Associate ProfessorDhara Shah

I am the Director for Deakin Women and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Hub (WIERA) and the Director for Partnerships and Engagement for the Public Sector.

I am an innovative academic with the drive to grow in a professional environment. I have successfully delivered and implemented 11 complex, interdisciplinary international and domestic research and consultancy projects/contracts (approx. A$2.5 mil), working with Australian and international governments, academics, government agencies, and industry partners. I have identified and designed several research projects focused on societal impact, aiming to find innovative solutions through employment, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and related areas. I am an academic who thinks outside the box and believes that solutions to most of our social issues are around us, but it is a matter of identifying and co-designing it with the people experiencing the issues, the community, the governments, the industry, and the academics and working collaboratively to make change happen.

For all my projects, I have developed and maintained strong and positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including Australian and Queensland governments, Indian and Lao governments, associated organisations, Academics, the community, and industry partners. I have received the Griffith Business School PVC Research Excellence Award for a mid-career researcher (2021) and was recognised for my work as a finalist in the India Australia Business and Community Awards (IABCA 2020-21).

I am the Australia India Business Council National Education Chapter Lead and the Country Representative for the European Academy of Management. I am also an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Enterprising Communities (Emerald). I have served in various leadership and engagement roles. I am an active discussant on important, relevant topics, e.g., an Expert panel discussing the challenges faced by women during the pandemic - Universidad Privada Boliviana, La Trobe Asia, and Griffith Asia Institute; a panel member discussing pathways for homeless women and women experiencing Domestic and family violence - Queensland Government.

I have been a recipient of the Deakin Faculty of Business and Law Leadership Award (2025) and Research and Innovation Award (2024). I have been recognised and selected for the Academic WIL Program (2022), Ethos in Research Leadership (2019), and the Women in Leadership programs at Griffith Business School, Griffith University (2017).

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment, and the ability to build strong relationships, strategic thinking, adept complex problem-solving skills, and deep engagement with internal and external stakeholders. I am a strong advocate for gender equity and finding solutions through projects to build and empower disadvantaged groups. Being bilingual and bicultural, is complemented by my life experiences of growing up, studying, and working in India and Australia.