Team

Jake is a public health research professional currently working with the Institute for Health Research at the University of Notre Dame. He has a strong passion for practical research that seeks to address issues of social and health inequity throughout Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. He holds a Master of Public Health with a specialisation in infectious disease control from the University of New South Wales.

Jake’s keen interest in Indonesia first began in 2016 when he spent a semester abroad studying at Gadjah Mada University during his undergraduate degree. After graduation, he spent six months backpacking across Indonesia and has been highly active in the Australia-Indonesia space ever since, including as a delegate in the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program.

Jake also has a background in international aid and development, with much of his previous work focusing on the implementation and evaluation of small-scale aid and development projects in Nusa Tenggara Timur and Sulawesi.

Desrina is a public health practitioner currently employed at DAI, an international development organisation. She is working on the Fleming Fund project to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Indonesia by strengthening of the multisectoral One Health AMR, AMU and AMC surveillance and strengthening of the AMR, AMU and AMC surveillance in humans, animal and aquaculture health.

Desrina received her Master of Public Health (MPH) with majors in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Melbourne in 2017. She developed a fondness for Australia while studying in Melbourne and has since become interested in the Australia-Indonesia space. Desrina is passionate about public health, infectious diseases, and a One Health approach. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and watching television series or movies.

Aaron is a Law Graduate at Arnold Bloch Leibler in Melbourne and works in the competition and intellectual property team. He was previously the recipient of the DFAT New Colombo Plan scholarship and undertook studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta. Aaron also previously interned at InvestmentNSW in Singapore and at the Kimberley Community Legal Service in Broome.

Aaron has developed a deep interest in Australia-Indonesia relations since first starting Indonesian language studies at ANU in 2019. He hopes to continue working closely with Indonesia throughout  his career.

Kirby Taylor

Partnership and Fundrising Manager

Kirby is currently a Political Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Kirby has consistently worked on the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship during her employment at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In addition, she has an interest in education and people-to-people links, drawing on her significant experience working for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and managing international scholarship programs and student cohorts at Swinburne University and at the ANU – including for flagship programs such as Australia Awards and the New Colombo Plan.

Kirby has a long affiliation with Indonesia having studied Bahasa Indonesia since secondary school. She was an active volunteer with the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association for many years and has previously completed internships in Jakarta at both the Australian Embassy and the United Nations Information Centre. Kirby also completed a semester of study at Universitas Gadjah Mada in 2015 as part of the ACICIS Flexible Language Immersion Program, supported by a Victorian Government Hamer Scholarship.

Hammad Shahin

Partnership and Fundraising Officer

 Hammad, a Bachelor of Laws/International Relations student at La Trobe University, is currently living and studying in Yogyakarta, as part of his 2021 New Colombo Plan Scholarship journey. His fascination with Indonesia was ignited after taking an elective course early in his degree, leading him to pursue a Diploma of Languages (Indonesian). Hammad is now undertaking the ACICIS International Relations Program at Gadjah Mada University and honing his Indonesian language skills at Wisma Bahasa.

Passionate about photography and editing, Hammad secured a Social Media Ambassador role with ACICIS, where he captures and shares Indonesia’s dynamic culture and landscapes. On his Instagram, he regularly posts about life in Indonesia using his trusty Ricoh GR IIIx, creating a vivid catalogue of his time there. His ongoing experience in Indonesia is deepening his appreciation for the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship and the warmth and hospitality of Indonesians.

Hammad is committed to using his NCP journey to inspire fellow Australians to explore Indonesian language study throughout formal schooling, university and beyond, playing his part in reversing the decline of Indonesian language enrolment in Australia. In his spare time, he enjoys indulging in audiobooks, hitting the gym, journaling, photography and savouring seafood (especially salt and pepper calamari). With so many arcs in Hammad’s Indonesian odyssey yet to unfold, join him to see whether the lure of seafood nasi goreng will prevent him from coming back to Australia for good!

Rivana Amelia

Partnership and Fundraising Officer

Rivana is a DAAD fellow currently pursuing a master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies at Goethe Universität Frankfurt in Germany. Her academic journey has been deeply enriched by my participation in the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP), where she forged lasting connections and developed a profound appreciation for the Australia-Indonesia community. The special memories and experiences from AIYEP have been pivotal in shaping her intercultural understanding and commitment to fostering bilateral relations. In 2021, Rivana decided to join the CAUSINDY team to deepen her engagement with the community and contribute to its mission. Being part of CAUSINDY has provided her with a unique platform to collaborate with like-minded individuals, learn from diverse perspectives, and grow both personally and professionally.

Agung Kurniawan

Partnership and Fundraising Officer

Agung has been working for the Australian Government since late 2018. He now works in consular and aid program at the Australian Consulate in eastern Indonesia, where he engages closely with stakeholders from various levels: government, NGOs and local communities.

Holding a degree in International Economics, Agung graduated from Université de Toulouse in France, with his last year enrolled at the University of Birmingham in the UK under the Erasmus Scholarship and Exchange Program. Agung is a fluent French speaker, and is very fond of Japanese animanga in his personal life.

Evelynd

Communications Lead

Evelynd has been with the CAUSINDY team since 2017. She is a lecturer at Padang State University, where she spearheaded the development of the communication science study program.

Previously, Evelynd worked at the Australia-Indonesia Centre as a Digital Content Producer. She is also involved in the research-to-policy team in the field of Young People, Education and Skills as part of the Partnership of Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) program. Her experience as an academic began with teaching at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, where she specialised in journalism, television and film studies.

Evelynd holds a Masters in Communication and Media Studies from Monash University. While in Melbourne, she did an internship at the ABC in its international development division, and sought professional experience in digital media. Being actively involved in bilateral organisations, Evelynd has also served as President of AIYA West Java. Currently she is developing Minang Connect, an online activism platform for youth and local communities in West Sumatra, which reflects her passion to connect people via education, entrepreneurship, and social and cultural activities to have a positive impact on society.

Reno Athallah

Website & Technology Officer

Reno was graduated from Universitas Gadjah Mada, majoring in Geological Engineering. Even though he graduated from Earth Science background, he manages to pivot succesfully and nowadays work in a goverment-owned financial institution. He has an interest to climate finance and love to learn more about financial technology latest development.

Reno’s earliest engagement with CAUSINDY take place on 2021, when he was chosen as a mentee in the PATHWAYS mentoring program. On that time, he got a chance to be mentored by an extraordinary civil servant with lots of international exposure especially in terms of regional development.

Nisa Ashila Ghaisani

Communications Manager

Shila has a Master of Letters Degree in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) from Glasgow School of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Bandung Institute of Technology. Owing to her experience in the arts and creative industries, Shila was previously employed by British Council Indonesia and now works for the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara.

Natasha Mayandra Theresa

Digital Content Producer

Natasha is a digital communications enthusiast with years of experience working for multinational companies, government bodies, and international non-profit organizations.

She provides creative and effective visual solutions for various communication projects, ensuring policies, programs, and initiatives are accurately communicated to the public. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Global Media Communications in the University of Melbourne.