strategic, business, corporate and research development management at Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, Sheffield Hallam University and Birmingham City University, where she has typically been responsible for developing research and business strategies and external partnerships for new centres, institutes and funding streams. She currently works as a consultant for universities, research teams and academic bodies across the country, including as Research Officer for the Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts, and editor of their online publication “NiTRO”.

Prior to emigrating to Australia, she held specific responsibility for liaison with the European Commission and in 1995 was one of only two UK higher education representatives invited as a consultant to the European Commission Green Paper on Innovation. In 2001 with Professor Ron Johnson, she was commissioned by the Australian Government and the European Commission to produce one of five papers that established the secretariat and operational budget for the Forum on European-Australian Science and Technology cooperation (FEAST). Jenny has undertaken consultancies for the National Tertiary Education Union, the Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and the UK Economic and Social Sciences Research Council.
Her publications include:

Books
Wilson, J. (2017) Artists in the University: Positioning Artistic Research in Higher Education. Springer (under contract)

Book chapters
Wilson, J. (2017). Equal, Inferior or Different? Research Equivalence and University Attitudes to Artistic Research. In R. Burke & A. Onsman (Eds.), Perspectives on Artistic Research in Music (pp. 79 -91). Maryland, US: Lexington Books.
Wilson, J. (2014). Artist-academic  as doctoral student: Navigating different expectations, frameworks and identities. In L. Ravelli, B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), Doctoral  writing in the creative and performing arts: The researcher/practitioner  nexus. London, UK: Libri House.

Journal articles
Wilson, J. (2016) The hidden topography of Australia’s arts nation: The contribution of universities to the artistic landscape. Australian Universities Review 58 (1) 20-29
Wilson, J. (2015) The white cube in the black box: Assessing artistic research quality in multi-disciplinary academic panels. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02602938.2015.1075190
Wilson, J.(2011). Creative  arts research: A long path to acceptance. Australian Universities  Review, 53(2). 68-76.

Conference papers and presentations 
Wilson, J. (2015). Equal, different or inferior? University attitudes to artistic research. Perspectives on Artistic Research in Music Symposium.  23 - 24 July 2015. Monash University
Wilson, J (2015) (invited panel participant and presenter) The Road Ahead (with Su Baker and Tim Cahill) Deans and Directors of Creative Arts Annual Conference, 23 September, 2015. University of South Australia, Adelaide
Wilson, J (2015) (invited panel participant and presenter) The impact of the university on artistic practice. Artistic Research in Music Symposium: Valuing and evaluating artistic research in Australia. 30 June / 1 July 2015, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Brisbane 
Wilson, J. (2014). Beyond equivalency: Repositioning artistic research within the University. In Proceedings  of The Future of the discipline: Australian Council of University Art  and Design Schools Annual Conference, 2-3 October 2014.  Melbourne: University of Melbourne 
Wilson, J (2014). Artists  in the University: Researchers at the Margins? QUT Faculty of Education Conference: Exchanging Insights from Education Research 10-11 October  2014. Brisbane
Maxwell, I, Holmes, J & Wilson J (2010). The big picture: Disciplinary standards and  creative outcomes. (Invited Panel presentation) Australasian  Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies Annual Conference, 29  June – 2 July 2010 Australian National University, Canberra 
Wilson, J. (2008). Artists  in the University. Future-proofing the Creative Arts in Higher Education. Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools  Annual Conference 2008. Sites of Activity/ On the Edge. 1-3  October 2008.  University of South Australia. Adelaide.
Draper,  P. Hall, M. & Wilson, J (2005) Universities, Creativity and the Real World? Conference Proceedings of Speculation and  Innovation – New Perspectives in Practice-led Research in the Arts, Media and  Design, QUT Brisbane. 
Wilson, J (2005). Challenges to  Commercialising Creative Arts Outputs. Oiling the Wheels of Change. Australasian Research Managers Society Annual  Conference. Canberra, ACT. September 2005. 
Kelly, G & Wilson, J  (1997). The Education Pathway. The  European Union Future of Education Conference. University of Pavia, Pavia,  Italy. 1997.