Role Players 2023

Subarna Sivapalan FRSA is presently Associate Professor and Head of the School of Education, University of Nottingham Malaysia and Research Lead of the Sustainability and Transformational Education Research Cluster (STERC). She is also the Lead of the University of Nottingham UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development Malaysia Office. She has over 20 years of experience within the higher education sector. Prior to joining the University of Nottingham, she was attached to Malaysia's top STEM focused private university. She also held key roles in academic and research divisions, with the most reason being the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Subarna also founded the institution's first scholarship of teaching and learning research cluster, and its first education and social sustainability focused research centre. Apart from pioneering the advocacy of the SDGs amongst students and staff on campus, she also established and advised the institution's first student led eco campus workgroup that went on to achieve a bronze award under WWF Malaysia's Foundation for Environmental Education Eco Campus programme. At the national level, Subarna is actively involved in sustainability education advocacy. She is presently the Co- Chair of the National Education for Sustainable Development Association of Selangor. She has sat on the National Committee of WWF Malaysia's Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Eco Schools Programme, and has held the role of Chair and Deputy Chair of the FEE Eco Campus Programme. At the international level, Subarna is an Acumen Fellow, the world's school for social change, and co-leads the Climate Crisis Interest Based Group in Catalyst2030. She is a United Nations University Pro.SPER.Net Leadership "Building Transformational Leadership Towards The SDGs" fellow. Subarna is also the recipient of WWF Malaysia's National Eco-Lecturer Award for her efforts in advocating for greater awareness amongst youth to champion sustainability. She has also received awards for Effective Education Delivery and Academic Leadership. Subarna obtained her PhD in Education from the University of Nottingham. While working on her PhD at the University of Nottingham, Subarna was involved in Nottingham's first MOOC, Sustainability, Society and You which ran on FutureLearn. She looks forward to connecting and collaborating with stakeholders across all sectors to realize Nottingham's commitment to sustainability through the institution's research, teaching, campus activities and work with partners. Subarna leads the Sustainability and Transformational Education Research Cluster at the School of Education University of Nottingham Malaysia. She is also part of the leadership team of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Sustainability interdisciplinary research cluster and sits on the University of Nottingham Malaysia Research and Knowledge Exchange Executive Committee and the Environmental Sustainability Committee. She is also a member of the University of Nottingham Tricampus committee on Education & Student Experience Sustainability.