Project Director and Community Engagement Coordinator, Associate Professor Dr Reena Tiwari: is Fellow of the Curtin Academy. Reena has been extensively involved in community based participatory projects both in practice and through her research at Curtin. As an architect and urban designer she is a professional advisor to a broader academic community and industry and has successfully worked with impoverished and vulnerable communities of slum dwellers, homeless youth and women. As Project Director, Reena’s role is to provide strategic direction to the Project and coordinate between different stakeholders. 

Contact: r.tiwari@curtin.edu.au

 

Planning Coordinator and Logistics i/c, Jake Schapper: works in both academia and private practice, mainly in the areas of urban design, transport planning and community engagement. He has been involved in designing and running of 12 community forums in Perth that focused on the community’s aspirations for public transport. In the last few years of his involvement in Lakhnu Project, he has developed an interest in the way ethnic minority communities and individuals engage with and influence the city. Jake has been involved in taking and organizing study tours and field trips both domestic and international and is the Logistics Director for this Project.

Contact: j.schapper@curtin.edu.au

 

Heritage and Cultural Coordinator, Professor John Stephens: is a past architectural professional of 15 years’ experience. He lectures and researches in the School of Built Environment at Curtin. His areas of expertise include war commemoration, architectural history and cultural heritage, having produced over 17 heritage reports over his career. John has been actively involved in the Lakhnu Rural Development Project since 2011. John’s role has been to facilitate the gathering of data on infrastructure and living conditions in the village through surveys and workshops with villagers and provide expert advice on the use and restoration of old structures in the village. 

Contact: John.stephens@curtin.edu.au

 

Indoor Environment and Health Coordinator, Associate Professor Dianne Smith: is an academic, architect and interior designer who has had experience in community based work since the 1990s. Projects have included community consultative processes within Qld as well as working with specific community groups to assist in designing contextualised briefs for facilities in both Qld and WA. More recently she has been a member of the India project group in Lakhnu. She is the editor and author of two books pertaining to this area-- Social Responsibility and Interior Architecture: From the Inside (2014) and M2 (2014). 

Contact: Dianne.smith@curtin.edu.au

 

Other Staff: Professor Dave Hedgecock, Ms. Priya Metcalfe, Graduate Architect Michael Philips as well as others from Curtin have participated in previous years and continue to offer support.