Graduate Research Office Leadership Team
The Monash Graduate Research Office is responsible for the leadership, strategic oversight, and management of all graduate research matters. In partnership with faculties and central units, we support students at every stage of their higher degree research life-cycle.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Training)
Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
As Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Training) and Chair of the governing body for research training (Graduate Research Committee), Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis provides strategic leadership to support the development and implementation of Monash's research training strategy ensuring the continuous development of research skills across the University.
Professor Georgiou-Karistianis is internationally recognised for her pioneering work in Huntington's Disease and Friedreich's Ataxia, having discovered novel biomarkers for tracking disease progression which are now used in early drug development to inform clinical trial design. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, led large interdisciplinary clinical programs, including IMAGE-HD and IMAGE-FRDA and received significant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, international philanthropic bodies and industry organisations.
After joining Monash in 1997 as a Lecturer of Psychology, Professor Georgiou-Karistianis has held a number of senior roles, most recently as Deputy Dean, Academic and Graduate Affairs in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences since 2019.
Academic Director, Research Training
Professor JaneMaree Maher
As Academic Director (Research Training), Professor JaneMaree Maher works alongside the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Training) to make decisions and provide guidance on a range of complex academic matters related to graduate research. Professor Maher supports the research training strategy aligned with Impact 2030, and makes a significant contribution to policy development to support excellence in research training.
Professor Maher is a nationally recognised interdisciplinary research leader in gender, motherhood, and families and has forged an international research reputation focused on women’s social and gendered experiences. She is deeply committed to excellence and efficacy in graduate supervision and research training; supporting and enhancing the experiences of graduate researchers, strengthening the skills and practice of supervisors and achieving positive, productive and sustained change.
Director, Graduate Research Office
Dr Clare McCausland
The Director, Monash Graduate Research Office is responsible for the leadership of all aspects of the University’s centralised graduate research administration services along with strategic oversight and leadership of University-wide graduate research matters including strategic planning and regulatory compliance, student and supervisor development and quality expectations and programs including the Monash Doctoral Program and Graduate Research Industry Partnerships (GRIPs).
Clare and her team provide administrative leadership, expert advice, oversight and insight of the higher education regulatory environment and develop and implement strategies, systems and policies that maximise the benefits of investment in graduate research and work closely with faculties to enable excellence in graduate research at Monash.