ISCRR - Key Persons
In her role as a Research Officer at ISCRR, Amanda leads and conducts a range of projects from Environmental Scans to evaluations in occupational health and safety, compensation and return-to-work. She has also been involved in the continuous process improvements within the Institute, most recently playing a key role in the development of the research management database.
Amanda has worked in qualitative research and project management since 2003.
She also has an interest in the art of language translation and interpreting, and finds the chemistry when two worlds collide fascinating.
As part of her role as Research Support Officer at ISCRR, Ashleigh is involved in the implementation and coordination of a range of research and administrative tasks, including data collection, input and analysis and reviewing and synthesising peer-reviewed and grey literature.
Before joining ISCRR, Ashleigh worked in a range of positions within government (UK) and not-for-profit organisations, primarily within the mental health sector. She has a Bachelor of Science, Psychology (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma in Forensic Behaviour Science.
When not at work Ashleigh enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with her partner and friends.
Job Titles:
- Research Communications Officer
Blaire is part of the Research Communications and Translation Team at ISCRR and specialises in developing engaging content for a range of stakeholders, across a variety of digital mediums. She manages ISCRR's social media presence, the bi-monthly stakeholder newsletter and internal communications. She is particularly passionate about telling the human stories that ISCRR research directly impacts, with a particular interest in videography.
Previous to ISCRR, she has 10 years of diverse experience within the science communication and education industries, including writing and editing popular science articles, presenting science shows, producing movies, teaching maths and science in high schools, and working as a scientific research assistant. She has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Zoology and Environmental Science, and two Masters Degrees in Science Communication and Teaching, respectively.
At home, Blaire enjoys propagating plants both indoors and out, and spending time with her dearly beloved partner, daughter and dogs.
Carmen leads ISCRR's monitoring and evaluation of the Vicarious Trauma Prevention and Awareness Toolkit project; a partnership with CPSU, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice and Community Safety and WorkSafe Victoria.
Since 2010, Carmen has worked with government, academic, not-for-profit and community organisations to evaluate and strengthen services, systems and policy. Motivated by social justice, Carmen has a keen interest in systems improvement and capacity building solutions. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science, Psychology (Hons.) from RMIT University.
In her spare time, Carmen enjoys pottering in her garden and playing boggle with her children.
Ivana is the Senior Research Officer at ISCRR responsible for conducting primary research and environmental scans.
Since 2006, Ivana has accumulated vast experience in delivering research and implementing projects across university, government and NGO sectors.
Ivana has a background in anthropology (BA Hons) and Gender and Politics (MA) and holds a PhD in Social Sciences from Swinburne University.
When not at work, Ivana spends her free time entertaining her four cats. She also likes to visit galleries with her friends and enjoys reading a good book.
Dr Janine McMillan leads ISCRR's internal research function. Janine commenced with ISCRR in 2017 as a Senior Research Officer and has worked across the Research Communications and Translation team and the Research Team. She has researched and written reports and presentations for a number of projects including Evidence Reviews, Environmental Scans, Evaluations, Horizon Scanning and Research Summaries, as well as providing expert advice on Data and Research Reports.
Janine obtained her PhD from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining ISCRR, she was in the Deakin University Metabolic Research Unit Management Team for eight years where her key role was to lead the Gene Discovery Group, identifying novel genes associated with obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and selecting target proteins to move into a drug development pipeline. A number of genes were discovered and patented, attracting international drug company investment and forming the basis of several high impact publications. She was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research.
Janine was also a Problem Based Learning (PBL) tutor at the School of Medicine, Deakin University, for seven years, and concurrently a Research Fellow conducting research into the effect of antidepressant and antipsychotic medication on bone cells, at the University Hospital Geelong and Deakin University for two years.
Janine enjoys hiking, camping and taking the dog for walks on the beach.
Job Titles:
- Research Communications and Translation Manager
Jimmy has extensive experience in the research and communication fields since 2001, complemented with a diverse skill set which includes product development, web design, creative writing, event management, scientific editing and the development of database systems. Prior to joining ISCRR, Jimmy held research translation roles with the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and headspace, coming from a postdoctoral research position at Murdoch Children's Research Institute. There he carried out research in the fields of infectious disease and sexual health while being an Associate Editor for scientific journal BMC Infectious Diseases. Jimmy has a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tasmania, and a Master of Communication degree from Deakin University. In his spare time, Jimmy enjoys painting, creating comic book and animation content, and has written and illustrated two children's books.
Job Titles:
- Research Program and Operations Manager
Kim leads the management of ISCRR institute operations, project administration of internal ISCRR research projects, and end-to-end project management of externally funded ISCRR research projects. Kim is passionate about continuous process improvement to provide a high-quality research program for WorkSafe and the broader collaborative network.
Having commenced her career in biomedical research management in 2005 and gained further experience in the not-for-profit and commercial sector, Kim has a diverse background in research program management and operations, educational program design and implementation, policy research and proposal development of high impact initiatives for large organisations.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) from The University of Melbourne, a PhD in cellular immunology from Swinburne University of Technology and a postgraduate Certificate in Business Development from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
In Kim's spare time, she likes bushwalking and making kimchi.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Officer ( Evaluation )
Sarah designs and delivers qualitative research and evaluation projects for ISCRR. She has extensive experience conducting research with people from socially vulnerable backgrounds, and managing projects from conception through to completion while collaborating with numerous stakeholders from industry, academia, government and the non-profit sector. Her goal is to ensure policy and decision-makers achieve a deep and empathetic understanding of the people, context and challenges that policies and programs aim to address.
Prior to ISCRR, Sarah was a lecturer at the Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University. Sarah obtained a PhD in Sociology from Victoria University, where she received the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research and Research Training (Research Degree Graduate). Her doctoral research contributed to new knowledge towards understanding how girls' participation in sport disrupts gender relations. She has a Master of Arts from the University of Bradford (UK) and a Bachelor of Arts from Sewanee: The University of the South (USA). Sarah has published numerous high-quality scientific publications in refereed journals and books.
When not at work, Sarah can be found surfing, mountain biking or attempting to cook something with ingredients she cannot pronounce.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Officer
- Senior Research Officer ( ER )
Sophie is the Senior Research Officer (Evidence Reviews) at ISCCR. As a member of the Research Team, she is passionate about delivering high quality research to meet the needs of our clients.
She has extensive experience in injury surveillance and started working in the field in 2002. Prior to ISCRR, Sophie was the Deputy Director of the National Injury Surveillance Unit at Flinders University and has experience working across university and government sectors (state and federal). Sophie has a keen interest in increasing the understanding of the nature, causes and effects of human injury, and in reducing its occurrence and consequences.
Sophie holds a PhD in Neuropsychology, an Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science, as well as a Degree of Bachelor of Science from the Flinders University of South Australia, School of Psychology. Sophie has published numerous reports and high-quality scientific publications in refereed journals.
When not at work, Sophie enjoys spending time with her wife and teenage daughter playing boardgames and indulging in all the different types of festivals on offer in Adelaide.
Edwina is a PhD candidate, jointly supervised by Dr Janine McMillan, Dr Sarah Oxford from ISCCR and A/Prof Ross Iles from the Healthy Working Lives Research Group, Monash University.
Following her graduation in 2006 (Bachelor Physiotherapy with Honours), Edwina commenced her clinical career at The Alfred before joining Barwon Health. She has worked closely with people affected by compensable injuries in a number of contexts. Since 2012, Edwina has gained experience working within Victoria's State Government injury compensation schemes. Drawing upon the insights gleaned throughout her career, Edwina is excited by the opportunity for her research to ultimately contribute to improved recovery outcomes following injury.
Outside of work, Edwina is a keen violinist and plays in a number of ensembles.
Job Titles:
- Research Program and Operations Officer
Kathryn is the Research Program and Operations Officer at ISCRR and plays a key role in research project management and executive support. She is responsible for a range of project management activities including project data capture, milestone tracking, reporting and analysis, as well as output management. She works closely with the Research Program Management team to ensure internal and external compliance with ISCRR's governance.
Prior to joining ISCRR, she worked at Marnoo Primary School as a Classroom teacher. Prior to this, Kathryn was a clinical education administrator for Ambulance Victoria and has spent some time working in the tertiary sector at NMIT. She has a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma in Education.
In her spare time, Kathryn is a basketball fanatic, both as a player and fan. She's also into the live band scene, enjoys socialising with friends, and relaxing at home with her husband, dogs, cat and child.
Job Titles:
- Research Program and Operations Officer
Lucy is the Research Program and Operations Officer at ISCRR and plays a pivotal role in the day to day operations of project management and executive support. Lucy is responsible for a range of project management and operational tasks including: milestone tracking, project data capture and enquiries, reporting and analysis, daily operations, finances and output management. Lucy works closely with the Research Program Management team and leads ISCRR's Occupational Health and Safety.
Prior to joining ISCRR, Lucy worked as a Project Officer coordinating and securing funding for Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF), Monash University. In addition, Lucy has worked as a Technical Officer and as a Research Officer supporting technical, research and safety needs for the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University. Lucy has a Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology) from The University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Deakin University.
In her spare time, Lucy enjoys gardening, long beach walks and karate, as well as relaxing at home with her family.
As Director, Sam oversees the operations of ISCRR and provides key leadership in implementing the Institute's research plan and strategic activities. She is passionate about creating knowledge and influencing thinking so that people can lead healthier lives.