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.

Dr Ritayan Roy is Research Development Manager at Monash University’s Faculty of Arts, where he leads strategy and operations for Category 1 funding, including ARC and NHMRC/MRFF grants. Working closely with faculty leadership, he provides strategic and operational direction across the full grant lifecycle, from pipeline development to post-award delivery, engaging academics and industry partners.

Dr Roy plays a key role in shaping faculty research strategy, driving funding growth and enhancing research excellence while leading a high-performing team. Drawing on his background as a researcher, he brings a dual perspective to enabling competitive grant success and strengthening stakeholder engagement.

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.

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.

Carolyn Ramsey is Senior Hub Manager, Factory of the Future, and brings extensive experience in research management, partnerships and project delivery. She has worked across health, medical devices, advanced technologies, defence, not-for-profit and international development, helping researchers and partners turn ideas into funded projects and real outcomes. Carolyn is skilled at bringing people together, making complex work easier to navigate, and supporting teams to stay focused and aligned. She is especially strong in the “third space” of research management, where success comes from asking the right questions, building trust and helping great research happen.

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.

Elsa Wang is a Research Management Officer at The Australian National University
(ANU), supporting research funding operations and the delivery of research
management services across the University. Her work spans funding administration,
research systems, operational reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives,
including contributions to ANU’s research management system transformation.

With experience in both college-based and central research support environments, Elsa
has developed a strong interest in process improvement and stakeholder engagement.
She brings together expertise in research management, data analysis, and reporting to
support evidence-based decision-making and identify opportunities for operational
improvement across the research funding lifecycle

Elsa Wang is a Research Management Officer at The Australian National University (ANU), supporting research funding operations and the delivery of research management services across the University. Her work spans funding administration, research systems, operational reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives, including contributions to ANU’s research management system transformation.

With experience in both college-based and central research support environments, Elsa has developed a strong interest in process improvement and stakeholder engagement. She brings together expertise in research management, data analysis, and reporting to support evidence-based decision-making and identify opportunities for operational improvement across the research funding lifecycle.

Zoe Sullivan is the Research Adviser, Internal Funding, Prizes & Awards at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. With over four years of experience in research management, she supports the development and delivery of internal funding opportunities and research recognition programmes that help researchers advance their careers and achieve research excellence. Her work focuses on enhancing funding and awards processes, identifying and supporting researchers for prestigious external prizes and awards, and contributing to strategic initiatives across the research ecosystem. Zoe also chairs the RMA Engagement Committee at UoA, fostering connections and knowledge sharing across the research management community through professional development and process improvement initiatives.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Christine Anderson is a seasoned research management professional with extensive expertise in research development, governance, and strategic planning. Christine holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Management and a Graduate Certificate in Research Management and Policy from the University of Melbourne. Her career spans 20 years in research management with significant roles at the University of Sydney, Kolling Institute, and Black Dog Institute. Currently serving as the Operations Manager of the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, she in instrumental in developing and implementing impactful research strategies and programs.

Federico Marcon is the Associate Director Development and Global Markets Lead at Deakin University, where he manages the portfolio of the largest philanthropic institutions, both in Australia and overseas, that fund Deakin’s research and education programs. Prior to Deakin he worked as Director Global Markets and Partnerships for the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, Deputy Director Foundation Relations at Monash University and has previously covered leadership positions with the Global EverGreening Alliance, World Vision, Plan International, the Australian Red Cross and WaterAid.
Prior to moving to Australia, Federico worked for the European Commission and the United Nations in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, managing multi-country programs on public welfare policies.