Jessica Russ-Smith

Associate Professor Jessica Russ-Smith (she/her) is a sovereign Wiradyuri Wambuul woman and Associate Professor of Social Work at Australian Catholic University (ACU), where she serves as Deputy Head of School Allied Health ACT. She chairs ACU’s Indigenous Research Ethics Advisory Panel, is an elected non-executive Director for the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and serves on the IAHA Research Advisory Committee.

Jess is the co-author of The AI (R)evolution: Valuing Country, Culture and Community in a World of Algorithms.

In 2024, Jess was honoured with the AAUT Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning – the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education, recognising her exceptional commitment to creating anti-racist, critical learning and practice spaces that honour and are guided by First Nations sovereign knowledges.

Her work focusses on Indigenous sovereignty, decolonising higher education and allied health, critical disability justice and artificial intelligence.