2025 SCoE Advisory Committee
Committee Role
STEM Centre of Excellence education programs are co-created with schools, industry and community stakeholders, whose input elevates our students’ confidence, capacity, opportunity, and creativity in STEM. The 2025 SCoE Advisory Committee consists of a dynamic group of passionate and talented professionals who strongly believe that our programs should reflect the interests and needs of the communities we work with and integrate the skills that students need for a rapidly changing world. To achieve this, we rely on the trusted guidance of academics, educators, industry partners and the cultural sector to shape the future direction of education content and industry pathway programs, providing diverse perspectives and networks.
Committee Members
Learn more about the group of people who will be providing advice and working with us.
Andrew Arney
Executive Principal
Glenroy College
Andrew began his career as an Instrumental Music teacher in the State, Catholic and Independent systems while studying Saxophone at the Conservatorium of music.
He returned to do his teaching degree in 2002, beginning his career as a classroom music and drama teacher at Gladstone Park Secondary College. In his 14 years at Gladstone Park, Andrew built the music program from 4 students to 280, overseeing what became a thriving music and drama Department. Additionally, he took on roles in Performance and Development, Data and Assessment, Student Leadership, Domain Leadership and Senior Sub-School Leader.
After his appointment as Assistant Principal of Curriculum Innovation at Melbourne Girls College in 2016, he was given the privilege of taking on the role of Acting Principal of the college during the second year of Covid, guiding a weary community through the toughest of times. In 2022 he was seconded to the role of Acting Principal at Macleod College, a specialist music academy in the northern suburbs, before being appointed to his current role of Executive Principal at Glenroy College.
Matt Coffey
Program Manager
Deadly Science
Matt is a proud Wiradjuri man with a strong passion for education and science engagement.
He brings experience in designing and delivering innovative educational programs for secondary students, including his previous work at Science Gallery Melbourne at the University of Melbourne.
Currently, Matt manages the WEHI DeadlyScience Pathways Program, a joint initiative between WEHI and DeadlyScience, where he works across both organisations to coordinate opportunities that support and inspire the next generation of First Nations scientists.
Kathryn Coleman
Associate Professor, Visual Arts and Design Education at the Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne.
Associate Professor Kathryn Coleman, PhD is an artist-researcher-teacher. Her research explores creative practices, practices of identity, knowledge as practice, and digital practices in post-digital and AI-mediated spaces.
As co-director of SWISP Lab and President of Art Education Australia, Kathryn leads interdisciplinary, art-based inquiries into Land-technology-human relations and small data storying with young people, often in collaboration with cultural institutions like Science Gallery International. Her praxis as an a/r/tographer is grounded in the belief that artist-researcher-teachers explore knowing as a living inquiry; chasing ideas and running with concepts until they open new spaces of (im)possibility.
With a commitment to truth, justice, equity, and care, Kate works across sectors to reimagine visual arts and design education futures that promote creative pedagogies to transform curriculum through relational, place-based, and speculative approaches.
Lauren Gaylard
Middle Years Campus Principal Niddrie & East Keilor Campuses Essendon Keilor College
Lauren is the Middle Years Campus Principal at Essendon Keilor College, overseeing the educational experience for students from Years 7-9 across two campuses of the school.
Essendon Keilor College prides themselves on their ability to form strong community partnerships with a range of organisations including Science Gallery/SCoE, leveraging these to extend and enhance learning for our students. For Lauren, Middle Years education is all about exploring opportunities for students to find their passions both inside and outside of the classroom that will set them up on a pathway of future success.
Lauren has a passion for Teaching & Learning as well as Curriculum Development, holding leadership positions in these areas prior to moving into her current principal role.
Lauren is a trained Physical Education and Science teacher who loved teaching through an experiential model where learning was filled with hands on experiences that students could readily connect to.
Riley Hodgson
Business Analyst
BASF
Riley is a GROW Graduate at BASF with a Bachelor of Science Global Challenges degree major in Chemistry. Throughout her degree she enjoyed the opportunity to innovate, think out of the box and problem solve. Engaging in discussions about other’s passions and goals and especially figuring out the ‘why’ to people’s work is what motivates her.
The GROW Graduate program at BASF is a highly dynamic rotational program, which has given Riley exposure and working experience across many areas of the chemical industry including agriculture, coatings, mining and more.
Martyn Kreider
Senior Partnership Officer Innovation and Enterprise Research, Innovation and Commercialization
Melbourne Connect
Martyn is the Senior Partnership Officer in the Innovation Precincts team at the University of Melbourne.
Based at Melbourne Connect, he works to connect the University's research and teaching experts with start-ups, industry and NGOs to deliver real impact in Melbourne and across Australia.
Throughout his career at the University, Martyn has deeply contributed to the University's global engagement and strategy by launching joint programs and forming partnerships with leading universities across the world, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Outside of the office, you'll find Martyn on the ski slopes during winter, and in his garden or tennis court in warmer times.
Emma Rijs
Corporate Affairs Manager
BASF
A communications professional with a passion for corporate storytelling, Emma Rijs has over a decade of experience working in various media and communications roles in Australia and abroad. As the Corporate Affairs Manager for BASF Australia and New Zealand, Emma is responsible for stakeholder relations, reputation management, employee communication and community engagement.
Emma holds a Bachelor of Professional Communication from RMIT University, Melbourne and a Masters in Intercultural Communication from Gothenburg University, Sweden.
Justin Wilkey
Lecturer (Indigenous Education) Coordinator, First Nations in Education Coordinator, Professional Certificate in Indigenous Research, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
Justin Wilkey is a Ngarrindjeri man and PhD candidate, Lecturer (Indigenous Education) and Research Fellow at Ngarrngga within the Faculty of Education.
Justin’s research interests focus on the intersection of education, wellbeing and social justice for Indigenous peoples.
His career in teaching and journalism has solidified his passion for enhancing the lives of Indigenous peoples through the power of education.