The Ngarrngga Team

Professor Melitta Hogarth is a Kamilaroi woman and the Director of Ngarrngga. She is Professor of Indigenous Education, Associate Dean, Indigenous, and Principal Research Fellow in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Prior to entering academia, Professor Hogarth taught for almost 20 years in Queensland, particularly in secondary schools. Her PhD on the rights of Indigenous peoples in education won multiple awards, including the Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education. 

Dr. John Doolah is a Meriam-Samsep man, a Torres Strait Islander of Eastern Torres Strait, Meriam le, and Erubam le heritage. His Masters and PhD was on Torres Strait Islander Migration from the Homeland to Keo Deudai/ Kie Daudai (mainland Australia). He is now the Ngarrngga Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Before accepting the Lecturer in Indigenous Education Teaching Specialist position at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Education he developed, coordinated and lectured in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Courses at the Wollotuka Institute, University of Newcastle, NSW. He is also one of the two recipient’s of the 2025 First Nations Fellows and was awarded the First Nations Fellowship 2025.

Justin Wilkey is a Ngarrindjeri man and a Research Fellow at Ngarrngga as well as a PhD candidate and Lecturer (Indigenous Education) at the Faculty of Education. Justin’s research interests focus on the intersections of education, wellbeing and social justice for Indigenous peoples. His career in teaching and journalism has solidified his passion for enhancing the lives of young Indigenous peoples through the power of education.

Steven Kolber is a Curriculum Writer at Ngarrngga. He was a proud public-school teacher and leader for 12 years, being named a top 50 finalist in the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize. His research interests include Teacher Empowerment, Professional Learning and Teachers' social media use. He regularly develops collaborative opportunities for educators, including the Ngarrngga Community of Practice, and is passionate about building and refining the confidence and skills of other educators.   

Emily MacKay is responsible for coordinating culturally safe policy and protocols to protect Indigenous cultural and intellectual property. An experienced leader in strategy, evaluation, program and project management in the higher education sector, Emily is drawn to roles which involve facilitating organisational change, and operationalising educational innovation and intercultural learning. She has advised on initiatives in strategy, program design and accreditation, and place-based teacher placement programs in local and international contexts. Emily holds a Master of Evaluation and a Graduate Diploma in Employee Relations and Human Resource Management from the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from Monash University. 

Sara Tajima is a Research Fellow at Ngarrngga. She holds a Master of Social Sciences (International Development) from RMIT University, and a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Honours) from the University of Melbourne. Sara’s work in education has been diverse, with experience across early childhood, schools, and tertiary education settings in Australia and internationally. Her research interests lie in social equity, intercultural education, and the early years. 

Suowa Zhang is a Research Assistant for Ngarrngga and a doctoral candidate within the Faculty of Education. Her thesis explores the experiences of Chinese international student Returnees, particularly their gendered subjectivity negotiations.  Her research interests are multicultural practices, gender, and transnational education mobility. 

Dr Michael Tynan has a PhD in social anthropology and over 30 years' experience in research and evaluation, executive leadership, policy development and systems change, project management, and community development. He has led and fostered collaborations that built the evidence base for frameworks and advocacy to make meaningful change in the lives of communities with particular concern for addressing inequalities. Grounded in a transformative place-based engagement with Aboriginal community on Yorta Yorta country he has developed deep knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal perspectives and paradigms, Aboriginal self-determination and cultural safety. 

India Murphy is the Digital Engagement Officer at Ngarrngga. She has experience in creating search engine optimised and user experience optimised content for web and social media platforms. Her research interests are in digital storytelling. India is also an emerging playwright. Her work has been performed at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and the Butterfly Club’s Queer Theatre Festival. She was awarded the Diotima Prize (2023) for her philosophical theatrical dialogue and is a former ‘She Writes resident’ at Theatre Works in 2020-2022.