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.

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.

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.

Dr Laura Chekli is a results-driven professional with 15 years’ experience across academic research and higher education operations in Australia and Europe. Laura brings a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic leadership, and stakeholder engagement, with proven success in strengthening research entities, streamlining policies, and driving collaboration across faculties and disciplines. She is committed to building resilient, inclusive teams and delivering outcomes that enhance institutional research performance.

Libby McMahon has worked in Research Offices in grants and ethics management at two universities for over a decade. She has also worked in management at two large university research institutes and in research development. She is currently the Research Grants Manager at Griffith University.

Lisa Bolton is a research management professional specialising in the post-award management of internationally funded research at the University of Queensland. She supports academics to navigate complex funding agreements, compliance obligations, and reporting requirements across global funding bodies. Her work is particularly focused on managing risk and enabling continuity in the face of evolving global challenges, working closely with researchers, institutional teams, and external partners to support effective and resilient project delivery. Lisa is known for her collaborative, solutions-focused approach and her commitment to strengthening outcomes across UQ’s international research portfolio.

Dr Marthe-Susanna Wegner is Research Grants Lead at Cancer Council NSW, overseeing end-to-end grants management and leading strategic initiatives across research strategy & operations. She studied biology and completed a PhD in pharmacology in Germany, where she led a breast cancer research group. After relocating to Australia in 2020 to work on a German Research Foundation–funded project, she moved into the not-for-profit sector in 2022. Her work focuses on building funding programs, governance, and reporting systems that support excellent research and meaningful community impact.

I’m a Research Training Services Manager at RMIT University’s School of Graduate Research, where I support Higher Degree by Research (HDR) administration and service delivery across a complex research environment.

I’m particularly interested in automation and digital transformation in research administration and enjoy finding ways to simplify processes, improve systems, and reduce manual work. Over recent years, I’ve been involved in developing and scaling automation initiatives that improve efficiency, consistency, and the experience of both staff and research candidates.

More broadly, I’m passionate about the future of research management and how technology can support better services, stronger governance, and more time spent on meaningful work.

Pani Patu is Operations Manager at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, a flagship research centre within the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health. With over a decade of experience in the tertiary sector, he leads operational, people, and governance functions that enable culturally responsive, strengths‑based research supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander thriving. Grounded in Samoan values of alofa (love), feosia’i (reciprocity), and tautua (service), Pani’s work centres relational leadership and the nurturing of vā across Pasifika and Indigenous research communities.

Rachel Hebbard is the Research Governance Projects Lead at Cancer Council Victoria, where she works with colleagues, committees, and external partners to continuously improve how research funding is governed in practice. Her work spans grants administration, and governance, with a focus on keeping processes clear, practical, and fit for purpose as programs grow in scale and complexity.
Relatively new to the sector, Rachel brings fresh perspective and strong skills in project delivery, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. She enjoys translating complexity into guidance that works day to day, and is motivated by learning, continuous improvement, and support ethical research that delivers better outcomes for people with lived experience.

Ranjit Gajendra Nadarajah connects researchers, institutions, partners, stakeholders and communities to optimise the benefits of research, funding, translation and impact.

A higher education strategist specialising in research enablement, his work focuses across the research value chain, connecting research ecosystems through purposeful governance and meaningful engagement that strengthen collaboration, accelerate translation and deliver meaningful outcomes. He is with ADI, the Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin.

Previously he was with the University of Strathclyde, The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research, The Royal Academy and Swinburne University of Technology, advancing strategic research, international and research engagement and impact.

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.

Ruth holds close to 10 years' experience in the pre- and post-award coordination of NHRMC and MRFF-funded health services research projects, as well as other large and small-scale grant and consultancy projects at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) at QUT. She also delivers and supports a range of strategic activities within the research centre, including developing and delivering formal and informal teaching and mentoring to centre staff and students in stakeholder engagement and research impact, as well as other core competencies such as research ethics and governance, and research project management principles and processes. Ruth holds qualifications in education and communication, and has a special interest in research communication, engagement and impact.