Duane Hamacher is Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy in the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne. He holds a PhD in Indigenous Studies from Macquarie University in Sydney, with a degree in physics from the University Missouri and a Masters in astrophysics from UNSW. He is currently a CAPAS Fellow (2022-2023) at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies at Universität Heidelberg.
His research focuses on humanity’s interaction with the stars, with an emphasis on Australian Indigenous Astronomy. He also researches dark sky studies, archaeoastronomy, orality, and apocalyptic studies. His work in examines how scientific observations by First Nations people are embedded in oral tradition and passed down through time. Click here for his homepage. Dr. Hamacher is collaborating closely with Prof. Adone and team.
Dr C.F. Black is a consultant in the field of Space Law with a unique perspective, influenced by her expertise in Indigenous jurisprudence. Over the years, she has developed a strong rapport with Indigenous communities and tribes in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Pacific nations.
Dr Black’s interest in Indigenous cosmovisions led her to investigate different nations’ relationships with the stars. She is collaborating in research with Assoc. Prof Vermeylen of Strathclyde University, Law School, as well as writing a book with her that explores the intersection of space law and African and Indigenous legal thought. – ‘Space Law and Cosmovisions’.
Prior to becoming a consultant in space law Dr Black was an Associate Professor Adjunct at Griffith University, Australia where she gained her PhD in Law. She also served as a Visiting Indigenous Scholar in Residence at the University of Melbourne Law School in 2018, where she focused on issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence.She is writing a forthcoming book with Dr J. Mihal, Otago University Law School – ‘Narratives of AI’.
In addition to her scholarly work, Dr Black is a member of the Ensayos Nomadic Collective Research, an artists’ collective of researchers from Chile, Australia, and Norway. Her creative work builds on her experiences during the group’s summer residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art, New York in 2020.
Her previous books include: ‘The Land is the Source of the Law: A Dialogic Encounter with Indigenous Jurisprudence’ (Routledge, 2011) and ‘A Mosaic of Indigenous Legal Thought: Legendary Tales and Other Writings’ (Routledge, 2017).
Dr Black is collaborating closely with Professor Adone and team.
