Maria Hatzigianni | Senior Research Fellow
Monash University

Maria Hatzigianni is a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, Early Childhood Education working with Marilyn Fleer in the First National Programmatic study of conceptual play in Science, Engineering and Technology (leader of pillar 3 - Peninsula Campus). 
The use of digital technology within early years education is her main research area and she has published widely. Her current research projects focused on: infants/toddlers' use of touchscreen technologies; design thinking for young children; Virtual Reality in Higher Education. 
Maria was a lecturer in Australia, coordinating and teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects such as: History and Philosophy of Early Childhood; Maths, Science and Technology for young children; the Early Childhood Internship, Research Methodologies in Education. She also has significant administration experience from her role as Associate Head of School (CSU) and Course Coordinator for the Master of Teaching EC (University of Melbourne). 
Before starting her academic career, Maria was an EC teacher and director for more than 12 years in Australia and Greece. She was the first kindergarten teacher to be seconded to Australia from the Hellenic Ministry of Education to teacher Greek in Melbourne's early childhood centres (2004).
Maria has a PhD from the University of Melbourne (full scholarship). Her Masters degree (‘Information Technology in Education’) and Bachelor degree (ECE) were completed at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Greece.