Rate My Professor Lynelle Watts

Associate Professor Lynelle Watts serves as a key figure in social work education and research at Curtin University, holding a position in the Curtin School of Allied Health within the Faculty of Health Sciences. She earned her BSW Honours (First Class) and a PhD in Social Work from Edith Cowan University, completing the doctorate between 2010 and 2015. Her academic career began at Edith Cowan University in 2006, where she advanced to Associate Professor, including contributions to the Centre for Higher Education Learning and Teaching Research, before transitioning to Curtin University in February 2019. Watts delivers teaching across the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs, with expertise in reflective practice, curriculum development, pedagogy, and adult learning.

Watts' research specializations encompass social work education, critical reflection, philosophy of social work, social justice, family and domestic violence, program evaluation, and qualitative methodologies emphasizing reflexivity, such as matrix methods for analyzing large longitudinal datasets. She has co-authored the book "Key Concepts and Theory in Social Work" (2017, with David Hodgson) and edited "Social Justice Theory and Practice for Social Work: Critical and Philosophical Perspectives" (2019). Prominent publications include "Problematising Artificial Intelligence in Social Work Education" (2022, cited extensively), "Developing and using matrix methods for analysis of large longitudinal qualitative datasets in out-of-home care research" (2023), explorations of lived experiences of family and domestic violence for women with disabilities (2024), and works on empathy in therapeutic contexts and resisting coercive AI in social work. With over 900 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions influence social work pedagogy and practice. She holds the role of Treasurer for the Australia New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education Research network (ANZSWWER) and serves on the editorial board of the Australian Social Work journal. Recognition includes Curtin University teaching excellence awards.