Andrew Whitecross is passionate about bringing insights from research and policy analysis together in well-designed social policy and programs for Australian families. He commenced as acting Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies in October 2020.

Andrew has more than three decades of social policy experience gained from various roles within the Department of Social Services (and its predecessors).

Dr Rebecca Jenkinson is a Senior Research Fellow (Gambling, Alcohol and Other Drugs) and Manager of the Australian Gambling Research Centre. She also holds an Honorary Burnet Institute Fellow position in the Behaviours and Health Risks Program at the Burnet Institute, and an Adjunct Lecturer position in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.

Kei is an economist with over 20 years’ experience working with large data sets. Using advanced econometric methods, he has conducted a number of policy evaluations in the areas of health, labour and population. Most of his projects aim to determine causation rather than merely measure correlation. He applies various identification strategies to isolate causation such as natural experiments, instrumental variables, simultaneous equations, selection bias correction, panel data fixed effects, and difference-in-differences.

With a background in law and public health, Uma has a strong interest in promoting health equity though public policy and regulation. She has undertaken several roles within the federal and state governments, academia and not-for-profit sectors. In Australia, her work has included a focus on alcohol policy and regulation, Indigenous health and strategic planning for equitable health outcomes.

Dr Rukhsana is a Senior Research Officer and is working on a number of projects within the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC). She possesses over ten years' experience of social and epidemiological research in drug and alcohol addiction, education policy implementation, teacher education, homelessness of youth Australians, youth mental health, integration of health services, and youth mentoring interventions. As a social researcher, Rukhsana has worked on multiple projects at Turning Point, Swinburne University and University of Newcastle, over the past years. She is proficient in developing conceptual and analytical frameworks and data collection protocols for social research projects.

Nancy has 14 years’ experience managing research projects, including topics on: gambling, homelessness, drug and alcohol use, health and well-being, and experiences of violence. Prior to joining AIFS, Nancy worked for 5 years at CQUniversity on over a dozen research projects surrounding the topics of gambling-related harm, the social cost of gambling, gambling and domestic violence against women, emerging gambling products (loot boxes, esports betting), mobile EGM play, gambling prevalence, interactive gambling, the effects of wagering marketing on vulnerable adults.

Cailem has several years’ experience executing and managing research projects both in academic and non-academic roles, primarily specialising in quantitative methodology and analysis. Cailem has been involved in several population-level projects on the topics of gambling consumption and harm, messaging for gambling harm reduction, as well as on the design and validation of measures related to gambling harm. Cailem’s previous research has involved other health-related areas, including tracking visual perception and blind spot reduction, validation of State hospital patient deterioration charts, and customer metrics for Medicare services (DHS), as well as various non-health-related research projects.