Our Team

Associate Professor Paul Maginn

Associate Professor Paul Maginn is the Interim Director of the UWA Public Policy Institute and co-ordinator of the Administration and Governance stream of the Masters of Public Policy at UWA.

Paul is an urban planner/geographer and has been at UWA since February 2007. He previously held positions at the University of South Australia and Edith Cowan University, having migrated to Australia in 2003.

He has co-edited a number of books, his latest—Suburbia in the 21st Century: From Dreamscape to Nightmare? alongside Professor Katrin Anacker (George Mason University, USA)—published in 2022 by Routledge. Paul is also Editor-in-Chief of Urban Policy and Research.

Miriam Fisher

Miriam Fisher is the Communications and Engagement Coordinator at the UWA Public Policy Institute, heading its strategy to bridge the gap between academic research and policymakers to meet government, public and business needs in the Indian Ocean Region.

A former Senior Journalist, Miriam has worked in newsrooms in Australia, India and Nepal covering diverse topics ranging from tuberculosis, refugee and eye camps through to mountaineering, music and mateship. Among her other work abroad, Miriam authored a book for the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations, campaigned for women journalists’ rights, consulted for I/NGOs and United Nations agencies and taught English to impoverished children living in tsunami-ravaged villages.

She holds a Master of International Relations from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts (English and Psychology) from The University of Western Australia.

Clare Feenan

Clare Feenan is the Executive Officer of the UWA Public Policy Institute. She provides strategic planning, research, and project management for the Institute and is responsible for engaging with internal and external partners.

Before academia, Clare worked in operations and analytics in the private sector. In previous managerial roles in business and in research she led large teams, implemented change, and reported on theoretical and empirical analysis. Her research outputs relate to human services and are intended to provide tools for advocacy and policy change by providing insight to decision makers.

Currently undertaking her Master of Economics at The University of Western Australia, Clare holds a Bachelor of Science (Statistics) from RMIT University and a Postgraduate Certificate of Business (Economics and Econometrics) from Monash University.