Meet the team

We are a passionate and creative team that brings together skills in science, community, culture, policy, and technology. 

Meet the Team

  • Shez Cairney

    CEO

    A Celtic descendent and Neuroscientist who has spent two decades leading health research and innovation projects in Aboriginal communities in the most remote parts of Australia.

    Recently appointed Professor at Charles Darwin University, Shez has published over 50 scientific articles, produced creative and digital learning tools, and psychosocial screening instruments that are used across the country.

    Leading the design and development of The Interplay Project since 2011, Shez believes it can create sustained systemic change towards an equitable society, where all people have the chance to thrive.

    Shez is passionate about bringing together people and ideas to inspire and create change, particularly through integrating science, culture, art, business and policy.

    She loves people, country and colour.

  • Anastasia Schild

    Researcher

    Anastasia Schild is a clinical psychologist registrar with extensive experience providing psychological services throughout isolated, regional and remote areas of Australia, predominantly within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Anastasia has research experience involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is also undertaking a PhD in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

    Anastasia holds a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (First Class Honours) and a Master of Psychology (Clinical). She is currently undertaking a PhD while working as a researcher for the Interplay Project and as a Clinical Psychologist Registrar in private practice.

    Anastasia completed her master’s thesis titled “Utilising Psychological Theories to Understand how Culture Influences Mental Health for Indigenous Australians.”

  • Joseph Clarke

    Project Coordinator

    Joseph Clarke is a Gomeroi man from Bourke NSW and an experienced caseworker and Aboriginal project/programs manager with qualifications as a counsellor and additional qualifications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid. Joseph has extensive experience in Policy Analysis and as a customer service officer and has developed well-established service delivery.

    Joseph has developed sustainable long-term programs in Social and Emotional Wellbeing, drug and alcohol services and domestic and family violence.

    Joseph is a proactive and innovative thinker who volunteers his time outside work to serve his community in various ways. Joseph also Co-Chairs a co-creation project for cancer treatment in remote and isolated communities with the University of Sydney’s Centre for Rural Health.

  • Charity Hinchliffe

    Administrative Support

    Charity Hinchliffe is a very visual person so when working with new programs. Charity has a keen eye for detail in ensuring everything is completed correctly with eveyone’s input and thoughts in mind. As a multitasking pro Charity likes to work on a few things at a time and seeing them through to completion. Charity is innovative and very much an ideas person always at a product, program or project and trying to understand it with the intention of improving it.

  • Kylie Gill

    Research Assistant

    Kylie completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology, Minor in Philosophy at the Swinburne University of Technology. Graduating in 2018, Kylie was awarded the ‘Highest achieving graduate in the Bachelor of Arts at Swinburne for 2018.

    Kylie Gill is a thinker and questions everything like a researcher should. Kylie has an eye for solutions. Kylie is always thinking about the people or communities we assist.

    Kylie knows how to make people feel valued, included and seen by investing time in understanding people’s views and experiences from their position and finding ways to make things happen where she can.

    Kylie enjoys time with her pet family. Kylie believes dog training is everything! “Percy”

  • Tim Jeffries

    Tech Support

    Tim Jeffries is a systems and productivity consultant across a wide range of businesses and industries. With significant experience in leading teams, small business management, IT, administration and finance, Tim is well suited to support teams to run effectively and efficiently. His rare combination of skill and knowledge at the intersection of people, systems and technology are the perfect ingredients for this work.

  • Tim Osborn

    Tech Lead

    Tim is a developer from the days when 'web design' was a thing. Nowadays, that nebulous title has been superseded by a plethora of roles: front-end dev, UX design, interaction design, information architecture, devOps, web dev, visual design, SEO consultancy, project management.

    Beyond work he has a young family, rides to work, practices martial arts as time allows, and casts longing glances at the dusty guitar in the corner.

    Tim has been with the Interplay Project for 2 years as the founding Tech Lead which includes developing our community survey app and project management platform.

Co-founders

Tammy Abbott, Community Engagement

Tammy Abbott is of the Western Arrernte and Luritja/Pintupi people of Central Australia and was educated in Alice Springs and Victoria. Tammy has spent 24 years working to improve the educational, financial, and wellbeing outcomes of Aboriginal people. 

For the last 14 years, she has worked in engagement and culture brokerage roles with remote Aboriginal communities, Australian Governments, and academics. Tammy provides advisory services to the Interplay Project through her role as the Senior Research Officer for Ninti One Limited, which aims to strengthen and grow community-based research, evaluation activity and employment of Aboriginal Community Researchers. 

Tammy has been a key member of the Interplay Project since 2012 playing a key role in co-design and community engagement.

Byron Wilson, Data Scientist

Byron Wilson lives in a shed in Walmer, Victoria, on the traditional lands of Dja Dja Wurrung people. He has previously lived in Darwin for over 10 years whilst working through a seemingly endless PhD with Menzies School of Health. For employment Byron is a science and math teacher at a local Bendigo high school. In his spare time, Byron is building a low cost, off grid (and hopefully) straw bale passive house for himself and his family.

Byron’s research focuses on remote contexts, particularly in the Northern Territory of Australia. A recurring theme in his work is the importance of looking at the holistic nature of wellbeing and education. Understanding the interface between culture and empowerment on the context of education in remote communities has also been a key focus. Byron plays a key role in turning numbers into stories, using his experience in structural equation modelling.

Meet our Advisors

We’ve been fortunate to have many wonderful advisors over the years.

Thank you to all of these people for their time and input, it’s been invaluable for us.

Terry Dunbar, Trevor Gurruwiwi, Frankie Merritt, Kim Grey, Julie Nankervis, Michael Bullot, Lu Steuart, Alyson Wright, Mike Salvaris, John Wakerman, Miliwanga Wurben, Amunda Gorey, Sven Silburn, Adrian Miller, Darren Benham, Lynette O'Donoghue, Janet Bugahiar, Kalinda Griffiths, Leisa McCarthy.