Monash University

Associate Professor Sarah Goodwin is passionate about helping to harness data more effectively for a sustainable future. She uses human-centric approaches to create visual solutions to enable the exploration and communication of complex, multi-dimensional and geospatial data sets. 

Sarah is a member of Monash's Embodied Visualisation research group. She is Director of Engagement for the Human-Centred Computing Department, (co-)Director of Research for the Monash Grid Innovation Hub, Associate for Monash Energy Institute and a member of the Environmental Informatics Hub and Monash AI Institute.

Sarah's research looks to drive innovative, practical and feasible solutions which can have immediate impact. 

Her recent projects include: 

-human-centred approaches to control room information visualisation with recommendations and guidelines for future designs, with Australian Energy Market Operator / AEMO and CSIRO AR-PST 

-exploring immersive abstract and multiperspective data storytelling for water quality visual exploration and net zero transitions

-visualising disadvantage in Australia through analysing media and parliamentary discussions: Australia's Discourse Explorer (with the Paul Ramsay Foundation)

-visualising cancer prevalance and communicating geostatistical model uncertainty via the Australian Cancer Atlas (with Cancer Council Queensland and Queensland University of Technology)

-leading the development of the openly available visual eye tracking analysis software: Gazealytics (previously VETA) 

-creating MultiViz (Urban diversity) to enable the visual exploration of multiple variables on one map for social scientists 

-developing novel visual exploration tools for exploring smart energy grid data including Uplift - an immersive casual collaboration tool,  Timetables -an embodied spatial-temporal view and Embodied Provenance - Active Proxy Dashboards - interactive dashboards using 3D buildings, and dashboards and large screen displays for microgrid visualisations;

-and novel immersive and interactive visualisations, including Tiltmap ,  DataDancing and Data as Delight. 

Sarah supervises a number of PhD students particularly around the topics of innovative visualisation for sustainablity and renewable energy topics, movement analysis and visualisation, urban data analytics.

Sarah has over 20 years experience in the field of geospatial analysis and information visualisation in professional and academic roles; as a GIS technician, geo-data analyst, consultant and an academic researcher for some of the leading research centres for spatial analysis and visualisation around the world including the giCentre at City, University of London, UK; the g2Lab at HafenCity University, Hamburg, Germany,  Geospatial Science Department at RMIT University, Melbourne and (2015-2016, 2018+ with) the Immersive Analytics Lab / Embodied Visualisation group, Monash University.

Sarah was  co-General Chair for the IEEE VIS 2023 conference, bringing the largest international visualisation and visual analytic conference to Australia for the first time. She runs two international workshop series on 'Energy Data Visualisation' (EnergyVis) and 'Urban Data Visualisation' (CityVis) and has been on various program committees including IEEE InfoVis and IEEE PacificVis.

Sarah teaches data visualisation to around 1000 students per year and supervises many PhD, Masters and Honours students. 

  • Infovis Design Studies and Methodologies
  • Creativity Techniques and Workshops
  • Geographical Information Visualisation
  • Spatial Temporal Visual Analytics
  • Human Computer Interaction
  • Multidimensional Data Visualisation
  • Geodemographics
  • Uncertainty Visualisation
  • Energy, Smart and Micro Grid Visualisation
  • Movement and Flow Data Visualisation
  • City and Urban Data Visualisation
  • eXplainable GeoAI

Lecturer

S1/S2 2020, S1/S2 2021, S1/S2 2023, S1/S2 2024, S1 2025, S1 2026 (Lecturer / CE) FIT5147 Data Exploration and Visualisation  (postgraduate elective, manadatory for advanced Data Science pathway), CE for Clayton, Malyasia, Indonesia and Online. 

S1/S2 2019; S2 2018: FIT5125/FIT5143/FIT4005 Research Methods in Information Technology (All hons/masters/phd research component students)

Previously at RMIT University:

S1 2018 ONPS2335: The Professional Scientist (UG3), RMIT ONPS2334 Science Skills & Communication (UG1), and GEOM2334 Geospatial Science & Communication Skills (UG1). All Core subjects. 

S2 2017 GEOM2069 Cartography and Visualisation (RMIT) - Elective postgraduate

S1 2017 GEOM2079 Cartography 2 (RMIT) - Core UG2

Geographical Information Science, Doctor of Philosophy, City University London

Award Date: 14 Sept 2015

Geographical Information Systems, Master of Science, City University London

Award Date: 22 Nov 2007

Geography, Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Manchester

Award Date: 1 Jul 2003

  • Visualization
  • Analytics and big data
  • Energy
  • Computer Graphics
  • Smart grid
  • HCI
  • Smart Cities
  • Geostatistics
  • GIS
  • Spatial temporal statistics
  • Spatial cognition
  • Creativity

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

  2. SDG 4 - Quality Education

    SDG 4 Quality Education

  3. SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation

    SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

  4. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

  5. SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

    SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

  6. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

  7. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

  8. SDG 13 - Climate Action

    SDG 13 Climate Action

Read the original on research.monash.edu ↗