Our People

Emma Donnelly

Founder / Director / Science Communicator / Trainer / MC / Coach

Emma Donnelly is the Founder and Director of Comm-it, a science communication specialist, facilitator and communication coach with more than 25 years’ experience helping researchers, scientists and technical experts communicate with confidence, clarity and impact.

Growing up as the daughter of two science teachers, perhaps a career in science communication was inevitable. Emma just didn’t know it yet.

Over the past two and a half decades, she’s designed and delivered communication training, leadership programs and engagement initiatives for universities, research institutes, government agencies, not-for-profits and industry across Australia. Along the way she’s launched digital planetariums, run national education programs for CSIRO, taught sustainable fishing, coached hundreds of presenters and helped thousands of experts communicate their work more effectively.

Emma is known for making communication practical. Her workshops are energetic, interactive and grounded in evidence, blending storytelling, psychology and learning science with real-world tools that people can apply immediately. Whether she’s helping a PhD candidate prepare for a Three Minute Thesis presentation, coaching senior leaders through high-stakes conversations or supporting researchers to communicate with policymakers and the public, her focus is always the same: helping people turn expertise into influence.

She has been the national trainer for Australia’s FameLab competition for many years, with Comm-it proudly serving as the program’s official training partner. Emma is also a sought-after facilitator, keynote speaker and communication trainer, and has appeared across radio and television throughout her career.

At the heart of Emma’s work is a simple belief: communication isn’t about dumbing down expertise – it’s about making it accessible without losing its depth.

Emma believes curiosity is one of the most powerful tools we have for learning, connecting and changing the world. It’s what drives scientific discovery, sparks better conversations and helps us see problems – and each other – from new perspectives. That’s why she believes the world’s biggest challenges won’t be solved by better science alone, but by helping great science reach the people who need to understand it.

Outside Comm-it, Emma’s curiosity has taken her into everything from the science of champagne and neurogastronomy to food psychology, creativity and the fascinating ways people learn and make decisions. She founded Culinary Science in 2012 following her appearance on My Kitchen Rules, combining her love of science and food to make evidence-based nutrition and cooking accessible to everyday audiences. She has since self-published Eat, Drink, Think – Recipes for the Evidence-Based Cook and is developing a science-inspired cookbook for children.

Above all, Emma loves helping people discover what’s possible. She has an eye for spotting strengths that people often don’t recognise in themselves and delights in helping them find their voice, build confidence and step into opportunities they never thought they were ready for. Nothing gives her more satisfaction than seeing someone leave a workshop standing a little taller than when they arrived.

Dr Emma Beckett

Scientist / Researcher / Author / Speaker / Trainer / Social media expert / Science Communicator

Dr Emma Beckett is a well known Australian researcher and a science communicator. She has a PhD in Food Science and has authored over 30 peer reviewed academic articles.

Emma’s science communication work focuses on nutrition myth busting and empowering the public to interpret nutrition research. As well as providing expert comment for the media, she has written for The Conversation, The Newcastle Herald, Lateral Magazine, AQ magazine, and ABC online, and has a regular column busting nutrition myths in Broadsheet.

Based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Emma appears on ABC Central Coast each week for her regular segment “Food for Thought” and has over 30 additional radio appearances on ABC and commercial radio, including appearing twice on ABC Radio Nationals Ockham’s Razor (the scientists soapbox). She has appeared in a documentary series by Nature videos, both as interviewer and interviewee. She has presented at multiple public events including Pint of Science and The Forum for Science.

In 2017 she was named NSW Young Tall Poppy, in recognition of her research and science communication and in 2024 she published her first book You are more than what you eat. Buy her book here: https://www.dymocks.com.au/you-are-more-than-what-you-eat-by-emma-beckett-9780645869095

website: https://www.dremmabeckett-foodnutritionscientist.com/ 

Dr Lily Rosewater

Science Communicator / Social Media Expert / Speaker / Trainer / Founder – Pitch Science

Lily Rosewater is a science communicator and founder of Pitch Science. Using her background in neuroscience research and her digital marketing expertise, Lily helps scientists and science organisations stand out online and actively use their science to inspire meaningful change.

At Pitch Science, Lily turns science into stories through both her digital content creation services and her science branding and website design services. Lily also runs training sessions that guide scientists through how to craft engaging and accessible online content, as well as how to develop their own personal brand. Her virtual Pitch Lab community empowers scientists around the world to do online science communication and extend their reach beyond traditional academic channels.

Lily splits her time between running Pitch Science and working as a Neurodivergence Consultant at her second business, Neurodivergent Neuroscientist.

She is currently based in Perth, Western Australia.

website: https://www.pitchscience.com.au/

Dr Rebecca Yee

Entrepreneur / Chemical Engineer / Environmentalist / Mentor / Trainer / Speaker / Science Communicator

Rebecca specialises in STEM commercialisation, entrepreneurship and mentoring, gained from personal experience through her start-up Biofuel Innovations.

In 2014, Rebecca’s start-up company Biofuel Innovations was created with fellow chemical engineering student Dale Barnet. It started by them messing around making biodiesel in the back of an uncle’s garage.

‘He used to brew his own beer and we actually took that equipment and started brewing our own biodiesel,’

‘You make it in batches… with 20 litres you might as well make 200 litres, with 200 litres you might as well make 2000 litres. So it just kind of grew and grew.’

Biofuel Innovations received support from the City of Greater Dandenong council to build a plant in the area. She was brewing large batches of biodiesel from used cooking oil, and started talking to big oil companies.

Through her work in the entrepreneurship, start-up and commercialisation space Rebecca has expertise in these along with communications, training and speaking. She is available for consulting and guidance for those who seek coaching in these areas.

As a busy entrepreneur, she has launched a successful mentoring and work integrated learning (WIL) programs in her business to save time and resources. With a lot of trial and error she has developed systems that can be used in any STEM business to enable businesses to effectively engage with WIL and student mentoring programs while using minimal resources. Students who participant in these opportunities find they are rewarding and that the experience they gain assists them in their study, other workplaces and in applying for future paid employment.

Rebecca is currently living in Darwin, Northern Territory.

Holly Bennett

Coaching / Mentoring / Evaluation / Human Resources / Training / Founder – Coequal Coaching

Holly Bennett is a mentoring and coaching evaluation specialist and European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) Senior Practitioner. As an accredited coach and mentor she is expereinced in working within learning and development.

Holly has a range of experience including Evaluation, Project Management, Organisational Development, Human Resources Management, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Mentoring and Coaching.

She started a degree in Surveying Sciences, but moved into Management and Human Resource Management and completed her qualifications at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. She also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring from Sheffield Hallam University.

Holly is currently based in Oslo, Norway and works part-time as Program Manager for the EMCC while spending the rest of her time on her business, Coequal Coaching.Coequal Coaching.

Michelle Wheeler

Writer / Journalist / Media Expert / Trainer / Science Communicator

Michelle Wheeler is a former science and environment reporter for The West Australian newspaper and has been published by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Science, the Countryman, WA Today, suburban newspapers and more. She is currently a freelance journalist, writing for both science publications and the mainstream media, and helps science organisations communicate their research to the world.

Michelle’s work has seen her drive to the remote Square Kilometre Array site in a 2WD Hyundai, stand on a boat following a white shark attack to check shark receivers are working and spend a day on a tiger snake-infested island dubbed the most dangerous in the world. She has been in a boat crash while meeting isolated tribes in the Malaysian jungle and has interviewed Nobel Laureates, Buzz Aldrin, Richard Branson and Ewan McGregor.

Years of looming daily deadlines mean Michelle can write concise, accurate copy quickly and reliably for any writing project.

Michelle is based in Perth, Western Australia, and has previously worked in science communication at Scitech (hands-on science centre) and The University of Western Australia. She has a Bachelor of Science and Postgraduate Diploma of Journalism.

As well as writing and journalism, Michelle is also an expert and accomplished coach and media trainer for scientists.

Website: https://www.michellewheeler.com.au/