Jo McDonald

Professor Jo McDonald is the Director of the Centre for Rock Art Research + Management at UWA.

Jo completed an ARC Future Fellowship studying rock art, social and environmental change in the Western Desert of Australia and the Great Basin in the USA (2012-2016) and since then has undertaken a number of collaborative projects funded by the ARC, with Aboriginal community and industry partners.

Prior to taking up her role as Director of CRAR+M, Jo was Director of a leading cultural heritage practice based in Sydney. She has more than 40 years of experience managing Indigenous archaeology and has been researching rock art throughout this time. Over the past 25 years most of her rock art research has been undertaken in Western Australia: along the Canning Stock Route, across the Pilbara and on Murujuga (Dampier Archipelago). These projects have all partnered collaboratively with host Aboriginal communities.

Jo is currently Lead Chief Investigator of two ARC Linkage Projects. Dating Murujuga's Dreaming is a 5 year project with collaborating partner MAC/Industry partners RioTinto and Woodside; Desert to the Sea is a 5 year collaboration with MAC, MNR and JYAC (with industry partners Woodside, BHP and Newcrest).

Jo advises State and Federal governments on a range of heritage issues. She was a member of the Murujuga World Heritage Committee that authored the dossier for the successful Murujuga Cultural Landscapes World Heritage nomination.