Professor Litchfield started as the Head of School of SAHESS in August, 2026.

Professor Litchfield is a long‑standing academic at Charles Sturt University, with appointments in the School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences and the School of Exercise Science, Sport and Health. She grew up in rural Victoria, completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Victoria University, and has spent two decades working in regional Australia. Her career in tertiary education includes ten years as Associate Head of School, during which she demonstrated strong leadership in learning and teaching, research development, staff wellbeing and academic mentorship. Her scholarship in gender studies, sport and health informs her sustained commitment to equity.

Professor Litchfield is internationally recognised for her research in gender, sport, leadership and health. Her collaborative work on gender-based violence in sport, undertaken with Bournemouth University and Loughborough University, has produced significant scholarly contributions, invited presentations and international partnerships. This work led to an invitation to write the inaugural policy brief for the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport on online gender-based violence against women and girls in sport. She also serves on the editorial boards of several international journals. Within Charles Sturt University, she co-leads the Regional Australian Women’s Wellbeing and Health (RAWWH) research team, leads the Impact of Sport research group and is Co-Convenor of the Senior Women’s Forum. Her leadership in the RAWWH group reflects a sustained commitment to improving health and wellbeing outcomes in regional, rural and remote communities across Australia.