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Dr Aastha Malhotra

Name Aastha Malhotra
Pronoun She/Her/Hers
Position Senior Lecturer (Social Work and Human Services)
Section School of Health, Psychological and Medical Sciences
Office B343
Location Ipswich Campus
Phone +61 7 3812 6083
Extension 6083
Email
Qualifications MHumServ University of Queensland , PhD University of Queensland
Languages Hindi (accredited translator)
Homepage https://research.usq.edu.au/researcher/81317/dr-aastha-malhotra
The views expressed on staff homepages may not reflect the views of the University.

Biography

Dr Aastha Malhotra is a Social Work and Human Services educator with expertise in management and leadership. This interdisciplinary foundation shapes her teaching, research, and engagement. Her work supports not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises and their leaders to navigate complex change, strengthen organisational capacity, and embed inclusive practice in their work with individuals and communities.

Her academic philosophy is grounded in the transformational nature of learning, and her work is informed by leadership, organisational studies and community-engaged scholarship. Drawing on more than twenty years of sustained industry engagement, she deliberately bridges academic research and professional practice. Her experience spans designing community-based rehabilitation programs in Tihar Jail (Asia's largest prison), advancing inclusive employment for people living with HIV in Canada, and co-creating entrepreneurial and community-led solutions with multicultural communities in Queensland.

As Senior Lecturer and Higher Degree Research (HDR) Coordinator at UniSQ, Dr Malhotra prepares students and researchers to advance social and community outcomes through ethical, evidence-informed and inclusive practice. Her teaching spans postgraduate research, intersectionality and leadership across Social Work and Management disciplines. This work has been recognised through the ANZAM Excellence Award in Promoting Learning & Teaching (2025) and the UniSQ Excellence Award for Educational Leadership (2024).

She leads the Leadership for Social Impact research stream at UniSQ. Her research explores how leaders strengthen individual and organisational capacity to promote social inclusion. Using qualitative and participatory approaches, she works closely with industry and community partners to evaluate initiatives, co-design capacity-building strategies and generate practice-relevant research. Current externally funded projects focus on leader wellbeing in social enterprises and equitable wellbeing outcomes for migrant and refugee communities. This work sits across health and wellbeing, community and regional development contexts, with a particular interest in leadership, inclusion and social impact. Outcomes from recent projects have been taken up by state and national peak bodies.

Dr Malhotra's contribution extends beyond UniSQ through academic leadership, governance and sector engagement. She serves as Co-Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (Public Sector, NGOs and Not-for-Profit Stream) and as a Management Committee Member of Amparo Advocacy Queensland. She is regularly invited to contribute to advisory groups, review panels and collaborative initiatives that strengthen social purpose leadership and organisational capability.

She welcomes conversations on fostering social inclusion, co-designing with migrant and refugee communities, effective not-for-profit and social enterprise leadership and management (including leader and employee wellbeing), and impact evaluation.

Research Career


  • Strategy ( 350799 )
  • Socio-Economic Development ( 440407 )
  • Social Program Evaluation ( 440903 )
  • Not-For-Profit Business And Management ( 350708 )
  • Strategy ( 350700 )
  • Social Work ( 440900 )
  • Development Studies ( 440400 )
  • Social Work not elsewhere classified ( 440999 )
  • Development Studies not elsewhere classified ( 440499 )

Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (Co-Chair of the Public Sector, NGOs, and Not-for-Profit Stream)
Queensland Council of Social Services
Queensland Social Enterprise Council
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy


Women’s Ethnic Network


  • Institute for Communities and Regional Development (ICRD)
  • Institute for Health (IH)

Teaching


https://handbook-guide.unisq.edu.au/course/2024/HSW3220
https://handbook-guide.unisq.edu.au/course/2025/swk2200
https://handbook-guide.unisq.edu.au/course/2024/swm5400


Honours Coordinator (2020-2021)
Program Director (2020-2023)
Higher Degree Research Coordinator (2025 - current)

Supervision


  • Strategy ( 350799 )
  • Socio-Economic Development ( 440407 )
  • Social Program Evaluation ( 440903 )
  • Not-For-Profit Business And Management ( 350708 )
  • Strategy ( 350700 )
  • Social Work ( 440900 )
  • Development Studies ( 440400 )
  • Social Work not elsewhere classified ( 440999 )
  • Development Studies not elsewhere classified ( 440499 )