“As the first from my family to get a degree, I initially found university a challenge because I had no roles models to guide me. I first studied music then political science and social theory at the University of Melbourne and I soon found that, through study, I could follow my curiosity to some interesting places,” Kaz said.
“One of those was Beijing where I lived for a few years. There I learnt Chinese and gathered information for my PhD on population control in China while being based at Peking University as a visiting scholar. I developed a passionate interest in Chinese culture, society and politics and my current research is now focusing on the amazing world of the internet in China.
“I love teaching at UTAS because I can share this passion with others who may have had very little engagement with China or with Asia generally. Asia is of vital importance in our world and I enjoy being able to enthuse students about engaging more with the region.
“I convene the Asian Studies area and this means I can explore all kinds of interesting aspects of Asia in my classes. One of my career highlights is having my teaching recognised through winning teaching awards. Another highlight is the successful introduction of the Volunteering in Asia/Professional Placement program in Asian Studies, which allows students to first learn about and then undertake volunteering in Asia as part of their degrees.
“Living in Asia changed my life and I take great pleasure in being able to help others have their own direct experience of Asia.”