JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Natalia Veles

About

Dr Natalia Veles coordinates Graduate Certificate of Career Development course and course subjects at James Cook University and is based on Townsville campus. She is the Head of Professional Programs portfolio at the Academy leading development, curriculum improvement and delivery of career development, research methods, academic practice, continuous professional development, short courses and micro credentials.

Her extensive professional experience in education leadership, project management and international market strategic business development compliments and informs her academic research in career development, university third space, intercultural and cross-boundary collaborations in higher education and staff professional identities.

Natalia is based at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia with a research and doctoral student supervision and research affiliation with the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She is a third space professional whose higher education management practice, passion for lifelong learning and commitment to enhancing the learning experiences and improving the careers and self-realisation opportunities of university students and staff drive her research interests and motivation for improving academic practice and enhancing research collaborations.

Natalia’s academic background is in organisational sociology, intercultural psychology, career education and development and applied linguistics (Mandarin Chinese language) within the interdisciplinary higher education field of research, with a particular curiosity for how organisations work, and how organisational boundaries and discursive spaces are co-constructed and enabled by individuals and organisations.

Natalia’s current research focus is on university staff collaboration, career pathways and career motivations. Her recent research monograph Optimising the Third Space in Higher Education: Case Studies of Intercultural and Cross-Boundary Collaboration was published by Routledge in 2022.

Teaching

ED5581: Theories and Assessment in Career Development (Level 5; ONL)
ED5582: Professional Practice of Career Development (Level 5; ONL)
ED5583: Labour Market Information and the Future of Work (Level 5; ONL)

Interests

Professional

Editorial Board member: Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, an international journal of professional higher education research and practice
Regular reviewer for the Journal of Higher Education Policy Management
Regular reviewer for Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education

Research

Higher education staff: identities, collaboration and agency
Career education and development
University third space
Sociology of organisations

Teaching

Career development theories
Research methods

Experience

2022 to present - Head, Professional Programs, James Cook University (Townsville)
2022 to present - Course Coordinator, Graduate Certificate of Career Development, James Cook University (Townsville)
2019 to present - Adjuct HDR Supervisor, University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba)
2015 to 2022 - College Manager, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University (Townsville)
2021 - Lecturer, Research Methods, James Cook University (Townsville)
2010 to 2015 - Director, Community Services, TAFE Queensland (Sunshine Coast)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2022 - Dean’s Award for Higher Degree by Research Excellence
2021 - PhD - James Cook University
2021 - Graduate Certificate in Career Development - James Cook University
1999 - Bachelor of Arts (Applied Linguistics, Asian Studies, Chinese language)

Memberships

2023 - RPCDP (Registered Professional Career Development Practitioner)
2022 - Asia Pacific Career Development Association (APCDA)
2022 - Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) registration
2022 - National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS)
2019 - Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)

Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

Veles N, Graham C and Ovaska C (2023) University professional staff roles, identities, and spaces of interaction: systematic review of literature published in 2000–2020. Policy Reviews in Higher Education, 7 (2). pp. 127-168
Veles N and Danaher P (in press) Transformative research collaboration as third space and creative understanding: learnings from higher education research and doctoral supervision. Research Papers in Education,
Veles N, Carter M and Boon H (2019) Complex collaboration champions: university third space professionals working together across borders. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 23 (2-3). pp. 75-85
Veles N and Carter M (2016) Imagining a future: changing the landscape for third space professionals in Australian higher education institutions. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38 (5). pp. 519-533

Books

Veles N (2023) Optimising the Third Space in Higher Education: Case Studies of Intercultural and Cross-Boundary Collaboration. Routledge, Abingdon, UK

Other research outputs

Veles N (2022) Optimising the university third space professional partnership in the world of work(er) dislocation. [Presented at the 2nd International Conference on Business, Economics, Management, and Sustainability (BEMAS)]. 1-3 July 2022, Cairns, QLD, Australia
Veles N (2021) University third space professional partnership in the world of work(er) dislocation: A provocation. [Presented as a TELedvisors Network Monthly Webinar]. In: TELedvisors (part of ASCILITE) Network Monthly Webinar Recordings, 27 May 2021, Online
Veles N (2019) Third space environments: learnings from an intercultural inter-campus multiple case study in one Australian university. [Presented at the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Conference]. 10-13 December 2019, Newport, UK
Veles N, Boon H and Carter M (2017) The university third space phenomenon: investigating perceptions of professional staff working across boundaries in an Australian university and its Singapore campus. [Presented at] Education: What's politics got to do with it?. In: Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference 2017, 26-30 November 2017, Canberra, ACT

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Queensland Government - Youth Research Grants Program

Youth Research Grants Program

Indicative Funding: $200,000 over 1 year
Summary: The Youth Research Grants Program aims to stimulate interest in research which reflects the needs and views of young people through enabling them to be involved in setting priorities for and selection of research projects. The Program supports the vision set out in the Queensland Youth Strategy (QYS) that promotes young people?s active contribution to Queensland's economic, civic and cultural life. This project aims to engage with young people (17?24-year-olds) in north and far north Queensland currently studying at James Cook University (JCU), to provide an opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns, dreams and desires, and to provide inspiration for a JCU-led research project with and for youth with a focus on wellbeing, future aspirations, concerns and potential solutions to urgent issues. The project would focus on JCU discipline areas of Social Work, Sociology, Education and Creative Arts, with an intention for young people to develop and present art works- and in particular visual and wearable art- expressing their concerns and aspirations. Please refer to the Project Proposal for full details of the Project?s timing and objectives.
Investigators: Natalia Veles, Glenn Dawes, Tanya Doyle, Peta Salter, Robyn Glade-Wright and Abraham Francis (College of Arts and Society & Education)
Keywords: Young People; Youth Justice; creative arts; diversity; enablement