ARTN Event: Balancing Acts - Integrating Pastoral Care in HDR Administration
Behind every HDR process sits a person — and often, a story. For those working in HDR administration, pastoral care has become an essential but complex part of the role. How do we support candidates while managing operational demands? Are we prepared and trained for this aspect of our work? And how do we protect and sustain our teams in the process? This panel will bring together voices from different areas of HDR to discuss the place of pastoral care in HDR administration and how we can strengthen both our candidates’ and colleagues’ experiences.
EVENT DETAILS:
DATE: Thursday, 23 October 2025
TIME: 12PM - 1PM AEDT - Check your time zone here.
Type of Event: Zoom - link and ID to be provided in event confirmation email.
SPEAKERS:
Caroline Deacon - The University of Melbourne
Caroline is a Graduate Research Coordinator in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. She has worked in the University sector for over 20 years, with roles in graduate research, research ethics, research scholarships, trusts and awards, and international admissions. Caroline is an enthusiastic and dedicated graduate research administrator with significant experience working with graduate researchers, academic staff and professional staff to continuously improve the graduate research experience.
Charlotte Glynn - Macquarie University
Charlotte Glynn is the Graduate Research Lifecycle Coordinator at Macquarie University, where she leads a team dedicated to supporting HDR candidates through every stage of their journey. Her team balances the technical and operational demands of the HDR lifecycle with a strong focus on pastoral care, ensuring that candidates feel supported both academically and personally. Since joining Macquarie in 2019, Charlotte has worked across a variety of roles that have deepened her understanding of the university sector, and since 2023 she has been part of the Graduate Research Academy, building strong expertise in HDR processes and case management. Charlotte is passionate about making the graduate research experience a positive one—for candidates, supervisors, and colleagues alike—and thrives on building connections and driving improvements that genuinely make a difference.
Dr SEÁN O’REILLY - The University of Sydney
Dr Seán O’Reilly is the Head of Research Education and Research Networks in the Faculty of Medicine and Health (FMH) at the University of Sydney. He leads the professional teams responsible for, first, the support and management of approximately 1,400 higher degree by research candidates and 3,000 HDR supervisors, and second, the oversight of 11 Research Networks and Centres. This latter role has a particular emphasis on Early and Mid-Career Researcher support and development. In 2024, Seán became a founding advisory committee member of the reconstituted Australasian Research Training Network (ARTN). Seán holds a PhD and BA (Hons) from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, with research interests in history, politics and international relations. Before joining FMH in 2019, he worked with the External Engagement Portfolio at USYD. Between 2008 and 2017, Seán held a number of academic and professional positions at various institutions internationally, with experience spanning Europe, Australia, Asia and North America.
FACILITATED BY:
Catherine Murphy - Macquarie University
Catherine Murphy has been working in higher education since 2010, specializing in Higher Degree Research (HDR) since 2014. Newly appointed Co-Chair of the Australasian Research Training Network (ARTN), and current Operations Manager in the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie University, Catherine provides leadership in the management and administration of HDR programs at Macquarie. Her teams support and administer the HDR student lifecycle, covering: pre-admission, enrolment, scholarships, variations to candidature, examination and completion. With a strong focus on team culture, digital transformation, governance, and reporting, Catherine is passionate about the importance of HDR professional staff support.
Mr Mitchell Piscioneri Smyt - The University of Melbourne
Mitchell Piscioneri Smyth (Mitch) is a higher education professional specialising in graduate research and industry engagement at the University of Melbourne. Based in Chancellery, at the heart of university strategy and governance, Mitch has been heavily involved in developing innovative HDR internship programs and industry-sponsored PhD frameworks. Mitch is currently an advisory committee member of the Australasian Research Training Network (ARTN) and was 2024 co-chair of the Australian HDR Industry Community of Practice, facilitating knowledge sharing across the Australian tertiary sector. Mitch is an alumnus of Deakin University and the Melbourne Medical School.
Instructions on joining a Zoom meeting and participant controls can be found on the Zoom website. If you need assistance with accessing Zoom at your office, please contact your organisation’s IT Support. We strongly recommend you test your ability to connect to Zoom prior to the session.
If you have any questions, please contact the ARMS Executive Office ARMSAdmin@researchmanagement.org.au or +61 8 8201 5592.
Should your circumstances change, and you are unable to attend this workshop, you must contact ARMSAdmin@researchmanagement.org.au by no later than 10 working days prior to the commencement of the scheduled event. ARMS will refund the full registration fee minus any administrative fees.
Should you cancel less than 10 working days prior to the commencement of this workshop, no refund will be payable but instead you may wish to send a proxy.
ARMS reserve the right to cancel, postpone or re-schedule courses and events due to minimum numbers not being reached or for other unforeseen circumstances. In the event of a cancellation, ARMS will aim to advise all participants in writing five (5) days prior to the scheduled event and will refund the full registration fee including administrative charges within 30 days after notification.
Kindly note that this session may be recorded and, with the presenter’s permission, made accessible to registrants and ARMS members through our website.
