Dr Mariko Smith

Dr Mariko Smith (she/her) is a Yuin woman with Japanese heritage, and Head of First Nations Collections & Research in the First Nations Division at the Australian Museum.

Mariko focuses on Indigenous community-based cultural resurgence initiatives and incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into curatorial and creative practices.

Mariko’s academic and professional qualifications include a combined Bachelor degree in Arts and Laws (University of Sydney), Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (College of Law), Master of Museum Studies (awarded with Merit: University of Sydney), and Doctor of Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney. Her PhD thesis focused on the cultural resurgence of Aboriginal tied-bark canoe making in south-eastern Aboriginal communities, with the topic inspired by a museum’s conference event and community outreach programming.

Mariko is also an Honorary Associate in the School of Art, Communication and English at the University of Sydney.