
Mrs Saadia Adnan
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Education
Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics
As a dedicated full-time researcher pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Education at the University of Adelaide, I bring over 20 years of experience from Pakistan's dynamic education sector. My research endeavours to delve into the nuanced meanings of leadership experiences and what factors catalyse their formation. With a degree of Master in Education Leadership and Management from Flinders University of South Australia, my research focus has been on educational leadership, management, administration and policy. My passion for research in this area is driven by an enriching career in education sector that gave me deep understanding of the evolving nature of educational leadership practices within complex societal systems. During my professional journey I encountered and dealt with challenges of equity and justice across gender dynamics of a patriarchal society laden with complex sociopolitical and ethnocultural structures. My experiential learning from the field and the critical scholarship I have been engaged, are valuable resources for my ongoing research journey. My current research project is an exciting journey engaging with both critical and phenomenological scholarship. I am using critical phenomenology as the methodology to reveal the concrete conditions, institutions, and assumptions that structure the phenomenon of my research. With passion to learn and experiment new research skills, I am committed to contributing valuable insights to the field through rigorous research and scholarly inquiry.
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Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2023 Honour International Student Awards Study Adelaide South Australia Australia - 2022 Scholarship Adelaide University Research Scholarship The University of Adelaide Australia - 2021 Honour Flinders University Early Career Alumni Award Flinders University Australia - 2020 Recognition Australia Award Alumni Successful Responses to COVID-19 Australia Awards Pakistan - 2015 Distinction Chancellor's Letter of Commendation Flinders University of South Australia Australia - 2014 Scholarship Australia Awards Scholarship Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia - 2014 Distinction Chancellor's Letter of Commendation Flinders University of South Australia Australia - 2004 Achievement Gold Medalist for securing First Position in Masters of English and Linguistics National University of Modern Languages Pakistan - -
Language Competencies
Language Competency English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review Urdu Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title Flinders University Australia Master National University of Modern Languages Pakistan Master Allama Iqbal Open University Pakistan Master University of the Punjab Pakistan Master -
Research Interests
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Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2025 - 2025 Chair Abstract and Programme Organising Committee Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (ABLE), The University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 Co-Chair Abstract and Programme Committee for ABLE HDR Conference 2024 Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics (ABLE), The University of Adelaide Australia -
Memberships
Date Role Membership Country 2023 - ongoing Member Australian Association for Research in Education Australia 2015 - ongoing Member Golden Key Australia -
Offices Held
Date Office Name Institution Country 2024 - ongoing Faculty HDR Representative Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, The University of Adelaide Australia 2023 - 2025 HDR Representative (School of Education) School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, The University of Adelaide Australia 2018 - 2022 Director Academics & Quality Asssurance Federal Directorate of Education, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, Islamabad Pakistan 2016 - 2017 Area Education Officer/Director Schools Federal Directorate of Education, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, Islamabad Pakistan 2005 - 2015 Principal, Girls Secondary School Federal Directorate of Education, Ministry of Education & Professional Training, Islamabad Pakistan 2000 - 2005 Teacher, Islamabad Model College Federal Directorate of Education, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, Islamabad Pakistan -
Presentation
Date Topic Presented at Institution Country 2025 - ongoing ‘Sometimes, I even crave for that cup of tea which someone makes me’: A case of women educational leaders working within gendered stereotypes Insights from a critical phenomenological inquiry in the Pakistan context. Faculty of ABLE HDR Conference held at the National Wine Centre The University of Adelaide Australia 2024 - 2024 ‘Send this woman to the most remote station to teach her a lesson’: A critique of gendered educational leadership discourses. Insights from a critical phenomenological inquiry in the Pakistan context. AARE 2024 at Macquarie University, NSW Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Australia 2024 - ongoing Demystifying discourses of power in educational policies: A critical policy analysis in the Pakistan Context. Faculty of ABLE HDR Conference held at the National Wine Centre The University of Adelaide Australia 2023 - 2023 Demystifying discourses of power: educational leaders’ positionality in enactment of education policies in the Pakistan context. AARE 2023 held at Melbourne University Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles