Our Team

Associate Professor Paul Maginn

Director

Professor Paul MaginnAssociate Professor Paul Maginn is the 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.

Clare Feenan

Senior Program Coordinator

Clare FeenanClare Feenan is the Senior Program Coordinator at the UWA Public Policy Institute and Program Manager for Pathways to Politics for Women UWA. She provides strategic planning, research, and project management for the Institute and is responsible for the Pathways program's curriculum and operations.

Before working at UWA, 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.

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

Tarryn Basden

Administration Officer

Tarryn Basden (she/they) is the Administration Officer at the UWA Public Policy Institute, as well as a seasoned Science Communicator. With a Master of Science Communication, they combine their knowledge, skills and passion to develop effective communication strategies that engage and inspire others. 

Tarryn began their career in conservation education, where they engaged with our next generation, promoting positive conservation attitudes. They then progressed into communication, research, and project management positions within government and private sectors locally and internationally. Their varied background includes experience in mentoring individual, organising large scale events, implementing nationwide communications strategies, entertaining crowds of hundreds with fun science facts, and even training birds in Brazil. 

With a passion for storytelling and a focus on making a difference, Tarryn is all about developing communication strategies that create connections, inspire intrigue, and promote positive behaviours.