Tina Popa

Dr Tina Popa is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, specialising in medical negligence compensation, no-fault systems, psychiatric harm, and non-adversarial justice approaches in tort and health law. She earned her PhD exploring the litigation and mediation of medical negligence and mental harm claims. With postgraduate qualifications in psychology, she is developing a research focus at the intersection of law, psychology, and wellbeing in the legal profession.

Tina has published 19 peer-reviewed articles, collaborates extensively with industry, and regularly presents at national and international conferences. She is also the General Editor of the Tort Law Review. A passionate tort law educator, Tina’s teaching innovations have been recognised with a Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Citation, a Vice-Chancellor’s Award as an Early Career academic and the Lawyer’s Weekly Academic of the Year 2020 Award.

Tina’s industry connections include consulting as a lawyer at McDonald Milnes Lawyers (McDonald Legal). Additionally, Tina was a key legal member of an interdisciplinary team working on an industry research project at a leading Victorian tribunal. Recently, she has collaborated on research exploring wellbeing among personal injury lawyers, focusing on reducing stigma and addressing burnout and vicarious trauma.

Tina is committed to implementing innovative and authentic learning design, leading and collaborating on projects to enhance student learning using technology, law firm simulations and storytelling. Tina is committed to the scholarship of learning & teaching, co-authoring journal articles on blended learning design and presenting at international law teaching conferences. She has previously held the role of the school Online Learning Coordinator, encouraging and supporting staff to strive for excellence in online teaching and learning. Tina is dedicated to making learning accessible and has co-authored Contemporary Australian Tort Law (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2024).

Her educational innovations have earned her numerous awards, including the 2023 Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. She was recognised for creating authentic, industry-focused learning experiences that engage students. As an early career academic, she also received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in L&T, Early Career Lecturer. Tina strives to create an engaging environment that inspires students to study law.

Teaching Awards:

2023 - Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (Citation: For designing legal case-study simulations and authentic assessments to create industry focused learning experiences that influence active student learning to ‘bring law to life’)

2022 - College of Business & Law Learning & Teaching Enabling Award (jointly awarded with Dr Christina Platz and Dr James Gilchrist Stewart)

2019 - GSBL Student Experience Award

2018 - Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in L&T, Early Career Lecturer (Citation: For creating imaginative, innovative and authentic learning activities, in class and online, that motivate and inspire law students.)

2017 - GSBL Teaching and Technology Award

2016 - GSBL Inspirational Lecturer of the Year

2014 - Early Career Teacher Commendation Award, RMIT University

Research Awards:

2021 - College of Business & Law Research Excellence Award – Research Partnership and Impact (Early Career Researcher)

2019 - GSBL Research Impact Award (with Professor Ingo Karpen, Mark Wright and Olivia Dean) in recognition of research impact on the legal profession and society

Industry Awards:

2020 - Academic of the Year – Lawyers Weekly Women in Law awards