Dr Samantha Cooms is a proud Noonuccal Quandamooka mother and carer, she holds a Bachelor of Psychology (hons) majoring in Indigenous Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research and Leadership and a PhD in Business and is now a Lecturer in Management in the Business School at the University of Queensland.

Dr Cooms has a background in psychology and experience working in the mental health and disability sectors. She is passionate about disrupting hegemonic assumptions and promoting First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She has experience with using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research with a special interest in the use of poetic inquiry for sharing voices and perspectives of First Nations peoples in qualitative research. Dr Cooms' research seeks to decolonise and Indigenise knowledges with a special focus on disability to address intersectional disadvantage and disrupt ongoing colonisation. In line with this, she is passionate about connecting First Nations perspectives of inclusion and sustainability.

‍