Announcing the AI Knowledge Exchange: A Distinguished Visiting Researcher Residency

We are excited to announce the AI Knowledge Exchange, a collaboration between the Fogarty Foundation and the Forrest Research Foundation, to host Dr Sara Ratner as a Distinguished Visiting Researcher in Western Australia from 29 June to 4 July 2025. 

Dr Ratner is an internationally recognised leader in artificial intelligence in education, currently leading the AI in Education at Oxford University initiative (AIEOU). She has contributed to the UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers and brings expertise spanning classroom innovation, teacher preparation, AI policy, and ethical, human-centred AI integration. Her residency here in WA is a genuine opportunity to bring world-leading thinking directly into conversation with our local educators, researchers, policymakers, and school communities. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping classrooms worldwide. It presents significant challenges, including safeguarding academic integrity, alongside extraordinary opportunities to advance educational equity. WA schools and universities are already experimenting with AI, but there is a pressing need for timely research translation, cross-sector knowledge sharing, and coordinated policy guidance. Dr Ratner's residency is designed to address exactly that, bridging research, policy, and practice to ensure AI literacy reaches every WA student and educator. 

The visit will focus on facilitating cross-sector collaboration, building the evidence-base on AI in education, and translating global research into practical strategies for schools and responsive policy. Key activities across the week will include roundtables with policymakers and sector leaders, workshops for teachers and pre-service teachers, media engagement to raise public awareness, and events for parents and school communities. The week will culminate in a cross-institutional event for WA teaching students, designed to build capability in AI pedagogy and connect global research with local practice. Preparatory work, including a policy-focused think tank, will ensure the visit is purposeful and delivers meaningful outcomes. 

This initiative builds on prior work by the Fogarty Foundation, including the 2025 State of AI in WA Schools Forum, and is part of a broader effort to ensure Western Australia is positioned to respond strategically to AI in education. Our goal is equitable access and evidence-informed innovation, for every student, in every school. 

We look forward to sharing more as the residency approaches and we look forward to welcoming Dr Ratner to Western Australia.