Our People

Professor Gavin Brown AO, FAA, CorrFRSE, FRSN
Inaugural Director

 Gavin Brown became Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of NSW in 1976. Winner of the Australian Mathematical Society Medal, former vice-president of the Australian Academy of Science and member of the Australian Research Council, he has honorary degrees from St Andrews (1997), Dundee (2004), UNITAR (2008), Waseda University in Tokyo (2009), the University of Sydney (2099) and the University of Edinburgh (2010). He is a former Dean of Science at UNSW and Vice-Chancellor at Adelaide University, and became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney in 1996. During his tenure he increased research income by a factor of more than eight, pursued an energetic building program, and invested in the broad student experience, engendering outstanding International and Australian success in sport and debating.

Foundation chair of the Go8 universities and past president of the AC21 international consortium, Gavin was also chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors, serving in several capacities to promote the business/higher education interface, and in January 2006 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. 

Gavin is an emeritus professor of the University of NSW, Adelaide University and Sydney University, and holds an honorary professorial title from Flinders University. He is a member of several not-for-profit boards, and is a tourism ambassador for the Adelaide Convention Bureau. He has recently completed a review of Education in Mathematics, Data Science and Quantitative Disciplines for the Go8 universities.

Gavin continues active mathematical research and in March 2007 was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and, in October 2009, an inaugural fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. From the Director...

Damian Scanlon
Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer for the RiAus, Damian is responsible for the practical implementation of  the RiAus's vision, as set out by the Council and Director, to ensure that all parts of the RiAus are run in line with the very best management practices. In so doing he is also responsible for the efficient and effective management of all operations and support services at the RiAus, including financial management, and the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Damian has had more than 15 years' senior executive experience, working for major Australian publicly listed companies.  Positions he has held include director, chairman and managing director and CEO of subsidiary companies. In addition he has held group and general management positions at the state and national level. He has been intimately involved in organisations built within the scientific context and understands the role of research from a number of perspectives.

Damian left the corporate environment in late 1998 to work with his brothers in the aquaculture industry. This provided him with invaluable experience in establishing the balance between micro and macro management in a context of very limited resources and managing growth.

Damian holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Business Administration and is delighted to be part of the RiAus team.

Amanda Tyndall
Head of Programs

 Amanda Tyndall leads the creative development of RiAus programs, and oversees and coordinates all aspects of events delivery at the RiAus, a role she previously filled at the Royal Institution of Great Britain (RiGB) in London.

Armed with a degree in pharmacology and a masters degree in science communication from Imperial College, London, Amanda has dedicated herself for the past 15 years to communicating science in various guises and to everyone from schoolchildren to politicians.

Lisa Bailey
Senior Programs Co-ordinator

 Lisa obtained her Bachelor of Biotechnology at Flinders University and a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Adelaide. She is passionate about science, and about promoting public understanding of science and technology - not just to produce new scientists but to produce citizens who can make their own informed choices about the science and technology that inevitably affects all our lives.

After gaining her PhD, Lisa left the lab to join the Royal Institution of Great Britian in London, where she worked on co-ordinating science education events for schools. Highlights included making a world-record sized whoopee cushion to demonstrate concepts in sound, and concocting jellyfish ice-cream using liquid nitrogen to demonstrate computer programming. Lisa returned to Australia to contribute her experience to growing the much younger RiAus. Follow her on twitter@lisushi

Stephan Kern
Senior Programs Co-ordinator

 After completing a PhD in Reproductive Biology at the University of Adelaide, Steve escaped the laboratory and found a new life in the wonderful world of media and entertainment. After an industry initiation at 20thCentury Fox, he then helped establish Occidental Films and has since gained experience writing, directing and producing a range of film, television and documentary projects across digital media platforms.  

Now, thanks to the technological advances of the 21st Century, he is able to combine his interest in media with his love of science and technology at  RiAus. With a personal interest in 'the future of everything', Steve is hopeful that the current fusion of science and media will now allow more people, in more places, to connect and share their passion for science.  

Adam Strang
Programs Co-ordinator

                                  

Adam brings experience from the science, arts and communication spheres to his role in the RiAus programs team. After completing a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and linguistics at the University of New South Wales, he worked in theatre production around Sydney before moving to Canberra. There he completed a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication at the Australian National University and travelled the country presenting science shows in rural areas with the Questacon Science Circus. After a brief stint with the Questacon Excited Particles performance troupe, Adam moved to Adelaide in mid-2009 to join the RiAus in the lead-up to their opening.

Kathy Granger, PhD
Development Manager

 Kathy joins RiAus after several years working in Development and Program Management at the New York Academy of Sciences. She believes that educating communities about scientific issues is important for growing strong, sustainable societies and is excited to be involved in such a dynamic community as the RiAus. Kathy trained as a scientist, earning a BSc Hons from Adelaide University and a  PhD in Microbiology from Monash University/CSIRO AAHL. She also completed postdoctoral training at the Weill-Cornell Medical School in New York City before moving into science communication and development.

Leonie Thomson 
Office Manager and Executive Assistant to Gavin Brown

Leonie is responsible for the efficient and effective running of the RiAus office, and for venue hire management at the Science Exchange. She has more than 20 years' middle management experience, having worked for the Federal Government at the Australian Crime Commission, the National Injury Surveillance Unit, the Public Service Commission and Austrade. While with Austrade, she worked on assignments in London and on the G'Day LA project in Los Angeles. She has also worked for the National and ANZ Banks and has run her own retail businesses.

Leonie holds a Graduate Diploma of Management and is excited about the future of the RiAus and the possibilities of what the team can achieve.

Jamie-lee Caruso
Projects Administrator

Jamie brings substantial administrative experience to her role at RiAus. She has qualifications in human resources and business management, and has worked as an office manager, executive assistant and administration officer in fields as diverse as chartered accountancy, retail, technology, construction, community rehabilitation, local government and industry. At the Science Exchange Jamie is involved in all aspects of venue hire, from client liaison to catering and technical requirements. She also manages RiAus' IT support requirements, researches new technology needs, and manages various other projects as directed by the COO.

Alyssa Spencley
Financial Officer

Having relocated from Alice Springs to Adelaide in 2003, Alyssa undertook a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of South Australia. Following graduation she worked in public practice for three years, taking up the opportunity to join RiAus shortly after its launch in 2009. Alyssa works closely with the COO in a challenging and varied role, bringing her expertise to bear on all of RiAus' financial matters.

Bianca Attard
Receptionist

Adelaide-born Bianca travelled extensively and worked in London and the US before joining RiAus, attracted to working with a new organisation and in an area she had not previously considered. As well as being its first point of contact, she brings her organisational skills to several aspects of RiAus' administration. She finds working at the Science Exchange uniquely stimulating and says she learns something new every day.

Steven Abbey
Building attendant/AV assistant

 Steven was born and raised in South Australia and is proud to share the same initials. At the end of the last century he spent four years majoring in photography at the South Australian School of Art and subsequently worked for five years as a tutor in art theory at the University of South Australia. 

He enjoys working in the dynamic environment RiAus has created at the Science Exchange, which he says throws up engaging opportunities on a daily basis.