Mel Marshall is an archaeologist, GIS technician and researcher based at the Nulungu Research Institute, the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA), Broome Campus. With a focus on rock art research, conservation and management, she has worked extensively across northern Australia for more than 20 years with Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger teams, specialising in cultural heritage management. This culminated in her successful completion of her doctoral research through the Australian National University (ANU) in 2020, investigating current rock art conservation and management techniques through a decolonising lens as applied in the north of the country. She holds a Masters in Applied Science (GIS) where she investigated the intra-site spatial analysis of a rock art site, a Grad Dip in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Archaeology).

Mel has strong ties to the West Kimberley region, where she has worked as an archaeological and GIS consultant for more than 20 years. Working with peak Indigenous bodies such as the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) and the Kimberley Land Council (KLC), as well as numerous Working on Country ranger groups and smaller Aboriginal corporations, she has supported a number of community-based research activities and projects. She continues to work extensively in Kakadu National Park and western Arnhem Land, supporting rock art research activities. She maintains strong ties to the rock art research centres around Australia at both Griffith University and UWA.

Community Engagement:

Mel is life member of the Australian Rock Art Association and co-chair of the Australian National Committee for Archaeology Teaching and Learning (ANCATL) for the Australian Archaeological Association since 2015. She also holds memberships with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Incorporated (AACAI), the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM), the International Institute of Conservation (IIC), the World Archaeological Congress (WAC) and Australia ICOMOS. She also supports a number of local Aboriginal Corporations in various community development, cultural maintenance and language revitalisation contexts such as Bidan AC and Nyikina Incorporated.