The National Ageing Research Institute employs researchers, including early career and postgraduate students who work on a range of projects bringing research to life. Investing in our people is vital to the success of our work. We are committed to being an inclusive organisation.
Our volunteers also play a crucial role at NARI. Many have worked with us for a considerable period of time, contributing invaluable time and skills to the organisation.
Amy is a Research Fellow within the Clinical Gerontology Division at NARI. She leads NARI’s program of work for the Victorian Department of Health (DH) regarding older people policy. Read more
A/Prof Frances Batchelor is a Principal Research Fellow and Director of the Clinical Gerontology Division. She is also a Research Lead for the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration. Her PhD was on falls prevention after stroke. Her research interests are falls prevention, balance and gait, healthy ageing, the role of technology in ageing, and health and aged care practice. Read more
A/Prof Tuan Anh Nguyen is a Principal Research Fellow. His current research relates to the development and implementation of national dementia strategies with a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Read more
Caitlin is a Research Assistant within the Aged Care Division at NARI. She has a background in public health and is currently working on the IDC-IMPROVE research project. Read more
Danielle is a Research Assistant in the Social Gerontology Division at NARI, working on the e-DiVA project. She has experience in behavioural neuroscience and quantitative analysis. Read more
Debra O'Connor is the Deputy Director of NARI and Director of the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration (MARC). As a member of the executive team, she leads the operational and research governance functioning of NARI as well as supporting the Board and their subcommittees. Read more
Dr Andrew Simon Gilbert is an Research Fellow at NARI. He is an emerging researcher in health and aged care systems, including organisational issues and policy. He has 10 years’ experience working with people with intellectual disabilities in government and non-profit sectors. Read more
Dr Anita Goh is a clinician researcher, and as a clinical neuropsychologist, her research focuses on cognitive health, mental health and well-being, and quality of life in ageing, with a specialisation in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Read more
Dr Anna Lane is a Research Fellow within the Aged Care and MARC Divisions at NARI, working on the IMPART and Befriending with GENIE projects. Her research is focused on ageing and disability, ageing in place, death and dying, and aged care workforce. Read more
Dr Thodis is a bilingual researcher and project manager at NARI. She is an advocate for improving diet quality to support older people living at home or, in residential aged care and improving accessibility to dementia care resources for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Read more
Dr Bronwyn Dreher is a Research Assistant in the Clinical Gerontology Division at NARI. She is a registered Physiotherapist, with over 20 years of experience. Bronwyn’s current role is focused on supporting older people to maintain and improve their mobility and level of function, including through exercise. Read more
Christa is a Research Fellow at NARI, working on a variety of projects all centred around quality of care for older people and its impact on their well-being. Read more
Dr Jessica Cecil is a Research Fellow within the Aged Care Division at NARI. With an interest in translational and multi-disciplinary research, her current research interests include continence care in residential aged care homes, health and wellbeing in remote Aboriginal communities and public health care research. Read more
Dr Josefine Antoniades is a Research Fellow in Social Gerontology. Her disciplinary expertise is at the nexus of psychology, public health and primary care. Her research interests include dementia, mental health and health literacy, in particular in underserved and vulnerable communities. Dr Antoniades is the national project manager for Moving Pictures. Read more
Dr Katrin Gerber is an end-of-life researcher with a PhD in Psychology from the University of Melbourne. Her passion for palliative care, end-of-life research, bereavement support and mental health stems from her work as a hospice volunteer and her experience as a family caregiver. Read more
Dr Kham Tran is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the e-DiVA project. Kham is an experienced university lecturer and researcher in different contexts of Vietnam, South Korea and Australia. Read more
Kirsten Moore is an Honorary Fellow at NARI. She is a social gerontologist with a research focus on dementia, family carers, grief and end of life care. She has extensive experience in clinical trials, qualitative research, service evaluation and implementation studies in multiple settings. Read more
Dr Lisa James is a Research Officer at NARI working on the ENJOY Seniors Exercise Parks projects. She is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) and biomechanist with expertise in gait analysis, and factors that increase the risk of trips and falls in older populations. Read more
Dr Marina Cavuoto is a Clinical Neuropsychologist specialising in cognition in healthy ageing, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. She is a Senior Research Fellow at NARI. She manages the MINDSET study: Improving Interpreting For Dementia Assessments, and the No More Shame study on Elder abuse prevention. Read more
Steve is a researcher with aged care industry experience. He has a strong interest in clinical concerns in older adults, workforce education, and innovation of in-home and residential aged care services. Read more
Thu Ha Dang is a medical doctor by training and a Master of International Public Health. She is pursuing a PhD in digital health, funded by Australian Digital Health Cooperative Centre. Ha has extensive experience in multinational public health projects, especially projects between Australia and Vietnam. Read more
Dr Upasana Baruah is a Research Fellow in Social Gerontology. She is a social work and mental health professional with fifteen years of experience in the field of clinical social work, mental health and psychosocial research, teaching, supervision, sustainable development, and project management. Read more
Liz is a Registered Nurse and Senior Research Fellow at NARI. Liz is currently working on the development and evaluation of a Massive Online Open Course – Caregiving, Dementia and Incontinence and the IDC-IMPROVE project aimed at improving care of older people in residential care who have a urinary catheter. Read more
Ellen Gaffy is a Research Assistant at the National Ageing Research Institute and a PhD candidate at La Trobe University. Ellen has worked across a range of research areas including dementia and carer support. Her PhD research is exploring the involvement of people living with dementia in co-design. Read more
Janette is a Research Assistant at NARI. She is working on the ENJOY IMP-ACT project which aims to improve older people’s health through physical activity. Read more
Jess Barry is a Research Assistant within the Clinical Gerontology Division. Her research focuses on older people and acute models of public health care. Jess works across a joint program of work with the Victorian Department of Health (DH). Jess is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist with a Master of Public Health. Read more
Kathryn Squires is a Research Officer in Clinical Gerontology and NARI’s Website Manager. She works primarily on improving hospital care for older people and older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health. Read more
Kayla is a Research Assistant with the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration and the National Ageing Research Institute. She is also a PhD student with the University of Melbourne evaluating components of the IMPART (IMproving PAlliative care in Residential aged care using Telehealth) project. Read more
Kerry is a Research Assistant with the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration and the National Ageing Research Institute. His research interest involves improving the lives of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Kerry has been involved in other areas of ageing research, including: elder abuse, advance care planning, falls, dementia. Read more
Mairead is a research officer at NARI working on the ENJOY Seniors Exercise Parks Projects. She is an APA Sport and Exercise Physiotherapist with over 12 years of experience across a variety of clinical settings. Read more
Marcia is a Research Policy and Practice Fellow as well as the NARI Research Administration Officer. She is the project manager for the ENJOY IMP-ACT project, an implementation project designed to increase participation in physical activity for older people. Read more
Peter joined NARI in 2018. His areas of specialisation are program evaluation employing mixed methods, and qualitative research. His current and past research and evaluation projects cover a broad range of health and social issues from early childhood services to community and residential aged care. Read more
Professor Bianca Brijnath is the Divisional Director of Social Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute. Her disciplinary training is in medical anthropology and public health and her research expertise is in cultural diversity, dementia, and mental health. She leads the Moving Pictures study in Australia and India. Read more
Professor Briony Dow is Director of the National Ageing Research Institute and Honorary Professor at the School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne and Honorary Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University. Briony leads a range of both aged care and social and clinical gerontology research programs. Read more
Colleen Doyle PhD is an Honorary Fellow at NARI and Honorary Professor in Psychological Science at Swinburne University. Colleen has published extensively in academic and technical reports on aged care. Read more
Joan Ostaszkiewicz is the Director of Aged Care Research at the National Ageing Research Institute. She oversees a program of research that aims to improve older people's quality of care and quality of life and to support family and formal caregivers. Read more
Professor Levinger is a Senior Researcher (Accredited Exercise Physiologist) at NARI. She also holds Honorary positions at the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University and the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University. Read more
Rachel is a Research Assistant in the Social Gerontology division at NARI. Rachel has a passion for qualitative research and is experienced in both market and social research, having worked across a variety of specialised roles. Read more
Robin is a Research Assistant on the BEFRIENDAS study, exploring the impact of ‘befriending’ on the mental health, social connectedness and wellbeing of older adults living in residential aged care settings. She is committed to promoting care, respect, self-determination and dignity for older people. Read more
Simona is a Research Assistant with NARI working on the No More Shame and MINDSET projects. She has a background in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, and prior experience working in clinical trials. Read more
Sue Williams is a Policy and Practice Fellow (Physiotherapist) with over 30 years of clinical practice and research experience working with older people across hospital, aged care, and community settings. Sue Williams has extensive experience in clinical trials, quantitative and qualitative research. Read more
Michelle is a Research Assistant within the Aged Care Division of NARI. She is also a PhD candidate at the Melbourne Medical School of the University of Melbourne and holds an honorary position at Neuropsychiatry of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Read more