My research interests include the stellar populations of dwarf galaxies, the origin of abundance anomalies in globular cluster stars, the Magellanic Clouds, and the formation of the halo of the Milky Way. I am the convenor of the research group that is using photometry from the ANU SkyMapper telescope to search for extremely metal-poor stars in the halo of the Milky Way galaxy.

I am currently Chair of the SkyMapper Management Executive and have previously been the ANU's representative on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Giant Magellan Telescope project.

I served as RSAA Associate Director (Academic) from 2004 to 2007 and was RSAA Interim Director for 4 months in 2007. I have also been Vice-President (2003-2005), President (2005-2007) and Immediate Past President (2007-2009) of the Astronomical Society of Australia. In July 2018 I was made an Honorary Fellow of the ASA ''in recognition of distinguished contributions to Astronomical Research and service to the Australian Astronomical Community''.

I am also a former President and Organizing Committee member of the Stars Clusters and Associations Commission of the International Astronomical Union.

Until March 2018 when I moved to Emeritus status I served as the RSAA PhD program convenor for the previous six years.