Our Staff

Associate Professor Michelle Barrett is a GP and Head of Clinical Skills at the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology, where she teaches Clinical Skills to 1st year medical students, with a particular interest in the art of eliciting the patient’s medical history. She has also been the principal of her suburban general practice for 23 years. For all of that time there have been medical students coming to learn at the practice.

Michelle is also a regular fly-in, fly-out, primary care physician for the Royal Flying Doctors Service, based out of Broken Hill. In the distant past she was medical officer in the Australian Army.

As Head of Scholars House, Michelle is supported by a terrific team of professional and academic staff to deliver an enriching and rewarding program for our Tuckwell Scholars, and to ensure our Program goes from strength to strength.

In her spare time she loves international travel and to catch up with her (grown up) children who live in Sydney.

Dr Fiona Scotney GAICD FATEM is the Director of the Tuckwell Scholarship Program. Fiona has worked as a secondary teacher and university tutor, and held management and leadership roles the public and tertiary sectors. She has a specific interest in learning and development, capability and leadership development, and scholarship programs. Fiona holds a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching (Secondary), Master of Arts (English Studies), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the field of English, and Graduate Certificate in Business (Public Sector Management).

Fiona enjoys visiting art galleries and museums, modernist design and architecture, and reading Australian literature.

Lois Carlton is the Tuckwell Program Coordinator. Lois has worked as a secondary school teacher, taught at TAFE and has over twenty years' experience in student recruitment at both TAFE and The University of Melbourne. Her last role at the university was managing the development program in the Hansen Scholarship Program. One of the joys of her time at university was the opportunity to work closely with tertiary students. She is excited to be in Tuckwell Program as it will keep her in contact with bright young minds and amazing young people. Lois has relocated to Canberra to be closer to her family and her beautiful granddaughter. In her spare time, she likes to sew clothes for her and spends a lot of time reading the same book over and over again to her.

Kate Hutchison is the Tuckwell Alumni Coordinator, with a background in education that includes a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education from Melbourne University. With nearly twenty years of experience in secondary education, she finds joy in helping students achieve their goals, particularly in Psychology and student management.

Kate is inspired by her students' successes and looks forward to collaborating with the Alumni group to support their aspirations. A former competitive rower, she represented Australia at the Under 23 World Championships, gaining a deep appreciation for hard work and perseverance, values she shares with the Tuckwell Program.

When not coordinating Alumni activities, Kate enjoys cheering for her two energetic boys at soccer fields and basketball stadiums across Canberra, celebrating both family life and community involvement.

Gita Raikar is the Communications and Engagement Officer of the Tuckwell Scholarship Program. 
Gita has held marketing and communications positions in the private and not for profit sectors in Brisbane and Canberra and has gained extensive experience in managing campaigns, projects and events, and loves to make connections and build relationships.

In her spare time Gita enjoys long walks with her family, taking her two children on bike rides on sunny Canberra days, and will never say no to a trip to the beach.

Dr Iain Henry is a Senior Lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. His first book, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence: The United States and its Allies in Asia, 1949-1969, was published by Cornell University Press in 2022.  Iain has published articles in International Security, Contemporary Politics, and the Australian Journal of International Affairs. 

He has published commentary in the Australian Financial Review, the Canberra Times, and the Nikkei Asian Review.  A graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy, Iain has previously worked for the Australian Army, the Australian Public Service, and Qantas Airways.

Dr Maryna Bilokur is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Research School of Physics at the Australian National University, where she conducts research in the experimental plasma physics group. Having grown up in Ukraine, Maryna embarked on her PhD journey in Physics at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia in 2015, which paved the way for exciting interdisciplinary research opportunities around the globe at TU Ilmenau in Germany (visiting DAAD scholar), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the University of New South Wales. 

During her tenure at LBNL, Maryna served as a Berkley Lab Science Ambassador, where she engaged with local teachers to empower high school students from underrepresented communities and help them to excel in STEM subjects. 

Beyond her research commitments, Maryna is passionate about traveling, scuba diving, skiing, and jazz music.  

Associate Professor Brett Scholz is a Critical Health Psychologist working as a Senior Research Fellow / Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Psychology, in the ANU College of Health and Medicine.

Brett has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, the vast majority of which focus on how to bring about a health sector that truly values the lived experiences of service users, patients, survivors, or consumers. Specifically, he is interested in lived experience leadership in the development and execution of health policy, health services, health research, and health education. 
He is ranked by SciVal as the most prolific researcher working on lived experience leadership.

When he’s not thinking about all things lived experience leadership, he can be found harvesting, preparing, and weaving rushes for Ngarrindjeri lakun, on the hunt for the best bánh cuốn in town, or feeding his matcha latte addiction.

The Program is grateful for the support provided by staff across ANU and supporters around the nation, many of whom contribute to our community by attending events or participating in our scholar selection process.

We are grateful to call former ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian P. Schmidt AC FAA FRS an honorary alum of the program, due to his ongoing engagement and long association with the Tuckwell Scholarship Program.  

We'd like to acknowledge Associate Professor Ryan Goss, for his years of service and dedication to the Program. Ryan was the Head of Scholars House for the Tuckwell Scholarship Program between 2019-2024. 

Ryan is an Associate Professor at the ANU Law School.  At the Law School, Ryan writes and teaches about constitutional law and human rights law. Ryan came to the ANU after undergraduate degrees at the University of Queensland and postgrad at the University of Oxford, where he studied with the support of a Rhodes Scholarship. 

Alongside his ANU work, Ryan takes a great interest in the Brisbane Broncos, history and politics, far too many podcasts, and entertaining his two young children.