ASfAR President
Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro
(she/her) on Wurundjeri Country (Naarm/ Melbourne, Victoria)

Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro is a Principal Research Fellow and Psychologist at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, where she serves as Research Director of Identification and Diagnosis and Clinical Director of the Victorian Early Assessment Clinic. Her research interests are in the early identification and diagnosis of autism from infancy to preschool, Autistic presentation in people assigned female at birth, and family health and well-being following a diagnosis. With 20 years’ experience as a psychologist and autism researcher, A/Prof Barbaro developed the world’s most effective autism identification tool for children aged 1-5 years (SACS), now used in 17 countries. She also led the creation of ASDetect, the first empirically based autism identification mobile app for 11- to 30-month-olds. A late-identified Autistic researcher-clinician, A/Prof Barbaro is committed to neuroaffirming, co-produced research, and practices that benefit the Autistic and autism communities. Her passion is translating research into practice, particularly for under-resourced and under-represented communities.

ASfAR Vice President
Associate Professor Iliana Magiati
(she/ her; on Whadjuk Noongar Country, Perth, Western Australia)

Iliana Magiati is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychological Science (SPS) at The University of Western Australia and the coordinator of the UWA Graduate Certificate in Autism Diagnosis. She was previously an Assistant and then Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on better understanding and supporting the mental health and well-being of autistic people, with a focus on the psychological and social experiences that hinder or promote wellbeing, such as masking/ camouflaging, autistic burnout, identity, diagnostic disclosure and others. Iliana is an Editor for the journal Autism: the International Journal of Research and Practice. She has served autism research in Australasia since 2015 in her role as ASfAR ExCo member, webmaster and social media coordinator and currently as Vice President.

ASfAR Secretary
Dr Diana Tan
(she/her, on Dharug Country; Gadigal/Sydney, New South Wales)

Dr Diana Tan obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Western Australia in 2018 and has been working as an autism researcher for over 12 years. In 2022, she was awarded a Macquarie University Research Fellowship (2022-2025) to understand Autistic people’s experiences of university in Australia, particularly their lived experiences of stigma and discrimination. Dr Tan has recently been awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) to understand how Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent students conceptualise university belonging, and how universities can foster an enabling environment for this marginalised student population. Dr Tan is also passionate about improving our research practices through increasing engagement – and sharing decision-making power – with neurodivergent people as active collaborators in all aspects of the research process.

ASfAR Treasurer
Associate Professor Kate Simpson
(she/her; on the land of the Yuggera, Turrbal, Yugarabul, Jagera and Yugambeh peoples; Brisbane, Queensland)

Assoc Professor Kate Simpson is the program director of the Griffith University postgraduate program in autism studies. She has worked with individuals with disabilities and their families for over 30 years as an occupational therapist, teacher, and researcher. Assoc Professor Simpson is passionate about supporting individuals on the autism to live a life that is meaningful for them. Her work is focused on identifying barriers and facilitators to participation and engagement in activities across home, school and the community.

ASfAR Executive Committee Members

Professor Dawn Adams
(she/her; on the land of the Yuggera, Turrbal, Yugarabul, Jagera and Yugambeh peoples; Brisbane, Queensland)

Dawn Adams is a Professor and the Director of the Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University. As well as being an academic, she is also a Clinical Psychologist. She has published over 100 research items and been awarded over AUD$5 million in research funding. Dawn uses both her clinical and research experience to inform her work in the area of anxiety, mental health and wellbeing in autistic individuals. To ensure her work is driven by, and has immediate relevance to, the autistic and autism communities, all of Dawn’s current research grants and projects are collaborations with community and/or clinical partners. Her work in this area has led her to co-develop and evaluate an autism-specific anxiety prevention/intervention for autistic preschoolers and an autism-specific intervention to enhance wellbeing in autistic children.

Dr Jessica Bayes
(she/ her; on the land of the Widjabul/ Wia-bal people of the Bundjalung Nation, New South Wales)

Jessica is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Southern Cross University (SCU). She completed her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and has been recognised with international research awards for this work. As an autistic autism researcher, she is passionate about advancing autism research through community led research projects which align with the needs and preferences of the autistic community. Her current research focus explores the relationship between lifestyle habits and behaviours on mental health and wellbeing in autistic adults. She is also exploring barriers to healthy eating and strategies to overcome these in autistic adults, to support overall health and wellbeing. Jessica also has strong ties to her local autism community and is currently the Deputy Chair and Research Officer for the Northern Rivers Autism Association (NRAA).

Dr Patrick Dwyer
(he/ they; on Wurundjeri Country (Naarm/ Melbourne, Victoria)

Patrick Dwyer is an autistic autism researcher from Canada and a research fellow at La Trobe University’s Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC). Patrick’s research is particularly focused on how autistic people experience and attend to the world around them, and especially on autistic experiences of sensory distress and discomfort. In addition, Patrick has a strong interest in important topical issues in the autism community, including the neurodiversity movement and acceptability of interventions/supports. Patrick has published over 45 peer-reviewed autism research publications, and also serves on the Australasian Autism Research Council, the International Society for Autism Research membership committee, and the editorial boards of Neurodiversity and Autism in Adulthood.

Dr Chris Edwards
(he/ him; on Turrbal Country, Brisbane, Queensland)

Chris (he/ him) is an Autistic Research Fellow at Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University, affiliated with the Inclusive Futures beacon. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Empower Autism and an editorial board member of Autism in Adulthood. With over nine years of experience supporting the Autistic community in various roles, Chris is deeply passionate about advancing research focused on autism in adulthood.

Dr Alexandra Johnston
(she/ her; on Meanjin Country; Brisbane, Queensland)

Dr Alexandra Johnston (PhD) is an Autistic Lecturer with the Autism Centre of Excellence, Griffith University. Alexandra is an accomplished educator with 30 years of experience in the areas of early childhood, wellbeing science and applied positive psychology. Alexandra is a board member with Inclusive Rainbow Voices, where her specific expertise in trauma-informed practice supports co-design research initiatives with community representatives from under-represented and multiply marginalised groups. She was a postdoctoral fellow on the E-QoL-ity project, investigating the QoL of Autistic children, including the development and trial of the Bloom parent-coaching program and continues to contribute to the project as Lecturer with ACE. Alexandra has presented her research at international conferences, where her focus spans contemporary theory and practice within Autistic wellbeing across the lifespan.

Professor Laurie McLay
(she/ her, Aotearoa New Zealand)

Laurie McLay is a Professor and Co-Director of the Child Well-being Research Institute at the University of Canterbury. She recently established and is Director of the Autism Research Centre – Aotearoa New Zealand. Laurie’s primary research focus is on the design, development, and evaluation of digitally delivered supports that promote the health and well-being of Autistic children and their caregivers. In recent years, this has included a strong focus on evaluating sleep supports. Laurie has been working in the field for over a decade. She has authored more than 55 journal articles and 16 book chapters and has secured over $6 million in external grant funding ($1.5 million as lead investigator) through a series of national and international research collaborations.

Dr Bec Poulsen
(they/them/her on Turrbal Country; Brisbane, Queensland)

Dr. Bec Poulsen is an AuDHD research fellow at Macquarie University, passionate about all things autism and auditory. They research auditory experiences of Autistic and neurodivergent people, as well as sensory processing more broadly. They are also involved in collaborations that include community co-production in research and addressing autism stigma. Bec has several published peer-reviewed research papers in the fields of autism, auditory neuroscience, and autism community involvement in research. They also serve as a peer reviewer for several autism journals and are a member of the editorial board for the journal Autism. Bec has presented at numerous conferences, including the Australasian Society for Autism Research, International Society for Autism Research, Australian Neuroscience Society, ITAKOM, and Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience. As well as being a current member of ASfAR’s executive committee, Bec is co-chair of the Australian Autism Research Council, a member of the International Society for Autism Research’s Autistic Researcher Committee, and they sit on the board of directors for Reframing Autism. Through their research and collaborations with others, they are committed to advancing the autism and auditory/sensory neuroscience fields while promoting greater acceptance and inclusion for neurodivergent people in academia and beyond.

ASfAR President Dr Jessica Paynter
(she/ her; on the land of the Yugambeh/Kombumerri peoples, Gold Coast).

A/Professor Jessica Paynter is an academic and clinical psychologist from the School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University, Gold Coast. She is the former president of the Australasian Society for Autism Research, a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, and represents ASfAR on the Australian Autism Alliance. Dr Paynter has worked with autistic people for almost two decades across research and practice. She has a particular interest in developing, evaluating, and sharing, evidence-based assessments and practices to support the goals and aspirations of autistic people and the people who support them. A/Professor Jessica Paynter has published more than 90 publications in this area and has received over $4 million in funding for her applied research with autistic people. Dr Paynter teaches developmental psychology and assessment across both undergraduate and postgraduate psychology. She is a board-approved supervisor and provides supervision to clinical psychologists in training and continues to see autistic clients in private practice.