In this role Mahsood is responsible for strengthening research capacity with staff who are engaged in teaching open access courses to young and mature age students from various equity groups. His area of research strength include: quality in higher education, student experience, student feedback, student retention and attrition, student engagement in quality assurance, and private higher education. Prior to joining the University of Newcastle, Mahsood led strategic planning and quality assurance in a number of Australian universities and private higher education providers.