Sir Roland Wilson Foundation

Marie’s PhD research examined the migration patterns, processes and factors involved in irregular maritime migration to Australia of Afghan Hazaras between 2008 and 2013. Her research focused on the conceptualisation of international migration, and irregular maritime migration specifically. In 2018, she was awarded the Charles Price prize for outstanding doctoral research in demography for her thesis. She has published and edited extensively in academic and policy spheres on international migration, serving on the editorial boards of scientific journals Migration Studies and International Migration, and is an associate editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. Marie maintains visiting scholar positions at ANU’s School of Demography and the Global Migration Centre at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies (Geneva). Marie serves as a senior official in the UN system as the head of the Migration Research Division and editor of the flagship World Migration Report in IOM Geneva. In her role she has led the implementation of migration research projects funded by the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and USA, with research partners from across the developing and developed world. She leads migration research and analysis initiatives with a wide range of partners, including the World Economic Forum, MIT Technology Review, Meta and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Populations as well as several universities.

Marie started work with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) in 2000. She has worked for the department in offices in Canberra, Seoul and Moscow. Marie has led branches and sections in DIBP, the Australian Public Service Commission, and the Department of Workplace Relations. She has consulted to the International Labor Organization as well as in the private sector. For three years Marie managed DIBP’s largest research program as well as a research/analytical function on irregular migration.

Rick’s PhD looked at a better way to manage military training areas (MTAs). He used his unique experience and in depth knowledge of environmental management to develop a MTA management model that will increase training utility, reduce costs associated with training area management and increase environmental protection. The model is also applicable to sectors such as forestry and agriculture.

Rick has been employed by the Department of Defence since 2005. He has been involved in the environmental management of the Defence Estate, developing the department’s policies and approaches on biodiversity, heritage, biosecurity, bushfire and erosion.

Nerida began her training in demography in 2010 at the university of California and subsequently joined ANU to complete her PhD as a Sir Roland Wilson scholar. Her PhD undertook applied demographic research of Australia’s aged and ageing population. She examined the size, structure and characteristics of the aged population across 328 regions of Australia, looking at; healthy life and working life expectancies; lifespan and life course disparity; and projections of growth and settlement of the aged population through to 2031. She was also a student affiliate of the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research.

Nerida worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) from 2006 to 2015 on a wide range of social policy issues. After completing the Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship, Nerida rejoined the Australian Public Service and advanced to the Senior Executive Service. Since 2016 she has worked in the Department of Social Services, Treasury and Department of Education.