Professor Marcia Langton AO

Melbourne Laureate | Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor | Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies

Indigenous Studies Unit

Melbourne Laureate Professor Marcia Langton AO, PhD, is a distinguished anthropologist, geographer, and academic renowned for her groundbreaking work in Indigenous studies. Descended from the Yiman and Bidjara nations of Queensland, Professor Langton has dedicated her career to advocating for the rights and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Professor Langton's journey into advocacy began in 1977 when she assumed the role of General Secretary of the Federal Council for Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. This marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to advancing Indigenous rights. During the 1980s, Professor Langton pursued her studies at the Australian National University, where she honed her expertise in anthropology.

Following her academic pursuits, Professor Langton spent five years as an anthropologist with the Central Land Council in Alice Springs, where she conducted crucial research into Indigenous land rights. Her involvement in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody from 1989 to 1992 further solidified her position as a leading voice in Indigenous advocacy.

Professor Langton's contributions to policy and legislation are profound, notably her instrumental role in the passage of the Native Title Act in 1993. Throughout her illustrious career, she has held esteemed academic positions, including Ranger Professor of Aboriginal Studies at the Northern Territory University and the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies and Appointment to Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne.

A prolific and acclaimed author and editor, her recent publications include Welcome to Country: A Guide to Indigenous Australia (2021); Law: The Way of the Ancestors (2023, co-edited with Professor Aaron Corn); Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne – Volume 1: Truth (2024, co-edited with Dr Ross Jones and Dr James Waghorne); Indigenous Knowledge: Australian Perspectives (2024, co-edited with Professor Aaron Corn and Dr Samuel Curkpatrick), and 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art (2024, co-edited with Judith Ryan AM). This acclaimed catalogue coincides with the exhibition of the same name showing at the Potter Museum of Art (Showing 30^th May – 22^nd November 2025 – Curatorial Team: Professor Langton AO, Dr Judith Ryan AM and Shanysa McConville).

Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne – Volume 2: Truth (2025 co-edited with Dr Ross Jones and Dr James Waghorne) was recently launched and is available in online as a PDF or ebook.

Associate Professsor Kristen Smith

Principal Research Fellow and Research Director of the Indigenous Studies Unit

A/Prof Kristen Smith is a Principal Research Fellow and Research Director of the Indigenous Studies Unit, Onemda Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing in the Melbourne School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. Smith is a medical anthropologist whose interdisciplinary research traverses the fields of Indigenous studies, epidemiology, human geography, public health and health promotion. Smith’s research is centred on the intersections of culture, health, and social inequities, with a particular focus on collaborative, community-based interventions and the promotion of culturally appropriate practices within academia. Her unique contributions to national and international health research include innovative work in Australian Indigenous medical anthropology, critical policy analysis, data analysis and complex multidisciplinary theoretical and methodological development.

Ms Sandy Lowres

Executive Officer, Indigenous Studies Unit

Sandy Lowres is the Executive Officer supporting the Associate Provost, Professor Marcia Langton AO, Research Director, Dr Kristen Smith, and the Indigenous Studies Unit at the University of Melbourne. With over fifteen years of experience as a Senior Executive Officer, Sandy brings a deep commitment to service, strong emotional intelligence, a sense of social justice, and exceptional communication skills to her role. She has a proven track record in building effective professional relationships, managing complex priorities with diplomacy and discretion, and coordinating high-level events and conferences. Sandy’s background in writing, and communications underpins her ability to lead with clarity and purpose. A pro-ageing advocate, she is a public speaker, and is the founder of WB40 – Women Beyond Forty, an empowering, award winning platform and magazine, and is the writer and host of the award-winning podcast The Good Girl Confessional. In addition, she co-hosted 11 Seasons of Alex the Seal Podcast, showcasing her versatility and passion for storytelling and community engagement. Adaptable and optimistic, Sandy is dedicated to supporting others and creating meaningful impact across all areas of her work.

Dr Andrea Clarke

Senior Research Fellow, Indigenous Studies Unit

Dr Andrea Clarke (Aranda & Arabana) is currently the Senior Research Fellow and Post Doctoral Fellow for the Indigenous Studies Unit in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne. Her career to date has been quite intersectional through education, Indigeneity, policy, and governance. Andrea has many qualifications, including a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Management (from the Graduate School of Business and Economics), Graduate Certificate of Educational Research, Professional Certificate in Indigenous Research, Bachelor of Education, and a few others. Her most recent achievement is the graduation of her PhD, in which she researched the impact of diversity and feminism on Aboriginal women as higher degree research students. Dr. Andrea Clarke dedicates her work to improving health and educational outcomes for Aboriginal people, including engagement, the impact of colonisation, and opportunities to reconnect to build relationships for the future, with the aim of contributing to improved health outcomes for Indigenous people across the region.

Dr Rebecca Ritte

Research Fellow, Indigenous Studies Unit

Dr Rebecca Ritte is an epidemiologist with experience in data linkage and the analysis of large data sets including hospital, registry and survey data. She combines strong statistical analysis and study design skills with community, stakeholder and collaborator engagement. She has a broad content knowledge base that spans research in childhood mortality, data linkage, renal disease, Indigenous health, and cancer. This knowledge base is combined with strong communication and advocacy skills, longitudinal data analysis, research and regulatory reporting, grant and ethic application submissions, and project management and study coordination skills. For the past three years she has been undertaking data analysis consulting combined with running her own small tourism business in the Yarra Valley in addition to mentoring PhD students and participation as a CI on an NHMRC grant at the University of Melbourne.

Isabelle (Isy) Oderberg

Communications Strategist, Indigenous Studies Unit

A communications leader with deep expertise in media, advocacy, crisis management and not-for-profit strategy, Isy brings over a decade of experience raising profiles and driving systemic change, supported by a 20-year journalism and editing career. Her strengths lie in lateral thinking and creative problem-solving. She combines strategic vision, high-impact storytelling and collaborative leadership to deliver lasting results in purpose-driven environments. She is also an author – her first book was Hard to Bear: Investigating the science and silence of miscarriage. She was the recipient of the 2024 RANZCOG Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Health Award.

Awhina Gray

Project Manager, Indigenous Studies Unit

Before joining ISU, Awhina worked for four years at the Ministry of Business, innovation and Employment in New Zealand, assisting to deliver social, economic and health outcomes. She has highly developed project management, conceptual and analytical skills with aptitude for using strategic thinking to deal with complexity and ambiguity.

Casey Haseloff

Data Officer, Indigenous Studies Unit

Casey Haseloff is the third Indigenous Intern with the Indigenous Data Network, co-positioned with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) in 2025. Casey holds a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Statistics, from the University of Melbourne, where he is also currently completing a Master of Data Science. He previously completed a two-year tenure in NAB’s Technology and Data Graduate Program, gaining experience in data analysis, automation, and stakeholder reporting. As part of his internship, Casey will contribute to the Improving Indigenous Research Capabilities Project, with a focus on developing technical skills to support Indigenous data governance and community-led research initiatives.

Aaron Lee

Research Assistant

Aaron Lee is a Research Assistant at the Indigenous Studies Unit at The University of Melbourne. He completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology at The University of Melbourne (2023). His thesis ‘Conceptualising the Commonness Effect using Modal Cognition: The Effect of Time Pressure and Semantic Similarity on Should Judgements’ investigated social and cultural influences of ethical decision making. Before his current role, he started at Onemda as an Aurora Foundation intern to learn more about Indigenous health and wellbeing. His current research interests lie at the intersection of acculturation and mental health for migrant and Indigenous populations.

Becki Cook

Research Assistant

Becki Cook is a Nunukul Aboriginal woman, educator, and researcher. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the QUT Centre for Data Science, supervised by Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen (QUT), Professor David Lovell (QUT), and Dr Stephen Corporal (Indigenous Studies Unit, University of Melbourne). Her doctoral research explores Indigenous data literacy through Indigenous Research Methodologies, with a focus on elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and priorities in the field of data science. Alongside her PhD, Becki works as a Research Assistant. With over 15 years of experience in the education sector, Becki has worked across secondary and tertiary settings as a science and mathematics teacher, student success coordinator and research centre manager. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Griffith University, 2007), a Graduate Diploma in Education – Secondary (QUT, 2012), a Master of Education and Professional Studies Research (Griffith University, 2021), and a Professional Certificate in Indigenous Research (University of Melbourne, 2024).

Jamie Feiss

Data Infrastructure Developer

Jamie is a software engineer with several years experience in full-stack web application development, focusing on user interfaces and APIs for knowledge graph systems. Jamie also has experience provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure, and is passionate about process automation of both infrastructure and application deployment. With a background of theoretical physics and machine learning, Jamie enjoys designing and developing pleasing and intuitive user experiences, and creating efficient and elegant solutions to challenging problems.

Louise Murray

Collection Manager, Research Archivist

Louise has over twenty-five years’ experience working in the cultural sector in curatorial and research roles, most recently in the role of research manager, First Peoples Collections, Museums and Collections Department at the University of Melbourne. She previously worked in the Indigenous Studies Unit on projects including the reporting of Aboriginal ancestral remains to the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council, and establishing protocols and procedures for the management of Indigenous cultural material in the University’s collections; she was also part of the team working on the Donald Thomson Collection review. Louise worked closely with collections incorporating Aboriginal cultural heritage material at the University of Melbourne, including the Donald Thomson Collection. Louise holds a Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art (Victorian College of the Arts), a Bachelor of Arts (Monash University), a Graduate Diploma Information Management, Archives (RMIT), a Master of Cultural Materials Conservation (Melbourne University).

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