Anne Poelina

Dr. Anne Poelina is a Nyikina Warrwa Traditional Owner and guardian of the Mardoowarra (Lower Fitzroy River) in Western Australia. She serves as Managing Director of Madjulla Inc., Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, and Deputy Chair of the Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation. Academically, she holds positions as Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame's Nulungu Research Institute and Adjunct Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University.

Her educational background includes:

• Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
• Master of Education
• Master of Arts in Indigenous Social Policy
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Doctor of Health Science

Anne's four-decade career integrates Indigenous knowledge systems with biophysical and social sciences through transdisciplinary approaches. Her research centers on Indigenous First Law, planetary health, and rights of nature, emphasizing cultural solutions for environmental stewardship. She develops brokerage models connecting academic, governmental, business, and community partners to advance planetary wellbeing through earth-centered governance frameworks.

Her notable awards include:

• Peter Cullen Fellow (2011)
• Laureate Women’s World Summit Foundation (Geneva) (2017)

As a policy leader, Anne has shaped Indigenous education and research protocols across government, university, and community sectors. Her work with the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council champions regional citizen governance to reimagine sustainable futures, grounded in her lived experiences growing up along the Fitzroy River wilderness.