Piers spoke at the end of the year about our achievements for 2021, new starters and how we have been supporting our team. I wanted to introduce you to a few more of that team, particularly those from our staff publications page. With representation from our Software Development, Data Science, Project Management and Business Analyst teams it is an insight into the breadth and depth of knowledge found within our team.

Kehan Harman – Technical Architect 

Kehan likes coffee and collections. Specifically herbarium collections. Prior to coming to work for us at Gaia Resources, Kehan worked on database and software solutions within the biodiversity and natural history domains, as well as the digitisation of herbarium collections. He has a wealth of specialised knowledge to share with some of our newer team members with regards to the open source collections management software that we have implemented and customised for our clients, and we are forever seeking ways to provide him with more opportunities to mentor within the team. Kehan strives for robust, flexible solutions to project work which can be contributed back upstream to continually improve the open source solutions products we use (particularly his contributions to CollectiveAccess). He is a passionate advocate for the environment and his colleagues and has recently become a Team Lead for a group of the Software Developers at Gaia Resources.

Kehan has been with Gaia Resources for over a decade, and has spent that time on a variety of projects within the collections space and has a breadth of experience to bring to museums and taxonomy solutions. He is also passionate about biodiversity and conservation in a changing world and has worked in conservation and the safari industry in Southern Africa.

Dr Mieke Strong (nee Burger) – Consulting Scientist/Business Analyst

With a Ph.D. in Marine Parasitology (Thesis: “Kudoid parasites: species definition and specificity”), post-doctoral experience at the Western Australian Museum, and environmental consulting, Mieke brings in-depth and applied knowledge of taxonomic management and museum collections to her project work. She has also more recently completed further education at RMIT online in Business Analytics, focusing on data analysis using tools such as Python. Her work since joining Gaia Resources in 2016 has brought her skills to bear primarily on biodiversity and collections projects, where her ability to find practical solutions to complex data and workflow challenges has been greatly appreciated by both her colleagues and the clients she has worked with.

In addition to her research, Mieke has also published a blog for us at Gaia Resources discussing the challenges of balancing work and parenting, particularly with regards to remote work. Aside from occasional introductions to the latest block-construction-toys-that-are-totally-not-trademarked build, and having personally worked with Mieke on many projects, I have to say that I am always in awe of the grace with which she balances, to my mind, all of the things.

Meg Travers – Business Analyst

Meg’s professional work prior to her joining Gaia Resources was primarily in Digital Archives and Collections Management, but she is also an avid collector and builder of electronic musical instruments, and is passionate about exploring electronic music and digital humanities. She is also one of only two people in the world who plays the Trautonium, an electronic instrument from the 1920s, and is slowly tackling a PhD on the instrument and its preservation.

With our strong presence in Archives and Collections within Australia, it is marvellous to have such an ardent and experienced team member working on the delivery of projects, particularly with the growing focus on digital preservation in these areas. She is outcomes-focused, and always wants to provide clients with the best option for their organisation. Her eclectic knowledge and irrepressible sense of humour has also been greatly appreciated at team events.

Gill White – Project Management Team Lead

Despite being unfortunately included at the end of a lot of lists when alphabetically ordered, Gill has a wealth of experience in environmental roles within State government as an Environment Officer and Spatial Analyst. She has delivered projects across a range of our subject areas, but has been able to bring to bear her knowledge of environmental science and reporting to the delivery of many solutions within our Environmental pillar.

Assessing the condition of the Donnelly River in the South-West of Western Australia

Working with Gill I am always amazed at her attention to detail and her cheerful disposition, but her track record in leading projects to delivery is equally as impressive. Internally at Gaia Resources, Gill also applies herself to the role of Quality Manager on our International Standards Organisation (ISO) team, ensuring we deliver to and maintain our ISO9001 and ISO27001 certification. I have worked with Gill on relatively few projects in my own time at Gaia Resources, but I can say with certainty she brings this drive for quality to the delivery of each one. 

If you would like the benefits of specialised experience our team can bring to your next technology solution, get in touch with us via email or start a conversation with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Sophie