Dr Megan Simic is a research fellow with the Collaborative Evaluation & Research Centre (CERC) at Federation University Australia. Her research focuses on health services, nursing workforce experiences, community and primary care, and rural and regional health. She uses participatory, qualitative, quantitative and mixed‑methods approaches. 

Megan has extensive experience across the full research and evaluation lifecycle, including grant writing, project coordination, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and the development of high‑quality research reports and peer‑reviewed publications. She is a skilled academic writer and editor, contributing to both scholarly outputs and industry‑focused evaluation reports that support evidence‑informed decision‑making. 

Megan is a registered nurse with diverse clinical experience across intensive care, emergency and paediatric settings. She completed a Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) at Federation University, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2024. Her doctoral research explored the lived experiences of emergency department nurses during the COVID‑19 pandemic, contributing to understanding workforce wellbeing, system pressures and organisational responses in regional health settings. 

Megan has an expanding publication record in national and international peer‑reviewed journals and regularly presents at national and international conferences. She is committed to translating research findings for academic, industry and community audiences and building research and evaluation capacity among early career researchers, students and local community groups. Megan is also a member of the Leading Australian Resilient Communities (LARC) Leadership Program.