Nathan is a descendant of the Biripi people and grew up to the south of this region in Newcastle, NSW.

He graduated from the University of Newcastle with First Class Honours in a Bachelor of Construction Management in 2009 and was on the Deans Merit List in 2007.  He received the Jack Doherty Scholarship in 2008 and was awarded the NSW Master Builders Student Estimator of the Year in 2009. 

​He recently completed a MPhil in Social Anthropology at Clare College at Cambridge University focusing on the Anthropology of Eco-Tourism and Development, and a Cross-Cultural Perception of Death.

Nathan is currently studying a PhD in Development Economics and International Development at the University of Technology Sydney.  He is also an Aurora Outreach role model.