ProfessorGaye Sculthorpe

I am a palawa woman from Tasmania with qualifications in history and
anthropology (Australian National University) and Museum Studies (University
of Sydney). In 1997 I was awarded a PhD from La Trobe University
in the Area of Aboriginal Studies, School of Archaeology. My thesis focused
on change and innovation in wood carving (punu) in the central and western
deserts of Australia.

Over my museum career, I have worked in local, state, national and
international museums: Burke Memorial Museum, Beechworth; Museums Victoria,
Melbourne, National Museum of Australia, Canberra; and the British Museum
(2013-2022) where I was curator and section head of Oceania, in the
Department of the Africa, Oceania and the Americas. For almost ten years I
worked as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal, before moving to
work in London.

In August 2022, I joined Deakin University as Professor, Cultural
Heritage and Museum Studies.