Myfany Turpin

Associate Professor Myfany Turpin is an Associate Dean of Indigenous Strategy and Services at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. Her research focuses on ethnomusicology, linguistics, and ethnobiology, with a particular emphasis on Central Australian Indigenous cultures. She collaborates extensively with Indigenous communities to document and revitalize endangered languages and performance traditions.

Education & Research:

• PhD in Musicology (2005)
• Specialization in Kaytetye and Warlpiri language documentation
• Leader of ARC-funded projects investigating dingo lexicon and traveling songs

Research Interests:

Turpin explores intersections between language and music, including poetic meter in Aboriginal song-poetry and biocultural knowledge embedded in ceremonial practices. She develops innovative tools like the Kaytetyemoji app to support language revitalization.

Grants & Collaborations:

• ARC Discovery Project (2025-2028): Dingo Lingo
• ARC Indigenous Discovery Project (2024-2029): Recirculating Travelling Songs
• Modularised Cultural Heritage Archives (2022-2024)

Awards:

Received Honorable Mention from International Council for Traditional Music (2021) for work on Warlpiri seed ceremonies.

Labs & Teams:

Co-director of Sydney Southeast Asia Centre and member of Charles Perkins Centre. Collaborates with Batchelor Institute and Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.