A social and cultural military historian, Rachel specialises in the history of Indigenous Australian defence of Country from the Australian Frontier Wars into the present day, with a particular focus on the legacies of Indigenous involvement in the First World War and the commemoration of Indigenous service, broadly understood. She also has an interest in transnational histories of non-white military service, focusing on comparisons between Britain and its Dominions during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Rachel’s Masters of Philosophy thesis, which analysed commemoration of Indigenous Australian and Māori First World War soldiers in national sites of memory, was awarded a Dean’s Commendation for Research Excellence from the University of Adelaide in 2020. Her research has also been awarded a number of other grants from both Australian and international societies. 

Rachel has been employed as a researcher and historian across the university sector and the Australian Public Service for seven years, as a Historian at the Australian War Memorial and a senior researcher for the Parliamentary service. She has extensive media experience, appearing as a subject expert on Australian television, radio, and podcasts, and has experience presenting to and writing for a range of audiences on diverse historical topics. Rachel has also served on the editorial boards on two journals, and has worked as a historical consultant providing fact-checking, editorial, research, and interpretation assistance.