Professor Tonia Gray is a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Educational Research and a Professor in the School of Education and World Leisure Centre for Excellence at Western Sydney University. Her practice and research covers outdoor and experiential education, eco-pedagogies, and human–nature relationships, spanning over three decades of scholarly impact. She has received major honours including the Australian Awards for University Teaching (Teaching Excellence, 2014), AEE Distinguished Researcher of the Year (2019), and Fellowship of Outdoor Education Australia (2020). Tonia was recently admitted as a life member to Outdoors NSW&ACT and is also an inaugural Fellow of Outdoor Education Australia (FOEA).

Dr Michael J. A. Down is currently a Lecturer in the School of Education at The University of Notre Dame Australia, co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, and an Executive Committee member of Outdoor Education Australia. Michael’s research is transdisciplinary, examining the interplay between adventure, risk, and wellbeing, in particular with children and adolescents. His current research focus is on the mediating and moderating factors that contribute to participant wellbeing and how adventure can be used as a health promotion tool. Dr Down has also developed a strong research interest in outdoor active outdoor play.

Dr Jeff Mann has a background in outdoor and experiential learning, and has worked for a variety of schools and third party providers across two decades. Jeff currently works for the Scots College (Sydney) as the Senior Research Fellow. Jeff completed his doctoral research through Western Sydney University in 2023, assessing the research evidence for benefits of outdoor learning and exploring the efficacy of outdoor learning to engage high school boys and develop 21st Century skills. Since then, Jeff has regularly contributed as a peer reviewer for outdoor learning research manuscripts.

Jaydene Barnes is a lecturer in early childhood and primary education in the School of Education at Western Sydney University. She researches in children’s play, teaching pedagogies to facilitate dialogue, connection and meaningful engagement in the early years, culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies, access to early childhood education for families experiencing disadvantage and pre-service teacher education. Her teaching at Western Sydney University is closely aligned with her research areas in Professional Experience, Teaching Literacy (Birth-12 years) and Learning through Play subjects. Jaydene’s PhD focuses on the barriers and enablers of adopting play-based pedagogies in Australian primary schools.

Dr Marion Sturges is an experienced educator of 34 years. Currently Marion works alongside preservice teachers and academics as the Director of Program (primary education) at Western Sydney University. Marion has collaborated on numerous projects with researchers and educators, to ensure the voices of children, preservice educators, women, and people with disability are heard.

Professor David Eager is the Emeritus Professor of Risk Management and Injury Prevention at UTS. David is an internationally recognised expert on the safety aspects of trampolines, playgrounds, play surfacing, sports and recreation equipment, and amusement rides and devices. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Professional Engineer and on the National Professional Engineers Register. He is also a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has a PhD in Engineering (UNSW), 1st Class Honours Degree in Engineering (NSWIT); and Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution (UTS). He is the chairperson of numerous Australian Standards committees and an Honorary Life Member of Play Australia. He was the Standards Australia National Meritorious Contribution Award recipient in 2020 and recognised as a Centenary Standards Hero in 2022 for more than 25 years of dedication to standards development. He was the lead in the research which was awarded the Kidsafe Research of the year award in 2023. In 2024 his contribution to the profession of mechanical engineering was recognised when he was awarded the AGM Michell Medal by the Mechanical College of The Institution of Engineers Australia.

Fiona Pigott is a research-practitioner, experienced school leader, and learning support - wellbeing educator. She integrates environmental education and wellbeing theory into everyday practices as the Director of a nature and risky play business, and prospective Principal of a K–10 nature-based community school. Fiona is a member of the Alternative and Innovative Learning and Teaching Environments program at Western Sydney University. Her doctoral research explores how the intersection of self-determination, relational practice and nature connection enables students and educators to thrive.

Alexandra Harper is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University Australia. She has Master degrees in applied positive psychology and international policy, and over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher and school leader. Her areas of expertise, research and interest are connecting children to nature, loose parts play and designing innovative school playgrounds and practices with affordances for student agency and competence.

Professor Susan Hespos is an American cognitive psychologist serving as the professor of infant studies and leader of BabyLab in the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, as well as the School of Education at Western Sydney University. Previously she worked in the Psychology Department at Northwestern University from 2005-2023 in Evanston, IL, USA. Hespos' research shows that babies think before they speak. Her work provides the earliest evidence of cognitive abilities in infants and illustrates how early thinking establishes the foundation for adult reasoning. She has used a range of methods and has studied individuals of various ages and cultures. She advocates for a theoretical perspective known as core knowledge, which asserts that beneath the differences among humans lies a set of perceptual and conceptual capacities that are shared.

Robyn’s career has spanned 35 years, encompassing senior leadership roles in education, local government, children's services and the charity sector. With qualifications in education, children's services, community management and training Robyn has held representative leadership roles at a state and national and international level for 25 years. She is a former Chairperson of the National Outside School Hours Care Alliance (NOSHSA) and current President of the International Play Association (IPA World). In 2012, Robyn was part of the international delegation to the UN in Geneva to progress the development of the UN General Comment on Article 31 "The child's right to play" and represented IPA World on the successful campaign for a UN International Day of Play. Most recently, she was the author of the Australian “State of Play” Report, which was the first comprehensive cross sectoral review of children's access to play opportunities in Australia. In addition, she served on the leadership committee of the AOP10 project, updating the global position statement on active outdoor play and on the Steering Committee for the Australian National Position Statement on Risky Play for Young Children. Robyn's work as an advocate for Children’s Services has been recognised with numerous awards including a Commonwealth Centenary medal and an AM in the Australian honours list. In 2025, Robyn undertook a Churchill Fellowship studying the implementation of play agendas across 16 cities.

Dr Arianne Reis is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences at Western Sydney University, Director of Western’s World Leisure Centre of Excellence, and Co-Managing Editor of Annals of Leisure Research. Arianne’s research explores the intersection of leisure participation, human rights, and community development. Her current research focuses on the ways active leisure pursuits, such as engagement with sports, physical activity and outdoor recreation, can promote healthy living, environmental awareness and social justice. Dr Reis has also developed a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing.