Kim Beswick is Head of the School of Education and Professor of Mathematics Education at UNSW Sydney. Prior to joining UNSW Kim was Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) where she also held a range of leadership roles including as Associate Dean (Research).
Her research interests centre on the beliefs and knowledge that underpin the practice of mathematics teachers and how professional learning can provide a catalyst for change. She is particularly interested in how teachers’ beliefs and knowledge relate to their expectations of and aspirations for their students. Kim is committed to enhancing the quality of mathematics education for all students including those in low socioeconomic communities and rural and regional areas, and those with histories of low attainment.
Kim has attracted more than $13M in competitive research funding including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2014-2019). Kim has published more than 110 peer reviewed publications, is Associate Editor of the Journal of Mathematics Education, and a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education and the Australian Mathematics Teacher.
She has served on a range of national and international committees in relation to mathematics education and teacher education, including as a member of the International Assessments Joint National Advisory Committee (the key advisory body to support Australia's participation in international assessments of school students, including PISA and TIMSS) (2012-2013), and the Australian Government's Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group in 2014. She was Chair of the Subcommittee for Mathematics and Statistics Education in Schools of the Australian Academy of Science's National Committee for Mathematical Sciences' work to develop a Decadal Plan for the Mathematical Sciences (2012-2015), elected to the International Committee of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education in 2014, and was appointed to the Australian Research Council College of Experts in the same year. She is a member of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee on Mathematical Sciences, Australia’s representative on the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and Convenor of the 15th quadrennial International Congress on Mathematics Education to be held in Sydney in 2024.
Kim’s work is closely connected with practice in schools and classrooms as evidenced by a wide range of non-university research partners that include all state Departments of Education, almost all Catholic dioceses, a range of TAFE institutions and associations and societies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. She has maintained strong links with the mathematics teaching profession through contributions to the Mathematical Association of Tasmania (MAT) including President 2005-2007, and the AAMT as President (2012-2014), journal editor (2008-2010). She was awarded life membership of AAMT in 2017. Her tertiary teaching expertise was recognised by a UTAS Teaching Excellence Award in 2006 and, in 2008, an Australian Learning and Teaching Council citation for outstanding contributions to student learning. She received the Research Award of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia in 2014.