About AFRAN
Structure and Governance
AFRAN (Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation) is a collaborative and dynamic network enhancing collaboration between France and Australia in science, research, and innovation for a sustainable future.
AFRAN was launched on the 13th of September 2016 by the Ambassador of France to Australia, from a merger between the French Researchers in Australia Network (FRAN), initiated by the Embassy of France to Australia in 2012, and the Australian-French Association for Science and Technology (AFAS ACT Inc.), then completed by AFAS VIC.
AFRAN's governance
AFRAN is constituted as an incorporated, non-for-profit association under the legal framework of the Australian Capital Territory, and has a national remit.
An Executive Committee
is elected annually by its members
A scientific advisory board
is formed for initiatives evaluation within the extended
committee that includes hubs and community leaders
A local employee
has been recruted in 2024 to develop our strategy and operations
Katherine studied Civil Engineering and Arts (French Major) at the University of Adelaide, followed by a co-tutelle PhD at the ANU and AgroParisTech, France. She is now interim Director of the School of Cybernetics, a Professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society and a member of the leadership team of the Institute for Water Futures at the Australian National University. Katherine's work focusses on the challenges of implementing collaborative approaches to policy, education and action for sustainable development. She has published over 100 academic works on topics including water governance, climate adaptation, participatory processes, and politics and cultures of innovation. Katherine has previously worked in the ANU Centre for European Studies, HC Coombs Policy Forum, ANU Centre for Policy Innovation and Cemagref in France (now INRAE), including on European projects to strengthen bi-regional dialogue on science and technology between Europe and the Pacific. Katherine is a Chevalier (Knight) in the French Ordre National du Mérite.
Katherine Daniell
President
Fred heads the Dept of Clinical Pathology and undertakes research activities at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, located within the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC). He works in the field of cancer cell and translational biology. He worked for CNRS from 1996 to 2011. He was the co-funder and the joint-scientific director of a biotech company from 2007 to 2011. He has maintained strong collaborative relationships with French colleagues and heads the Australian node of an INSERM/CNRS Laboratoire International Associé (LIA) in partnership with the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL, Professor Alain Puisieux).
Frederic Hollande
Vice President
Mark Netto
Mark is an Economics graduate from the University of Melbourne and is conducting research as an Energy Policy Fellow. Mark has worked in Banking, Investment, Public Policy and currently works as an Electorate Officer at the Parliament of Australia. He is passionate about strengthening the Australian-French bilateral relationship and creating partnerships in research and industry.
Treasurer
Kimberley Coulson
Strategy and Operations Manager & Secretary
Since September 2024, Kimberley is posted at ANU School of Cybernetics as a Secondee for the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation (AFRAN) Inc. Her role within the association as the Strategy and Operations Manager is to create avenues for collaboration between the French and the Australian research ecosystems. Her dedication to scientific cooperation comes from her previous role as a Science Officer at the Embassy of France to Australia where she has developed several skills around communication, event organisation, project management. Before settling in Canberra, a city she had fallen deeply in love with by the way, Kim was a researcher in immuno-oncology at RESTORE lab in Toulouse, Southern France, where she has completed a PhD. Her research interests were focused on ovarian and colorectal cancer, peritoneal metastasis, nuclear receptor and tissue-resident vs infiltrated macrophages. Born and raised in New-Caledonia, Kimberley is particularly interested in increasing research and innovation partnerships between French territories in the Indo-Pacific and Australia.
Kate is a Senior Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University who is interested in how immigration policy, economics, and social structures intersect and can be shaped to improve migrants' economic and social participation. Her work sits at the intersection of migration studies, demography, human geography, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Kate has a PhD in Public Policy from the Australian National University and an MA in Political Science from the University of Warsaw. In 2023, she held a Fulbright Professional Award at Emory University in Atlanta, USA. She also serves as the Vice-President of the Australian Population Association.
Kate Golebiowska
Non-office bearer
David Ness, Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia, has a background in architecture, infrastructure planning, and management of built assets and products. He conducts research on meeting service needs with less energy, materials, carbon, and cost. With Yamina and supported by AFRAN, David co-organised the 1st International Sufficiency Summit. Previously, he was awarded the Arup 2017 Global Research Challenge to adapt the circular economy to the built environment, advised the UN on sustainable, integrated, and inclusive infrastructure, and was employed in SA Government as a strategic asset manager. Among many publications, he has written on ‘shrinking’ absolute resource consumption of wealthier societies, while improving shelter and infrastructure for the disadvantaged
David Ness
Non-office bearer
Hugh Goold
Vice Secretary
Hugh is a research scientist for the Department of Primary Industries (NSW) and a Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University who has made significant contributions to the fields of synthetic biology, genomics, and biotechnology. His key work is the construction of a synthetic chromosome 16 called SynXVI of the international consortium based project Sc2.0 - building the world's first human designed eukaryotic genome. His work primarily focuses on the engineering of microbial and algal genomes for various applications, including sustainable biofuel production, space nutrition, and environmental conservation. Currently based in Sydney, Hugh is fluent in French and English.
Ana is a technology risk specialist, primarily providing advisory services to clients on cyber policy and L&D solutions in Canberra. Prior to commencing her consulting journey with KPMG in 2018, Ana was an events management and business administration professional. Ana completed a PhD in cyber security strategy, entitled 'Educational pathways to national cyber resilience: the Australian story' (ANU, 2020). The thesis focused on growing the cyber workforce by enhancing its pipeline, in great part through strengthened tertiary cyber security education, but also by driving more interest in STEM earlier on. Ana grew up in the Middle East, and did most of her schooling in the French system; she undertook graduate studies in Switzerland, and worked in France prior to making Australia home. Passionate in equal measures about French culture and R&D, Ana joined the AFRAN Board in November 2025. She seeks to support the growth of bilateral cooperation, expanding on mutual innovation benefits for generations to come.
Ana Forsyth
Public Officer
Dominique Benzaken
Non-office bearer
AFRAN's structure
8 local & 3 regional hubs
AFRAN is organised into local and regional hubs that engage with members accross disciplines and interests, facilitating collaboration and dialogue. AFRAN activities are described behind each pinpoint.
8 scientific communities
AFRAN is also organised in scientific communities that gathers experts and leaders from France and Australia around same science and innovation areas.
AFRAN Youth Engagement
Leadership Program
The AFRAN Youth Engagement Leadership Program, being the natural evolution of our AFRAN Alumni community, is a unique initiative designed to empower young students, researchers, and professionals who want to engage with the French–Australian community and promote academic, scientific, and cultural cooperation between the two countries — and across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.