We are delighted to welcome three new staff members who have recently joined the Goyder Institute team to help deliver the Institute’s new Research Centre in Goolwa. The Centre will undertake a range of work to investigate the ecological, cultural, economic, and social values of the nationally and internationally important Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) region of South Australia. Through the Centre, the Institute will continue its work with First Nations, the local community, governments, and researchers to improve scientific knowledge which will inform management decisions for the CLLMM region. All three staff will be based in Goolwa, drawing on their local connections and expertise to fulfil their roles.
Jane French is the new Research Centre Manager. Jane is a talented, results-focused leader with a proven record in business analytics and systems development. She is deeply passionate about developing strong professional relationships to drive best practice in partnership with highly motivated practitioners to create a high-performance culture. With qualifications in Communications, Training and Assessment and International and Community Development, Jane has worked in the Not-for-Profit sector for many years, primarily within Community Centres at Management Level, and more recently with one of Australia’s largest NFP organisations. Jane has also served on a number of Boards in the NFP sector. Previous to that Jane has lectured at TAFE, teaching Communications. Growing up on a multi-generational family farm in the south-east of SA, but now living in Goolwa, Jane is a passionate community member and volunteers on committees for local sporting clubs that her children are engaged with.
Nathan Hartman is the Research Centre’s First Nations Engagement Officer. Nathan is a local First Nations Ngarrindjeri/Boandik man, born and raised in the town of Meningie located on the edge of Lake Albert in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region. Nathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Immersive Media at the University of Adelaide with experience in incorporating First Nations perspectives into different media formats and has previously undertaken various cultural heritage and environmental monitoring tasks throughout his life for local First Nations organisations. Nathan will be a link between the First Nations community and the Hub in co-designing research projects and outcomes that are mutually beneficial for the First Nations community, wider community, the Goyder Institute and other parties alike.
Dr Nick Whiterod is the Science Program Manager at the Research Centre. Nick is an ecologist with more than two decades experience, working broadly conserving and researching freshwater species and ecosystems across South Australia and Australia. He has conducted several successful species reintroduction projects, contributed to the national conservation listing of more than 50 freshwater fish and crayfish, and actively worked to understand and conserve freshwater fish across Australia, including in the Mt Lofty Ranges and CLLMM region. Nick was a 2018 Churchill Fellow and recently received the 2023 Unsung Hero of South Australian Science.
We’re very much looking forward to working with Jane, Nathan and Nick and are grateful for the skills and experience they bring to our team.