Amy McHugh

Dr Amy McHugh is a Lecturer at the National Centre for Cultural Competence, University of Sydney. Her research and teaching focus on cultural competence, intercultural communication, and the integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion into higher education. Her PhD work focused on the development of intercultural competence and resulted in the development of a pedagogical framework reconceptualising competence as a co-constructed and situated achievement, particularly in virtual exchange and internationalised learning contexts. Drawing on both theoretical and applied approaches, Amy's scholarship emphasises the importance of educator development in advancing culturally responsive, ethical, and globally engaged higher education. Her current projects include the development of multiple AI-supported reflective tools, including one which helps educators critically examine their positionality and approach to inclusive teaching. She has co-authored peer-reviewed articles on (inter)cultural competence development in various contexts and regularly presents her work at national and international conferences.