Presented by Professor Lea Waters
It is critical for schools to be 'positive institutions' that foster academic growth together with citizenship, virtue and wellbeing in students. It's also vital to understand the elements within the broader education system that foster performance and wellbeing for all stakeholders.

Professor Waters will share the trends, evidence and advancements occurring in the rapidly growing field of positive education. She will explore how the initial conceptualization of positive education has been broadened and deepened with cutting-edge research techniques such as bio-data and big data. Professor Waters will conclude by detailing how the Centre for Positive Psychology is expanding the field with their work on the applications of positive psychology with students, school staff, school leaders and school culture.

Professor Lea Waters (PhD) holds the Gerry Higgins Chair in Positive Psychology and is the Director of the Centre for Positive Psychology in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

An internationally recognised expert in positive psychology and organisational change, Professor Waters holds affiliate positions with Cambridge University's Wellbeing Institute and the Centre for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan.

She is a registered psychologist (AHPRA), a full member of the College of Organisational Psychologists and received an Australian University Individual Teaching Excellence Award from the Prime Minister in 2007. Professor Waters is also an advisory board member for the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).