A University of Newcastle academic and researcher has been named runner-up in the 2008 UniJobs' Lecturer of the Year competition.

Dr Wendy Amosa from the School of Education took out second place ahead of more than 6,400 other nominees. Over 60,000 votes were cast by university staff and students from across Australia, with the top three being separated by just 20 votes.

Dr Amosa completed her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Newcastle. Her teaching and research interests include multicultural education, pedagogy, teaching for social justice and English education. She is also Director of the University Centre for Professional Learning in Education.

Lecturer of the Year is an initiative of UniJobs. It is designed to give recognition to lecturers who have impacted on the lives of their students and fellow staff.