Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer

Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer is the director of the Monash PlayLab, and foundation chair in Early Childhood Education and Development at Monash University.

Marilyn has led a distinguished, pioneering career and has won nearly $10 million in research grants. She is one of only two Australian Research Council (ARC) laureate professors awarded in education for her work investigating the best way to support STEM learning in young children. Her research positions Australia as a leader in the field and changes the way girls engage with STEM.

Marilyn paved the way for other researchers and was recognised as an ARC Kathleen Fitzpatrick Fellow, a position designed to mentor early career women researchers – another first in education. She founded early childhood education’s first professional research conference and journal in Australia, both of which have now become international entities.

In 2021, in recognition of her lifetime contribution, Marilyn was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. She holds honorary positions at the University of Oxford, Western Norway University and Aarhus University in Denmark.