About

Dr Felecia Watkin Lui is a Torres Strait Islander woman with giz from Erub, Mabuiag and Badu.  She is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies in the Indigenous Education and Research Centre and Thematic Convenor of Indigenous Futures for the Cairns Institute, JCU. 

She graduated with a PhD from JCU in 2010. Her doctoral research was the first intergenerational study examining cultural and political identity for Islanders living outside the Torres Strait.   Dr Watkin Lui's doctoral research on the Torres Strait Diaspora led to an interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in environmental science and economics and ground breaking work on the sharing of marine bush meat in Indigenous communities. Her focus on collaborative community projects piqued her interest in exploring issues of engagement, impact and benefit, and the role of Indigenous leadership in research uptake.  Dr Watkin Lui was Principal Investigator on an ARC Indigenous Discovery Project (2014-17) which focused on research impact and benefit in Indigenous research contexts.

Dr Watkin Lui was project leader of Meriba buay - ngalpan wakaythoemamay (We come together to share our thinking): Evaluating a Community of Practice for Torres Strait Islander Health and Well-being funded by the Lowitja Institute.  Further details about the project can be found at  https://www.lowitja.org.au/page/research/research-categories/cultural-and-social-determinants/social-determinants-of-health/projects/meriba-buay

She is currently the lead researcher for ARC Indigenous Discovery IN190100061, titled Knowledge Integration for Torres Strait Sustainability with CIs Dr Sanchia Shibasaki (Lowitja Institute), Dr Cass Hunter (CSIRO), Prof Natalie Stoeckl (JCU) and Prof Stewart Lockie (JCU).  This project aims to investigate how Torres Strait Islanders use context-specific local knowledge and research evidence to address environmental sustainability challenges. The Torres Strait is experiencing significant threats to its environment and there is a need to use research to identify strategies that can meet these challenges. However, at present significiant barriers exist in the translation of current research knowledge to the Torres Strait context. The project will examine how knowledge is constructed (culturally) and develop new methods to allow research findings to be integrated into Torres Strait knowledge. This project will support the empowerment of Torres Strait Islander people to seek the research information that is most useful for their decision-making.

 

 

 

Teaching
  • IA3030: Navigating the Cultural Interface (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
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
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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 28+ research outputs authored by A/Prof Felecia Watkin from 2012 onwards.

Current Funding

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

Lowitja Institute-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC - Seeding Grant 2021

Feeling Informed, Connected, Supported and Heard: Advocacy for aged care in the Torres Strait

Indicative Funding
$139,416 over 2 years (administered by Torres Strait Aged Care Association Inc.)
Summary
The project aims to advance the educational impact and awareness outcomes of older Torres Strait islanders living in the community through the development of an Information Advocacy Hub (IAH). The aims include: 1. Evaluate the implementation of a Pilot Information Advocacy Hub based in the Torres Strait Aged Care Association Inc. (TSACAI); and 2. Evaluate the development of an Advocacy resource sharing Community of Interest. The initial key partnerships aim to collectively develop a sustainable model for the IAH information awareness strategy that aims to demonstrate how advocacy operates across key service providers. The development of an IAH will act as the ?one stop shop? and be the primary point of contact for TSACAI clients, family members and the community.
Investigators
Felecia Watkin in collaboration with Vincent Backhaus and Lynda Ah Mat (Indigenous Education & Research Centre)
Keywords
Research Impact; Knowledge Translation; Aged Care; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Australian Research Council - Discovery Indigenous

Knowledge Integration for Torres Strait Sustainability

Indicative Funding
$387,811 over 5 years
Summary
This project aims to support sustainable development in the Torres Strait through the development of practical, locally-relevant strategies for collating, generating and integrating knowledge relevant to the management of intersecting social, economic and environmental challenges. The project seeks to generate new knowledge about how Torres Strait Islander people construct the idea of sustainable development by integrating participatory and quantitative methodologies to support research evaluation and decision-making in a way that supports community aspirations. The expected outcomes include enhanced capacity of Torres Strait Islander people to effectively seek the knowledge that is most useful in their decision-making for sustainability.
Investigators
Felecia Watkin, Stewart Lockie and Natalie Stoeckl in collaboration with Sanchia Shibasaki and Cass Hunter (Indigenous Education & Research Centre, Lowitja Institute-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, Cairns Institute and Academy)
Keywords
Torres Strait; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; knowledge integration; knowledge translation

Lowitja Institute-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC - LI Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) funding

The Co-production of the Lowitja Institute Knowledge Translation to Research Impact for Empowerment Approach

Indicative Funding
$225,000 over 1 year
Summary
This research project will involve the co-development of a Knowledge Translation to Research Impact for Empowerment Approach with the Lowitja Institute Research and Knowledge Translation (R&KT) team. The co-development of this approach will incorporate and work off three major products that will provide the building blocks to improving Knowledge Translation (KT) and research impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research: 1. Lowitja Institute Knowledge Translation and Research Impact Indicators; 2. Lowitja Institute Research for Impact Tool co-developed with James Cook University (JCU); and 3. Lowitja Institute KT to Research Impact Framework. This research project will combine the proposed programs of work which will lead to the JCU team and the Lowitja Institute developing the first known Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander KT to Research Impact Approach that will underpin research commissioning, monitoring and reporting, translation of knowledge into practice, workforce development and so on. It is anticipated this work will have significant implications for the broader Australian health research environment.
Investigators
Felecia Watkin, Komla Tsey and Lynda Ah Mat (Indigenous Education & Research Centre, College of Arts and Society & Education)
Keywords
Research Impact; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander He; Knowledge Translation

Lowitja Institute-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC - Seeding Grant 2020

LeadershipFit - Re-imagining community leadership programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Indicative Funding
$6,254 (administered by leadershipFit)
Summary
This project aims to instil confidence and further strengthen Indigenous-led intergenerational leadership knowledge transfer for advancing the leadership aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. The project will explore and investigate approaches to further strengthen and improve the connections between senior community leaders and young people willing to learn and develop their leadership capacities by undertaking a needs analysis with a sample of Indigenous led community organisations to determine the demand and scope for an intergenerational leadership mentorship and/or coaching program.
Investigators
Felecia Watkin in collaboration with Vincent Backhaus (Indigenous Education & Research Centre)
Keywords
ATSI Health; Knowledge Translation; Research Impact; Leadership; Youth Leadership

Lowitja Institute-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC - Seeding Grant 2020

TSACA: Feasibility Study for a Torres Strait Aged Care Information and Advocacy Hub

Indicative Funding
$20,730 (administered by Torres Strait Aged Care Association Inc.)
Summary
This project A Feasibility Study for a Torres Strait Aged Care Information and Advocacy Hub will provide evidence to support a larger grant application for the second round of grants to close in October 2020. This feasibility study explores the idea of aging and older adults who could benefit from an Aged Care Information and Advocacy Hub. The Information and Advocacy Hub idea aims to support individual and community to better understand the aged care system (particularly within their local island jurisdictions). The aging and older adults Hub concept will involve building networks and key partnerships with aged care services, aligned government agencies, NGOs and relevant non-for-profit agencies in the region. JCU will work with TSACA Inc to i) undertake a needs analysis with key stakeholders to determine the demand and scope; ii) Examine similar models; iii) Prepare a report of findings, and iv) Raise awareness about unmet aged care needs for those living in the Torres Strait and identify opportunities for seniors to contribute meaningfully to their respective communities and the broader Australian society.
Investigators
Felecia Watkin in collaboration with Vincent Backhaus and Lynda Ah Mat (Indigenous Education & Research Centre)
Keywords
ATSI Health; Research Impact; Knowledge Translation; Aged Care
Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current
  • Best practice and cultural appropriateness: Governance of the Torres Strait fisheries into the future. (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
  • Exploring Indigenous Cultural Competence in Legal Practitioner Client Relations (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
  • INDIGENOUS AND FIRST NATIONS WOMEN IN INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP: A COMPARATIVE STUDY (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Non-Indigenous narratives of Australian land: A history of the present (Masters , Secondary Advisor)
Completed
  • Self-Determination Discourses of Zenadth Kes People through Time (2023, Masters , Secondary Advisor)
  • Drawing the threads together: Aboriginal screen-printed textiles (2022, PhD , Advisor Mentor)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competence in legal service delivery; how can it be defined, measured and produced? (2022, Masters , Secondary Advisor)
Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.

  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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