Brendan Florio, Associate Dean of Engagement for Mathematics and Statistics

Bridging Teaching, Research, and Community

Brendan Florio joined the University in November 2023, and only a year and a half in, he’s already working towards building bridges between teaching, research, and community engagement.

"I’m relatively new to the Associate Dean role, but I love that it gives me an opportunity to bring mathematics and statistics to a diverse audience. My journey here has felt purpose-built, blending my prior experiences and passions," he said.

Brendan’s love for teaching stems from a varied career that spans continents and disciplines. He moved to Limerick, Ireland for three years to begin his postdoctoral research, but found himself drawn back to his roots in Perth, taking up a postdoctoral position at CSIRO Mineral Resources. Although always inspired by mathematics, it was his time teaching the subject in a public high school that truly sparked his passion.

“I am passionate about teaching, and I wasn’t able to do too much of it as a postdoc. I actually jumped out of research and into high school teaching!” he said. “I learnt very quickly that building positive relationships with students is essential for their learning. They are vulnerable while they are making mistakes as part of the learning process. To build human connections, I would share tales of my own mistakes and make myself vulnerable by playing (terribly) in staff versus students soccer matches.”

Making Maths for Everyone

Brendan is deeply committed to helping others gain confidence in mathematics. “As a mathematician, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard some variant of ‘I am not a ‘maths person'. Maths is for everyone!” he said.

"It might be hard sometimes, it might even take time, but everyone has the ability to learn. I have a keen interest in bringing learners of all abilities into the world of mathematics and statistics.”

When reflecting on what he enjoys most about Murdoch, Brendan highlighted the people and the collaborative spirit. “I really enjoy the people here at Murdoch. It doesn’t matter whether I am chatting to people in my school or college, or if I am connecting with people on the other end of campus, everyone is keen to support each other to improve the university experience for staff and students.”

Outside of work, Brendan enjoys playing video games with his six-year-old son. “Video games help me wind down at the end of the day. My 6-year-old son Rowan and I recently beat ‘Split Fiction’ together which was a great bonding experience." He also loves board games like Spirit Island and Dungeons and Dragons. “If you catch me out of the house, you’ll find me four-wheel-driving or camping with the kids!”