About Us
The ARC is a dynamic agency with a dedicated, committed and talented cohort of people engaging in responsibilities to deliver policy and programs that advance Australian research and innovation globally and benefit the community.
On this page, you will find links to the profiles of senior management personnel and an overview of our corporate structure.
The Executive Directors play an important role in supporting the ARC CEO. They provide strategic policy and operational advice, along with providing specific funding scheme and discipline expertise. They also perform regular outreach with the higher education and research sector across Australia. They are drawn from academia to ensure the ARC has strong expertise from the sector we support.
The ARC convenes various short and long term committees to assist the Chief Executive Officer with governing the ARC. They assist with the administering of the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) and Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).
ARC Leadership Group

Ms Judi Zielke PSM
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Richard Johnson
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Professor Christina Twomey
Chief Research Officer
Dr Mel Southwell-Lee
Branch Manager (Research Policy)
Ms Claire Forsyth
Branch Manager (Research Evaluation and Data)
Ms Julija Deleva
Branch Manager (Corporate Services)
Ms Jessica Winnall
Branch Manager (Strategy and Communications)
Dr Mary Kelly
Branch Manager (Programs)Mr Peter Conn
Chief Information Officer
Professor Anika Gauja
Executive Director, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Professor Alison Ross
Executive Director, Humanities and Creative Arts