Deborah is a Branch Manager at the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), leading the Culture and Empowerment Branch within the Country, Culture and Connection Group.
Since completing the prestigious Pat Turner Scholarship, Deborah has held significant positions, including Senior Manager of Policy and Strategy at the Northern Land Council and Senior Adviser to Minister Plibersek. Her passion lies in achieving long-term outcomes through impactful policy interventions. With over 20 years of experience in the Australian Public Service (APS), Deborah has sharpened her expertise in policy and strategy roles.
Deborah holds a Master of Public Policy from Charles Darwin University, a program tailored to northern contexts. This education has equipped her with a robust theoretical and practical understanding of public policy design, implementation, and evaluation, particularly in Indigenous, and northern regions.
PhD title: Development of new detection methods for novel viruses, serotyping for pathogens of concern, using third generation sequencing techniques and the development of bespoke bioinformatic tools.
Therese joined the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (now Group) in 1999. She has helped design, develop and deliver science and technology outcomes to the Austalian Defence Force, which are critical for ensuring capability relevance is maintained in an increasingly complex, ambiguous environment. During that time, she expanded her professional skills by undertaking further biotechnology study, combining a personal passion with improving her ability to contribute to ADF and whole of government options in this rapidly evolving field.
Therese’s doctoral research will investigate new genetic sequencing technologies and complimentary development of bioinformatic tools to improve discovery and monitoring of pathogenic, emerging and engineered viruses of national security concern. These improved capabilities will be critical in informing policy and response development for known and emerging pathogens, contributing to the whole-of-government ability to avert catastrophic bioterrorism events or minimise their impact.
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.
