Professor Mohamad Abdalla AM is an internationally recognised scholar of Islamic Studies whose work advances the integration of Islamic intellectual traditions within contemporary higher education, policy, and public life. Over more than three decades, he has played a decisive role in institutionalising Islamic Studies across Australian universities, strengthening research capacity, academic governance, and global engagement. In 2020, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to education, particularly in the field of Islamic Studies.
 
Professor Abdalla has founded and led major national platforms for research and teaching. In 2006, he established the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit, which became a nationally significant centre for Higher Degree by Research training and scholarly engagement, attracting candidates who later assumed major leadership roles, including Anwar Ibrahim and Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. In 2008, he co-founded the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, a strategic collaboration between the University of Melbourne, Griffith University, and Western Sydney University, contributing to the development of sustainable undergraduate and postgraduate programs across the sector. In 2016, he was invited by university leadership to establish the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE), where he continues to serve as Founding Director, leading research, professional learning, and international partnerships with schools, governments, and community organisations.
 
His research authority spans Islamic worldview and epistemology, tarbiyah, educator formation, leadership, Arabic language education, and civilisational exchange between Islamic and Western traditions. He has supervised more than 30 doctoral candidates and continues to cultivate emerging scholars working across education, theology, and society. His scholarship is widely recognised for combining classical sources with contemporary educational challenges, contributing to debates on renewal and the public role of Islam.
 
Professor Abdalla’s publications have helped shape international conversations on Islamic schooling and curriculum transformation. His authored and edited books include Wellbeing in Islamic Schools: Nurturing the Mind, Body and Soul; Curriculum Renewal for Islamic Education: Critical Perspectives on Teaching Islam in Primary and Secondary Schools; Leadership in Islam: Thoughts, Processes and Solutions in Australian Organizations; Islamic Schooling in the West: Pathways to Renewal; Islam and the Australian News Media; and the monograph Islamic Science: The Myth of the Decline Theory. Forthcoming volumes include Arabic Language Education in Muslim Minority Contexts; Islamic Schools of Distinction: Learning and Teaching Rooted in the Islamic Worldview; and The Heart of Islamic Education: Reclaiming Tarbiyah as Theory and Praxis.
 
Alongside his academic leadership, Professor Abdalla has been a prominent contributor to interfaith dialogue and national conversations on social cohesion, regularly collaborating with public institutions, media, and community bodies to support informed civic engagement.
 
His contributions have been recognised through numerous honours for scholarship, leadership, and community service.