Our people

Craig Barker is Head of Public Engagement at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, managing public programs, education and other outreach activities. Craig has a PhD in classical archaeology from the University of Sydney and has considerable archaeological fieldwork experience in Australia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. He is the director of the Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project excavating at the World Heritage listed site of Nea Paphos in Cyprus.

Shuxia Chen Shuxia has worked in museums and art spaces for over a decade. She joined the Chau Chak Wing Museum as its inaugural curator for the China Gallery in 2019. She holds a PhD from the Australian National University, an MA in Art History from the University of Sydney, and an MA in Studio Art (Honours) from Sydney College of the Arts. 

Shuxia’s research interests include the relations between art, society and politics, cultural networks and artist groups in Asia. She has been curating, publishing and teaching Asian art nationally and internationally.

Maree Clutterbuck is responsible for the physical care, documentation, governance and compliance of the University of Sydney's collections. She is actively involved with Australian Museums, Galleries Association and Museums and Galleries NSW activities.

Before commencing as the first collections manager here in 2003, she worked as a registrar at multiple state and federal museums and galleries for more than a decade.

Emma Conroy is responsible for assisting with the documentation, care, installation, storage, packing, and transport of the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s acquisitions and loans.

She has previously worked in the museum environment as well as in archaeology and heritage. Her roles have included registration, curatorial, consultancy, and archivist work at the Nicholson Museum, the Australian Museum, and the National Trust of Australia before commencing her present position at the University in 2021.

Emma has a Masters in Museum Studies (2010) and a Bachelor of Arts  Archaeology (Hons I 2004) from the University of Sydney.

Rebecca Conway has some 20 years' experience working with archaeological and ethnographic collections in museums. She has worked with a diversity of cultural materials in a variety of capacities: from Asia, Africa and the Americas, to Australia and the Pacific, from collection management to curatorial.

Rebecca's principal interest is the cultural heritage of Australian Aboriginal and Pacific Islander communities. Interactions of source communities with cultural heritage collections held in museums are a key interest.

Anthony (Tony) Gill has had more than 30 years of experience volunteering or working in natural history museums, beginning with an internship at the Australian Museum in 1981.

Prior to joining the Macleay Museum in 2010, he was a researcher of shallow marine fishes for the Natural History Museum, London, and museum curator in the School of Life Sciences and assistant director for collections in the International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University.

Eve Guerry is a museum educator with over 15 years’ experience in designing object-based learning strategies for curriculum-linked learning programs and exhibitions. She has a PhD in Egyptology and extensive experience in teaching and research for Archaeology, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Israel. Prior to joining the Chau Chak Wing Museum in 2020 as Academic Engagement Curator, Eve worked as the Head of Education programs at Macquarie University’s Museum of Ancient Cultures, where she integrated museum collections into teaching and research across campus as well as into innovative learning programs for early childhood, primary and secondary school students.

Eve sees museum collections as resources that enrich the academic environment by allowing avenues for creativity, engagement and cross-disciplinary links that foster deep learning and collaborative research opportunities.

Virginia Ho's main responsibility is campus loans across the University of Sydney campuses. She also assists with auditing, loan, collection care, documentation, matting and framing, installation, storage, packing, transport, and location control of the Chau Chak Wing Museum collections.

Virginia has been working for Sydney University Museums since 2004. She has previously worked as gallery assistant and registrar at art galleries and museums in New York, Melbourne and Sydney.

Matthew Huan works on the insect collection held by the Chau Chak Wing Museum. His main responsibilities are to number and register specimens for the entomology digitisation project, and assists with  using them for exhibitions, education, programs and research.

Matthew completed his BSc. at Monash University. His work experiences thread through the life sciences and include research in farming invertebrate livestock, curatorial roles at Entopia (Penang Butterfly Farm), education at the Royal Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, specimen work at Herbarium NSW, visitor engagement at the Australian Museum and volunteering for events such as the Sydney Science Festival and Biennale of Sydney.

Ali Ibrahim is a museum conservator with 12 years’ experience in ancient materials conservation, restoration, museums, and archaeological sites in Egypt and Chile. He has worked at the Grand Egyptian Museum in the inorganics laboratory with the Tutankhamun bronze collection and the Giza Pyramids plateau with a range of different materials. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology specialising  in the conservation and restoration of antiquities from Fayoum University, and a Masters in Museum and Heritage studies from the University of Sydney.

At the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Ali works on the Museum’s Parramatta project – providing collections’ care and support with analysis and research, as well as leading on public engagement with diverse western Sydney audiences.

David James is responsible for the digitisation of the University's Nicholson, Macleay, University Art and Union Art collections.

Prior to joining Sydney University Museums, he was working on the digitisation pilot project for MASS (Powerhouse Museum). During his career, he has worked as a staff photographer for the CSIRO Divisions of Radio Physics and Applied Physics.

Rachel Lawrence is responsible for collection stock takes, valuations, and other compliance activities within the Collections Management team. Starting at the Macleay as a volunteer, Rachel has completed audits for the majority of the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s vast collections and assists in many aspects of collections management including acquisitions, loans, collection care and documentation.

Rachel has a Bachelor of Fine Arts/Bachelor of Arts with majors in Textiles and Australian Studies, and previously worked as curator and collections manager at North Head Quarantine Station.

As assistant curator for the University Art Collection, Katrina Liberiou assists with programming, acquisitions, research and exhibitions.

Previously, she worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in its exhibitions team from 1998–2004 and from 2004–09 at the Biennale of Sydney as exhibition manager.

Katrina's research interests include international and Australian contemporary art with a particular interest in photography, performance and installation. Since 2017, Katrina has been researching the life and work of artist Lily Greenham.

She curated the exhibitions Coppice, Verge Gallery (March–April 2016) and Barbara Campbell: ex avibus at the University Art Gallery and Macleay Museum (May–August 2015).

Liam McGeagh is Curatorial Assistant, Academic Engagement and supports delivery of the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s object-based learning (OBL) program. Prior to joining the Museum in 2022, he worked as Collections Assistant at the Flinders University Museum of Art.

Liam completed a Bachelor of Archaeology and Bachelor of Arts (Enhanced) at Flinders University, and a Graduate Certificate in Education at Murdoch University. He sees cultural collections and their objects as powerful tools for educational innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. 

contact: museum.obl@sydney.edu.au

Kelsey McMorrow assists in the curation, research and management of the Museum’s science collections. She works most closely with the Macleay Collection of scientific instruments and apparatus. Kelsey is also passionate about museum accessibility and is a member of the Museum’s Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group.

Kelsey completed her BA/BSc at UNSW, studying history and psychology. She also completed her Master of Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney. 

Jocelyn Prasad oversees the media and PR requirements of the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Jocelyn has more than two decades’ experience in public relations. She worked extensively in corporate PR and government before moving across to the education sector. Before joining the University of Sydney’s media team she was Head of Communications at the University of Auckland. 

For all media enquiries, contact Joceyln via our media enquiries directory.

Luke Parker is responsible for coordinating the exhibitions and projects program for the new Chau Chak Wing Museum. Before joining the University of Sydney in 2008, he worked in various museums and galleries across exhibitions, education, collections and publications. He has curated numerous exhibitions and published on contemporary art.

Since 1997, his work as an artist has been included in solo and group exhibitions at many artist-run initiatives, as well as at institutions including the Centre for Contemporary Photography and Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, and Performance Space and Artspace, Sydney. His work has been exhibited at and is currently held in the permanent collections of both the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

As senior curator of the Macleay Collections, Jude Philp is interested in stimulating research into the collections and increasing the purposefulness of museum holdings through exhibition, research and events.

Jude's current research is in the world of 'British New Guinea' and the 19th-century practice of natural history for museums.

Melanie Pitkin is Senior Curator of the Nicholson collection of antiquities at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. She has more than 15 years of experience working in museums in Australia and the UK, and providing support to colleagues at museums in Egypt. Melanie holds a PhD in Egyptology from Macquarie University, a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Sydney, and an honours degree in ancient history, also from Macquarie University.

Prior to joining the Museum in February 2022, Melanie worked as a Research Associate (Egyptian Antiquities) at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, playing a key role in the Museum’s cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into its ancient Egyptian coffins. Prior to this she worked for more than a decade at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney.

Candace Richards is the assistant curator of the Nicholson Collection, and has been part of the Sydney University Museums team for 15 years. Candace's research interests bring together ancient world studies with contemporary museum practice to re-evaluate how and why collections were formed and explore the ways archaeology and antiquities collections can offer new insights into human endeavor.

Candace is a Mediterranean archaeologist currently investigating reuse and recycling practices in Nea Paphos, Cyprus from the Hellenistic period to modern day.

Madeleine Snedden is responsible for the physical care of the Chau Chak Wing Museum collections for exhibition display. She also assists with the documentation, care, installation, packing and transport of incoming and outgoing loans.

Madeleine completed a Bachelor of Arts (Landscape Archaeology, Anthropology, Art History, with a minor in Plant Sciences) from the Australian National University. As part of her BA, she also studied at The University of Auckland, majoring in Polynesian Archaeology and Maori Art History: Mana Taonga.

Madeleine also completed a Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation (Objects) from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining the University in 2016, Madeleine worked as an objects conservator in Australia, Canada, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and the United States.

Ann Stephen's curatorial career has been in public and university museums.

She joined Sydney University Museums as the senior curator of the University Art Gallery in 2009, and has been responsible for the University Art Collection and developing the art exhibition and publication program.

Damien Stone is responsible for stocktakes and valuations within the Collections Management team. He works closely with our museum database Axiell EMu making information about our objects more accessible. Other collections Damien has worked with include the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville. He has also worked with the archive collections of multiple government departments.

Damien has a background in archaeology, which he studied here at the University of Sydney.  He has written several books exploring themes in the ancient world, Pomegranate: a Global History (2017) and Lost Civilizations: Hittites (2023).

Julie Taylor is responsible for the physical care of the University's Nicholson, Macleay, University Art and Union Art collections while in storage and transit.

Julie was a practising artist, a teacher of drawing and painting, worked in the NSW TAFE system as an art school technical officer and at the MCA as an exhibitions preparator before commencing work at the University in 2006.

Jane Thogersen has been working with museum collections for over a decade, with a particular interest in building engagement and access to collections across multiple environments, collection types and platforms.

Her interest in object-based life-long learning particularly focuses on the way in which university collections can support OBL through innovative and cross disciplinary approaches.

Julian Woods is Public Engagement Coordinator at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, assisting with the development of public programs, education, and other outreach activities. Before joining the Museum, he worked at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery in audience engagement and curatorial, where he developed and delivered art education and public programs for regional audiences. He has over 10 years experience working and volunteering in the arts and cultural sector and completed a BA at the University of Sydney with Honours in Art History and a Major in History, focusing on Australian art and Australian history.