Dr Piers Kelly, PI
Dr Kelly is a linguistic anthropologist who began work on the Australian Message Stick Project at the Mint research group of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. The project subsequently continued under a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant and an ARC DECRA grant at the University of New England. He specialises in the anthropology of writing systems and graphic codes.

Dr Alexandra Roginski, Collections and Data Manager
Dr Roginski is an experienced Australian historian with expertise in provenance research. She analyses original sources including collection registers and other textual materials to populate the OCCAMS database. Dr Roginski develops exhibition proposals and liaises with international institutions to ensure that collection data is accurately and ethically represented before it is stored securely online.

Dr Lorina Barker, CI Songlines of Country Project, Research Associate

Dr Barker is a Muruwari and Wangkumara oral historian at the University of New England and CI of the Songlines of Country ARC Discovery Indigenous project. She has worked with Dr Kelly and the Australian Museum on the identification of Muruwari and Wangkumara message sticks, including participation in the First Inventors documentary series. She is reconstructing traditional styles and techniques of manufacture.

Ms. Piper Young, Work Experience, image editor

Ms. Piper Young has developed workflow and instructions for editing images of message sticks including photographs of conserved objects and historical sketches.

Taragara Research Group (Dr Lorina L. Barker, Mr Michael Brogan and Dr Eliza Kent and Aboriginal Community Researchers, Songlines of Country, Mura Maarni projects), Research Associates

Taragara Researchers partner and collaborate with researchers, groups and community on projects that are mutually beneficial to Aboriginal communities. Taragara Researchers work closely with the Taragara Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal led enterprise and cultural broker between the University, government, non-government entities and funding  bodies and the Aboriginal communities in which Taragara Researchers work. Taragara projects are responsive to Aboriginal communities’ aspirations from which research is generated and culturally tailored.