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 the Director of Clinical Gerontology and 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
Bridget is a research assistant at NARI on the BEFRIENDAS project which is exploring the impact of befriending on loneliness, depression and anxiety in older people living in residential aged care. 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 a Research Fellow in the Social Gerontology Division at National Ageing Research Institute. 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. She has a strong academic output and is committed to knowledge translation and engagement. Read more
Antonia (Tania) works on the Moving Pictures project as a Bilingual Research Fellow in the Social Gerontology division and other projects which focus on dementia prevention and quality of care for older people. She is an experienced clinical and research dietitian applying evidence-based strategies for successful ageing and advocate for a whole of diet pattern and lifestyle approach to improve brain, gut and heart health. Read more
Dr Carolina Navarro is a Bilingual Research Assistant at Moving Pictures. She interviews members of Spanish-speaking communities about their experiences as carers or providers of services for people with dementia. Carolina is an expert on the interviewing of victims and vulnerable witnesses in multicultural settings. Read more
Christa is a research fellow at the National Ageing Research Institute, 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
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
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 a Senior Research Fellow in the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration. 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
Steve is a researcher in geriatric science and experienced in aged care. He is also an expert in pain and dementia, workforce education, and innovation in home and residential aged care. His work focuses on the quality of aged care services, education and training aged care staff, and managing clinical concerns in older people. Read more
I am a Bilingual Research Assistant with over 25 years of working experience in different areas of healthcare, both in Vietnam and Australia. I have extensive experience in clinical research and data management, systematic and scoping reviews, quantitative and quantitative research. My interest research areas are digital health and dementia. 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
I am part of the clinical gerontology team working on the ENJOY project to help create opportunities for older people to increase their participation in physical activity. I have completed my masters in clinical exercise physiology and some minor research projects in relation to exercise and mental health. Read more
Esther is a Research Assistant working on the PITCH project in the Aged Care Division within NARI. She also provides administrative support to the Education team to coordinate weekly seminars and educational workshops. Read more
I am a Research Assistant at NARI on the BEFRIENDAS project where I am involved in recruiting residents from aged care facilities and completing interviews. I have previously worked with older adults living in the community and am interested in research topics of depression, loneliness and cognitive impairment. Read more
Jeremy is an Exercise Physiologist working on the ENJOY project. He has completed exercise programs using the senior exercise parks at 3 sites across Melbourne and delivered workshops for allied health and council staff on the safe use of the parks. He is currently working on the ENJOY project expansion. 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 at NARI within the MARC division working across a range of projects. She is interested in diversity, elder abuse, aged care and end of life care. 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
Leona is a research assistant in the Aged Care division at NARI. She is contributing to the development of a best-practice model of continence care for residential aged care, and to qualitative research that aims to understand quality of care from the perspectives of aged care staff, residents, and family. Read more
Marcia is a research officer in the Aged Care Division as well as the NARI Research Administration Officer. She is the project coordinator for the BEFRIENDAS randomised controlled trial, exploring the impact of befriending provided by volunteers on depression, anxiety and loneliness in older people living in residential aged care. Read more
Paulene has been a Research Fellow at NARI since 2012 and a PhD Candidate at RMIT since 2018. In recent years, Paulene has coordinated the development of a collaborative study that is exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Art Centres keep their Elders strong and connected. 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
Phuong has background in social work with a concentration in policy practice to address the needs of culturally diverse communities. She holds a Master's in Social Work, with research interests in exploring clients’ insights on the quality of residential aged care and good social work practice for adults with dementia. 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 a senior principal research fellow at NARI and a research consultant. Colleen has published extensively in academic and technical reports on aged care, including as lead author for a book published internationally in 2018 on ‘Moving into residential care; a practical guide for older people and their families’. 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
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
Experienced Public Health researcher with a history of working in the population health research industry. Skilled in Health Promotion, Epidemiology, Project Management and Scientific writing. Read more
Stephanie is a research officer with an interest in healthcare ethics, medication management, workforce, and quality improvement in aged care. She has previously worked on projects related to technology and quality improvement in both home care and residential aged care. Read more
Sue is a physiotherapist working in research and clinical practice. Her research interests include balance, falls prevention, stroke, workforce redesign, service delivery and the well-being of older people. Sue has worked as a project manager on numerous research projects, and is an active researcher in MARC (Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration). Read more