Fiona Lo is a Senior Data Analyst within RMIT University’s central Data & Analytics team, where she partners with the Research & Innovation portfolio to turn complex research data into trusted, actionable insights. Her work spans institutional reporting, interactive dashboard development, performance benchmarking, TEQSA HDR reporting, and strengthening data quality and governance across the research ecosystem.

Passionate about making data more accessible and meaningful, Fiona helps R&I stakeholders move beyond reporting to make confident, evidence-based decisions. She brings together business and technical perspectives to improve data processes, foster collaboration and deliver practical solutions that create lasting value across the university.

Georgina Hall is Project Coordinator for the HEalth Research Accelerator (HERA) at The University of Queensland, a major initiative supporting seven mission-driven health research programs. With more than seven years' experience across Australian and UK universities, she specialises in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, strategic reporting, and the delivery of complex initiatives. Georgina is passionate about enabling research for public good, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, and fostering community-informed approaches to research. Her work focuses on connecting investment to outcomes through impact reporting, program logic, and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approaches that strengthen research impact and support evidence-informed decision-making.

I am an experienced research development professional specialising in building university–industry partnerships and securing major competitive research funding. I provide strategic support to large-scale grant development (e.g. ARC CoE, ITRP, CRC and CRC-P), including industry engagement, proposal development, governance design, complex budgeting and project management. I have contributed to securing more than $20 million in competitive grants across multiple sectors.
My career has spanned the interface between research and industry, including research development roles at UWA and Griffith University, a decade as an energy researcher at CSIRO, and experience as an R&D Program Manager at the startup Hazer Group. I hold a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA in Innovation Management.

Jo Dixon is the Researcher Capability and Development Manager in the Division of Research and Innovation at the University of Newcastle. She has ten years’ experience in higher education and leads the high-performing Research Advantage team currently focused on strengthening research leadership and culture.

The Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) sits within the Centre for Healthcare Transformation (CHT) in the Faculty of Health at QUT. As Centre Manager for AusHSI, Jo provides leadership to staff and HDR students through coordinating and streamlining operational processes and managing finance, HR, and research contracting matters. Jo is a member, and secretary, of the CHT Consumer Engagement in Research Working Group, driving the administration and organisation of the group. Working with consumers, academics and HDR students, the working group positions consumer partnerships as a core component of research practice to build organisational capability. By embedding research administrators in the working group, we aim to reduce administrative burden on CHT researchers.

Joanna Das is a Senior Research Adviser (Pre-Award) at the University of Western Australia with over a decade of experience in research management across Australia, the UK, and France. She specialises in external funding, supporting academics to secure competitive grants including Horizon Europe, ARC, and UKRI. Previously, she was Research Funding Manager at Teesside University, leading multi-partner submissions, training researchers, and contributing to strategy. She has also supported the full funding lifecycle in EU and national funding at Audencia Business School, France, and worked on complex international projects at Newcastle University, UK, coordinating global stakeholders and managing multimillion-pound budgets, with a strong focus on collaboration and impact.

Joanne Witheridge is Manager of Research Quality and Performance in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University, bringing over 20 years of experience supporting impactful, high-quality research. She is passionate about the humanities, social sciences and performing arts, and committed to amplifying their contributions to knowledge, creativity and social change. Joanne leads initiatives that deliver strategic insights to support evidence-based decision-making, working closely with researchers and faculty leadership to enhance research quality, performance and impact across the faculty.

Jodie is the Manager (Research Funding) at the University of Tasmania and a research management professional with extensive experience in post-award administration, research contracts, compliance, and risk management. Her work focuses on enabling successful research outcomes through effective governance, strategic funding management, and continuous improvement of research support services. Jodie has a particular interest in research risk management, funding compliance, and developing practical approaches to supporting researchers throughout the project lifecycle.

Joey Ng is an Assistant Manager at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where she supports researchers across the full grant lifecycle, from funding opportunity identification and proposal development to award management and compliance. She works closely with researchers, institutional stakeholders and funding agencies to strengthen research support processes and enhance grant competitiveness. Joey is also involved in developing AI-enabled and digital solutions to improve access to grant information, streamline workflows and support scalable research management practices. Passionate about research administration and process innovation, she believes the best ideas are often powered by collaboration, curiosity and a good cup of coffee.

Johanna Rewa is a Program Manager in the Human Development and Community Wellbeing (HDCW) team. She oversees administrative research operations and supports funding strategy across the portfolio, with direct responsibility for grants, contracts and tenders. Johanna focuses on aligning operations with strategic goals, optimising resource use, and ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. She is committed to continuous improvement and enhancing team effectiveness. She has experience in research administration, community development, evaluation, and qualitative and quantitative research, including published work on food insecurity in Australia. Johanna holds a Bachelor of Health Science (Honours) and a Graduate Certificate in Commerce

I've been the Researcher Development Manager and co-chair of our Professional Development for RMA (Research Management and Administration) special interest group at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland since 2023. Before then I was a postdoctoral research fellow at Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey looking at population genetics of Red-cockaded woodpeckers, and the head of the Web of Science Academy designing and delivering training for researchers and editors around peer review and ethical publishing practices.

I've been the Researcher Development Manager and co-chair of our Professional Development for RMA (Research Management and Administration) Special Interest Group at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland since 2023. Before joining the University I was a postdoctoral research fellow at Oregon State University and the U.S Geological Survey looking at population genetics of Red-cockaded woodpeckers, and the head of the Web of Science Academy focusing on designing and delivering training for researchers and editors around peer review and ethical publishing practices.

Dr Justin Tan is a senior research development officer at the Monash Research Office, specialising in the strategic development of Medical Research Future Fund grant applications led by Monash University. During his 3-year tenure at the Monash Research Officer, he has successfully supported Monash researchers at all stages of career trajectories to enable them to excel in their MRFF grant applications. Key to this role is the significant experience he brings to the team in grantsmanship, biomedical expertise, a deep understanding of the MRFF grant assessment process and experience reviewing grant applications for the NHMRC and the ARC.

Justin Manzano is a contract research and post award research management specialist with 15 years experience in the sector. His current role is Manager, Research Consulting & Contracts within the Research Office at La Trobe University, leading a small team handling a large volume of research agreements, tender submissions and commercial contracts.

Kailey Tonini works at the intersection of research, communication and community, focusing on how ideas move beyond the page and into everyday life. Her work centres on research impact - helping researchers plan, capture and communicate the difference their work makes, while building systems that support this. At the University of Canberra, she has helped embed a whole-of-university approach to impact, integrating it into planning, systems and training, and leading the development of case studies and content that connect research with communities. She has also delivered major engagement initiatives, including Research Festival 2024. Her background spans marketing, communications and digital delivery across higher education and agency environments.

Dr. Kamal Gulati is a researcher and research administrator at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India specializing in health leadership, research management, gender equity, and health systems research. He has led and coordinated national and international research collaborations, including projects with the University of Oxford, Warwick, Erasmus MC, Brunel University of London, and UCL Global Business School for Health. A recipient of the Oxford-Chevening CRISP Fellowship, and Gender in Research Fellowship, Dr. Gulati has presented his research at leading international conferences across Asia and Europe. His current interests include medical leadership development, research capacity strengthening, and evidence-informed healthcare management.

Karen supports research collaborations of the school with academic institutions, healthcare organizations and industry partners through contract management, legal and compliance review, and risk assessment. She oversees the negotiation and administration of collaborative agreements.

Kate McKenzie is an MBA qualified relationship manager with more than 20 years of experience in creating partnerships across a broad range of industries. The earlier part of her career was in international business and supply chain management but she joined the higher education sector in 2011, firstly at University of Technology Sydney and at University of Western Australia for the last 10 years. Since 2023, she has been Manager Major Research Initiatives, leading a team that is increasingly focused on mission-based proposals and adapting to government, industry and societal priorities driven by a range of factors.

Kelly Banwell is the Senior Manager, Grants and Contracts at The Hospital Research Foundation Group, where she leads the operational and administrative management of the Group’s research funding initiatives supporting health and medical research. She brings experience across research administration, philanthropy, and many aspects of higher education, with expertise spanning grant strategy, compliance, and researcher support. Kelly holds a PhD in Reproductive Biology from the University of Adelaide and is passionate about strengthening systems and processes that enable high quality, collaborative research with real world impact.

Krista Crawford is a Senior Policy Officer in the Research Policy and Evaluation Section of the Research Foundations Branch at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). She has an academic background in Psychology and Zoology and previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne and Swinburne University.
Krista has over eight years’ experience in research administration, having worked in the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University. At NHMRC, she works on cross cutting policy initiatives and led the drafting of NHMRC’s Action Plan for Responsible Research Assessment.