About Us

What we do

Effective Altruism Australia exists to help your resources go further in helping others.

With the rise of evidence-driven interventions, we each have an unprecedented opportunity to have meaningful, positive impact on a large scale. We use research from multiple leading charity evaluators to rigorously assess the impact that a donation can have.

All of our partner charities have been thoroughly and independently investigated, and implement interventions supported by academic literature. Effective Altruism Australia’s partnerships enable Australian donors to make a bigger difference.

We also promote the broader ideas of effective altruism and support the community of compassionate Australians dedicated to making helping others a core part of their lives.

Our values

Global Empathy

We value all human lives equally, no matter when or where they’re born. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed or location.

Pragmatism

We are results-driven. We employ evidence and reason to determine the most effective ways to end poverty and improve lives, then act accordingly.

Humility

The world is complicated, and despite scientific and philosophical progress, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the best way to help. We’re constantly on the lookout for new evidence and better opportunities to do good.

Who we are

Effective Altruism Australia is run by a dedicated and talented team who collaborate online from various locations throughout Australia. The team belongs to a community of people who have made helping others a core part of their lives.

Our staff

Joanna Walter

Before joining EAA, Joanna spent many years working in leadership positions in various state and federal government departments. Previous to this, Joanna worked in the private sector, including at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, and in the medical and construction sectors. Joanna is a Chartered Accountant and has a keen interest in process establishment and improvement.

Suzanne Connelly

Suzanne has spent many years as an accountant across both the insurance and retail industries. She took time away from the corporate world to focus on her family. Suzanne’s most recent role has been as a bookkeeper for a business within the construction industry. She enjoys being able to transfer her knowledge across to her role within Effective Altruism Australia.

Manisha Lishman

Manisha is EAA’s Head of Community, Sydney. She has 10 years’ experience in Marketing and Commercial Strategy. She is excited to use skills gained from the UK and Australian corporate sectors as a force for good in community building. She is passionate about empowering people to improve the world and maximize their impact. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Economics and Philosophy from Bristol University.

Elliot Teperman

Elliot is EAA’s Head of Community, Australia. He is excited about tackling the world’s most pressing problems by supporting events, community building, and new projects. Most recently, he was a Program Manager at the Coller Foundation, working to reduce farm animal suffering. He has also researched the moral psychology of altruism and meat consumption at leading universities. Elliot holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology; Hons) and Law from Monash University.

Megan Goodwin

Prior to joining Effective Altruism Australia, Megan worked in public practice accounting for 10 years as a chartered accountant helping small to medium business clients. She is excited to have the opportunity to contribute the skills she has developed to an impactful and meaningful organisation at EAA. Megan is keenly interested in mental health and community building and volunteers at a local not for profit organisation working in this area. Living on the south coast of NSW Australia, Megan enjoys bushwalks and board games in her spare time.

Our volunteers

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is the Data and Analytics manager for Vesparum Capital. He leads the software and data science teams at Vesparum, overseeing full stack web development in Django / React. He is an Australian actuary (FIAA, CERA), and previously worked with Deloitte Consulting in Financial Services. Andrew also currently works as a full stack developer for Draftable Pty Ltd.

David Norrish

David is a data scientist and software developer who has previously worked in research fields spanning insecticide resistance, Alzheimer’s Disease and public health in Nepal. He holds Masters degrees in Science (Genetics) from Melbourne University and Computing (Artificial Intelligence) from the Australian National University. David assists with website development and content.

Our Board of Directors

Anthony Obeyesekere

Anthony works on economic policy advice and capacity building in developing countries. He has experience in the Australian, New Zealand, and Sri Lankan governments, and at the World Bank. He holds an MA in International and Development Economics, and BAs in Economics, Business, and Mathematics. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Community Directors Australia and has been part of the EAA team since 2015.

Greg Sadler

Greg Sadler is the Secretary and a Director of Effective Altruism Australia. Greg has over 10 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, including at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Attorney-General’s Department. Greg has led teams performing a range of legal advice, policy development and risk assessment functions. Greg holds a BA/LLB(Hons) from ANU and majored in philosophy.

Martin Gould

Martin works in philanthropy in Australia, with a focus on how evidence generation and use can be used to address disadvantage. He has worked for the Australian government on aid policy and economic development in the Pacific, and has led evaluations with not-for-profits in southeast Asia and southern Africa. Martin holds a BA (Honours) and Bachelor of Public Policy and Management (Honours) from University of Melbourne.

Michael Noetel

Michael Noetel is a Director and the Chairperson of Effective Altruism Australia. He’s an academic in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. He co-founded Ready Research, an Australian research team using behavioural science to work on some of the world’s most pressing problems. Michael holds a PhD (ACU), a Masters in Applied Psychology (UQ), and a Science degree (Hons, Advanced; USyd).

Chenoah Ellis

Chenoah Ellis is a senior lawyer specialising in compliance and risk management at a national plaintiff law firm where she provides strategic advice to senior leaders about legal professional obligations. Prior to her current role, Chenoah conducted high-profile litigation in the organic farming space. Chenoah holds a BA (Political Science) and BA in Law (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

Supporters

Effective Altruism Australia is deeply grateful towards the many people who have volunteered, offered pro bono support or included donating to EAA as part of their business. In particular, we’d like to thank:

Former Board of Directors

Luke Freeman

Luke Freeman is the executive director of Giving What We Can. He is also on the board of the Good Ancestors Project, a senior committee member of Effective Altruism Sydney, and has twice been the lead organiser of the EAGxAustralia conference. He has a strong background in technology and marketing having been the co-founder of Positly and on the team that built Sendle.

Dr. Catherine Low

Catherine is a Groups and Community Health Associate at the Center for Effective Altruism where she supports effective altruism groups around the world. Previously, she managed the Students for High-Impact Charity program and taught science, physics, and ethics at the high school level. She is also involved in EA community building across New Zealand and Australia. Catherine holds a PhD in physics from the University of Melbourne.

Dr. Brenton Mayer

Brenton also works at 80,000 Hours, where he tailors advice to individuals who are trying to have impactful careers. He previously practiced as a medical doctor in Cairns, QLD, and has worked with the charity evaluation organisation Giving What We Can

Peter McIntyre

Peter is the Director of Coaching at 80,000 Hours, a non-profit that gives career advice to people wanting to use their careers to have a large social impact. He has a background in events and sales management and studied medicine at the University of New South Wales.

Lina Calabria

Lina is a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Bellroy, a Melbourne based carry accessories company whose mission includes using business as a force for good. Prior to working at Bellroy, Lina has also held leadership positions (including CEO and executive director) at a number of organisations. Lina holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) from The University of Melbourne.

Dr. Ben Toner

Ben is a co-founder of Vesparum Capital, a capital markets advisory firm, and Draftable, an enterprise software startup. Ben holds a PhD in Physics from Caltech and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from The University of Melbourne.