Meet our Team
Chief Invesigators
Venerable Juewei directs Nan Tien Institute’s Humanistic Buddhism Centre and heads programs in Applied Buddhist Studies. With a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and diverse qualifications, her research spans Humanistic Buddhism, Buddhist acculturation, and modern Buddhist issues. Juewei also leads various research and engagement projects and contributes actively to the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order internationally.
Anna Halafoff, Associate Professor(Sociology) at Deakin University’s. She is also a Research Associate at Monash University’s UNESCO Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations. Her research spans religious diversity, interreligious relations, youth and religion, preventing extremism, religious education, Buddhism and gender, and Buddhism in Australia.
Kim Lam is a Sociologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. She has a background in Sociology of Religion, Buddhist Studies and Youth Studies. Currently she co-leads a number of projects relating to youth digital participation, youth co-research and Buddhism in Australia. Kim is a Steering Committee Member of the American Academy of Religion ‘Buddhism in the West’ and ‘Buddhist Critical Constructive Reflection’ Units. Her PhD (Monash University) investigated religious socialisation, belonging, participation and identity among young Buddhists in Australia.
Cristina Rocha of Western Sydney University leads their Religion & Society Research Cluster. A former Paris Institute for Advanced Study fellow, she co-edits “Journal of Global Buddhism” and the “Religion in the Americas” series, Cristina previously served as President of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion.
Sue Smith, a Senior Lecturer in the College of Education, advocates for integrating compassion and wisdom across education. Her approach prioritizes equity and learning from diverse communities. She delves into spirituality, drawing from Buddhist and Indigenous knowledge, and explores meditation’s broad spectrum to enhance individual and community wellbeing.
Research team
Sioh-Yang Tan, a research assistant at Nan Tien Institute Australia’s Humanistic Buddhism Centre, focuses on Humanistic Buddhism, transnational Buddhist organizations, and modern Buddhist teachings’ applications.
Ruth Fitzpatrick has published and worked as a Research Fellow for over a decade on themes related to contemporary religion and spirituality; with specific attention on Australian and global Buddhism, conspirituality, Australian Gen Zers, alternative health, death and dying, and social engagement. Her PhD explored perceptions of socially engaged Buddhism among Australian Buddhists, highlighting how significant cultural influences and assumptions about religion were to how contemporary Australians presented the relationship between Buddhism and social engagement.
Videography
Freeman Trebilcock, with a film and video production background, possesses expertise in cinematography, editing, design, and animation. He is also serving as Senior Video Producer for the State Government of Victoria’s Major Transport Infrastructure Authority.
Project Advisory Committee
The Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan OAM has been the Abbot of Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook, Melbourne, Australia since 1997. He has been practising and teaching Pure Land Mahayana Buddhism for many years. In 2002, he was awarded a Centenary medal for his service to the community. In 2008, Venerable Phuoc Tan was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in recognition of his services to the community, an honour he promptly shared with the community.
Venerable Bhikkhuni Bodhicitta Theri is an experienced meditation teacher with over 35 years of practice. Originally from Sri Lanka, her journey from secular studies in Biomedicine in Australia to a life of full-time commitment to spiritual practice was catalyzed by a profound shift in perspective towards the Dhamma. Her primary dedication lies in embodying and sharing the teachings of the Buddha, particularly through cultivating Bodhicitta, with a focus on personal transformation and contributing to societal well-being. She founded the Melbourne Nisala Arana Meditation Centre as well as the Nisala Arana Nuns Monastery and Retreat Centre in Sri Lanka, driven by her aspiration to alleviate emotional afflictions and guide others towards a higher state of consciousness free from suffering.
Bhante Sujato is an Australian Theravada Buddhist monk ordained into the Thai forest lineage of Ajahn Chah. He left a career as a musician to become a Buddhist monk in 1994. He founded Santi Forest Monastery in New South Wales in 2003. In 2005, along with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly, Bhante Sujato co-founded the Buddhist website SuttaCentral, a website for early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels. Bhante Sujato lives at Lokanta Vihara, the “Monastery at the End of the World” on the lands of the traditional owners, the Burramattagal people of the Darug nation, in Harris Park, Sydney. Bhante is the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations (APRO) Representative of the Australian Sangha Association (ASA).
Venerable Thubten Chökyi is the Chair of the Australian Sangha Association (ASA, 2024-2025). Ordained in 2006 by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Venerable Chökyi has served as the resident teacher of Hayagriva Buddhist Centre, Perth, Western Australia since October 2021. Venerable Chökyi has also held several senior posts at the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) centres in Australia and international positions within the FPMT.
Ven Lozang Tsultrim (Carla Pearse) was ordained in 2009, Chenrezig Institute in Australia has been her main base and she has been a student there for 26 years. She has a Bachelor of Counselling, a Bachelor of Social Science (Social Policy), and Master of International Studies (Peace and Conflict Resolution). She is currently living in Brisbane and working at Karuna Hospice as a Spiritual Program Coordinator and Counsellor. Before returning to Brisbane in 2019, she has spent several years in India and Nepal doing retreat, listening to different teachers across the Tibetan Buddhist lineages and visiting many different pilgrimage sites.
Tyson Yunkaporta belongs to the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland. Tyson is an Aboriginal scholar, founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab (NIKERI) and Senior Lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, and author of Sand Talk. His work focuses on applying Indigenous methods of inquiry to resolve complex issues and explore global crises.
Joshua Waters is a K/Gamilaroi man from North West NSW. He is a current PhD student and Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University. Joshua’s research explores the dimensions of First Nations Spiritual protection, wellbeing and harm, and is partly funded by the Australia Research Council ‘Australian Spirituality’ project at Deakin. Joshua is also an Associate of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Lab within NIKERI which specialises in using land-based pedagogical approaches to inform research methodology, theory development and solution-finding to global complex challenges and socio-political problems
Diana Cousens is the President of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils and the Vice President of the Buddhist Council of Victoria. A Tibetologist from Melbourne, Australia, Diana holds a PhD in Himalayan Studies. She publishes on the Tibetan treasure tradition and Engaged Buddhism and is active in interfaith dialogue. She is the founding President of Sakyadhita Australia. Diana was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the Buddhist community. She works as a marriage and funeral celebrant.
Ann Gleig is an Associate Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. Her research specialization is Buddhism in America, and she is the author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity (Yale University Press, 2019). She is an editor for the Journal of Global Buddhism. Her research interests include Asian religions, Asian religions in America, Religion and Psychoanalysis, Religion, Gender, and Sexuality.
Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist working in the areas of death, religion, and material culture. Her research is focused processes of disposal and divestment, in regard to both the human dead and material artefacts. A recent project of Dr Gould is the Dying ‘Buddhish’ in Australia project, which examines the current influence and future potential of Buddhist contemplative practice in mainstream end-of-life and death care.
Tina Ng is the founder and president of Metta Centre, New South Wales, which provides free services to the community to enhance wellness, as well as the founder and principal solicitor of her firm, Metta Legal. Tina is an admitted solicitor on both the Supreme Court of NSW roll and the High Court registry. She is also an accredited mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) and runs her mediation firm called Metta Resolution.
Gawaine is chair of the Buddhist Council of NSW and is the past Chair of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils. He has practised in the Insight / Western / Secular Buddhist traditions for the past 20 years and is a recognised teacher within the Insight tradition. Before his retirement he was a Director of the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity at the University of New South Wales. He is on the Board of Nan Tien Institute and has done occasional teaching within the Humanistic Buddhist program.