Professor Taha Chaiechi
Dean (Academic)
Dr Taha Chaiechi is Professor and Dean (Academic) at ICMS, with extensive experience in academic leadership, research excellence, and institutional transformation within Australian higher education. She completed her tenure as Academic Head of Economics and Marketing at James Cook University (2014–2019; 2022– 2025), where she also led the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) between 2018 and 2025. She established, and chaired the Sustainability and Societal Impact and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) College Committees. She also served as founding Editor‑in‑Chief of the open‑access Journal of Resilient Economies.
Since 2010, her multidisciplinary research attracted more than $1.4 million in competitive grants and consultancies, with over 88 publications and an i10‑index of 22. At the local level, she engaged extensively with state governments and Aboriginal corporations through applied research and funded projects, including collaborations supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) and Wet Tropics Marine Authority (WTMA) supported projects.
She has engaged in international policy‑oriented work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), including projects across Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and India, and served as a detailed assessor and peer reviewer for Australian Research Council (ARC) grant schemes, including national competitive programs. Her work aligns strongly with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and has been cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).