AFRAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OFFICE-BEARING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
KATHERINE DANIELL
President
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 a Professor in the 3A Institute, School of Cybernetics, and the Fenner School of Environment and Society 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.
FRÉDÉRIC HOLLANDE
Vice-president
Prof. Frédéric Hollande works in the field of cancer cell and translational biology. He worked for CNRS from 1996 to 2011. He co-founded and was the joint-scientific director of a biotech company from 2007 to 2011. He now works in the Department of Clinical Pathology at the University of Melbourne. 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, Prof Alain Puisieux).
PRUNE BOKOBZA
Secretary
Ms Prune Bokobza is international Expert in Hydrogen & Renewable Energy at Expertise France, where she promotes French expertise in the field of renewable energies and low-carbon hydrogen. She has 4 year experience is leading science and technology communities. Prior to her position at Expertise France, she has worked as community leader for La French Tech in Tokyo, Adviser for Energy at CEA, and International projects officer at Kyushu Association of Independant Entrepreneurs.
MARK NETTO
Treasurer
Mark Netto is a student at the University of Melbourne studying for a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics). Mark is planning to undertake further studies in France and therefore to develop an understanding of the French higher education system. He values the research-focused nature of French tertiary education and believe that Australia could benefit from diversifying its research partners, especially with a Pacific partner like France. His professional experience is varied, he has worked in the finance/economics field with Chase Wealth Australia and Deutsche Bank in Germany. He currently works in public policy as a part-time analyst with the Victorian Parliament. He works in three portfolios, Education, Finance and Economic Reform & Regulation.
THOMAS BIEDERMANN
Public officer
Thomas Biedermann joined as Manager of the ANU School of Cybernetics in October 2017. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Systems Engineering from the French Ecole Centrale Marseille. Prior to joining the ANU in 2016 as a Research Development Coordinator in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, he has worked for the French government in scientific diplomacy in the United States and Australia.
NON-OFFICE BEARING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
DIMITRI PERRIN
Dr Dimitri Perrin is Lecturer in Data Science at Queensland University of Technology. His research interests are in developing new approaches to analyse, understand and optimise biomedical and social systems. His work therefore spans the areas of modelling and simulation, computational biology and bioin- formatics, and data analysis. Recent projects include gene editing (CRISPR), high-resolution biomedical imaging (CUBIC), and mobile apps for health research.
YVONNE DURANDET
Dr Yvonne Durandet is an Associate Professor at Swinburne University of Technology, School Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Product Design Engineering. She enjoys working on industry-linked projects for Teaching and Research, mainly on Manufacturing Processes and Technologies, Metals and Alloys. She received Industry Partners' and Commercialisation Awards from CAST CRC for achievements in laser assisted joining, surfacing and machining technologies. Prior to joining Swinburne, she led strategic projects at BHP on coatings and near net shape casting of steel and non-ferrous metals. Yvonne holds a PhD degree from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Engineering from SUPMECA, France.
MAXIME FRANCOIS
Maxime François is a Future Science Platform Postdoctoral Fellow at CSIRO Health & Biosecurity. His current research aims at developing biomarkers of genomic ageing and health in saliva. Maxime is an expert user of a panel of imaging equipment such as laser scanning cytometer, Metasystem Metafer, Nikon A1 confocal microscope and 3D Imaris imaging software.
KATE GOLEBIOWSKA
Kate Golebiowska 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.
