National Research Infrastructure Roadmap Capability Experts’ biographies
Health and Medical Science
Associated Professor Peter Gibbs
Peter Gibbs is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne,
Australia. His clinical work is as a medical oncologist, extensively
involved in colorectal cancer clinical trials at the Royal Melbourne
and Western Hospitals. He is lead investigator for multiple
international phase III clinical studies. He is a laboratory head at the
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute where he leads a translational research
program. Working with multiple clinical and laboratory collaborators
his team are identifying and validating prognostic and predictive
biomarkers, with circulating tumor DNA studies a particular focus. A key resource for much of the
translational research is prospective data collection on patients treated in routine care, of most
value when studies also include analysis of matching tumour specimens. Most recently, he has
established clinical registries in multiple tumour types, with contributions from over 20 hospitals,
including international sites. Each of these collaborative efforts is supported by BioGrid, which
allows linkage of clinical and other data across multiple sites while addressing privacy, ownership,
legal and ethical concerns.
Professor Sunil R Lakhani
Sunil Lakhani is Professor and Head, Molecular & Cellular Pathology, The
School of Medicine, Head of the Breast Group, the University of
Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) and State Director,
Anatomical Pathology, Pathology Queensland. With joint academic and
clinical appointments, he has a translational focus to his research
portfolio, which includes lobular carcinoma and its variants, tumours
with a basal phenotype and management of brain and distant
metastases. He participates in a number of national and international
committees including Cancer Australia, the National Pathology
Accreditation Advisory Council, the International Cancer Genome
Consortium and breast cancer clinical trials. He is a series editor for the World Health Organisation
(WHO) Tumour Classification Books and volume editor for the Breast Tumour Classification.
Professor Peter Gray
Professor Peter Gray was appointed inaugural director of the
Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at
the University of Queensland in August 2003 until February 2016.
Before joining AIBN, Professor Gray was Director of the
Bioengineering Centre and Professor of Biotechnology at the
University of New South Wales and was Senior Principal Research
Fellow at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. He has previously
held academic positions at University College of London and at the
University of California, Berkeley. Professor Gray has had commercial
experience in the USA working for Eli Lilly and Co and the Cetus
Corporation. Professor Gray was one of the founders and a past
President of the Australian Biotechnology Association (Ausbiotech) and is currently the President of
the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). Professor Gray is consultant to a
wide range of national and international companies and government organisations in the areas of;
biotechnology; biologics production; bioprocessing of primary and secondary metabolites;
bioengineering of cell cultures, and in the technical and economic assessment of projects. He serves
on the Boards of a number of start-up companies and companies limited by guarantee.
Professor Sally Redman
Professor Redman is CEO of the Sax Institute which increases the impact
of research on policy, programs and service delivery. She has an
international reputation for her work in understanding how research can
inform policy and practice. Professor Redman has 200 publications in
peer review journals and has served on many national research advisory
committees. She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for
distinguished service to public health through leadership in the care of
women with breast cancer, contributions to research and higher
education and the promotion of relationships between researchers, policy
makers and practitioners.
Advanced Physics, Mathematics and Materials
Professor Mark Hutchinson
Professor Hutchinson is an Australian Research Council Fellow and is
the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale
BioPhotonics (CNBP). He is also a Professor within the School of
Medicine at the University of Adelaide. Professor Hutchinson returned
to the University of Adelaide in 2009 as an NHMRC CJ Martin Research
Fellow, and established the Neuroimmunopharmacology research
laboratory. From 2005 to 2009 Mark worked in the world leading
laboratory of Prof Linda Watkins in the Center for Neuroscience at the
University of Colorado at Boulder. Here he pioneered with Prof Watkins the research which has led
to the discovery of novel drug activity at innate immune receptors. Mark’s research has implicated
the brain immune-like cells in the action of drugs of dependence and the negative side effects of
pain treatments. His work has enabled the translation of compounds at the lab bench to clinical
agents used at the bedside. Mark has published over 100 papers in journals and refereed conference
proceedings. He is now added Director of the Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP) to his roles.
The CNBP is an ARC Centre of Excellence headquartered at the University of Adelaide, with nodes at
Macquarie University, Sydney and the RMIT, Melbourne. We are partnered with universities and
companies in Europe, the US and China, as well as other Australian institutions. The CNBP has a
mission to "Discover new approaches to measure nano-scale dynamic phenomena in living
systems".
Dr Cathy Foley PMS
Dr Cathy Foley, Deputy and Science Director of CSIRO Manufacturing,
has made distinguished contributions to the understanding of
superconducting materials and to the development of devices using
superconductors to detect magnetic fields and locate valuable deposits
of minerals. Cathy is also the Chair of the Australian National
Fabrication Facility Victorian Node Collaboration Committee and the
Australian Research Council Steel Hub Advisory Committee as well as
sitting on several other committees and boards. Dr Foley has made
significant contributions to the scientific community as president of
several scientific societies and as a member of committees such as
PMSEIC giving advice to Government on scientific and technological matters. Cathy was awarded
the `Woman of the Year’ by the NSW Government in 2013 and the International Insitute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers Award for Continuing and Significant Contributions to Applied
Superconductivity 2014. In 2015 was awarded the Clunies Ross Medal of the Australian Academy of
Technological Science and Engineering and Australian Institute of Physics’ Outstanding Service to
Physics Award. As a leader in CSIRO Manufacturing, Cathy is working to help existing Australian
manufacturers to transform to be globally competitive by engaging with Australian researchers and
to build new companies to assist with the translation of research for economic prosperity.
Professor Tim Senden
Tim Senden is a graduate of the Australian National University,
completing his BSc(Hons) in Physical Chemistry in 1989 at the Research
School of Chemistry, and subsequently his PhD in Atomic Force
Microscopy in 1993 at Research School of Physics and Engineering
(RSPE). He held positions at the College de France (Paris), Institute
Charles Sadron (Strasbourg), and UNSW-Canberra before returning to
RSPE in 1997, where he is currently the Director. His chief interests are
around the investigation of surface phenomena at the nanometre scale,
and he has branched into X-ray Tomography, studying porous and
granular materials. He was one of the team that spun-out, Lithicon,
which sold for $78M in 2014.
Environment and Natural Resource Management
Dr Joanne Daly
Dr Joanne Daly is an Honorary Fellow with CSIRO Agriculture and a
Director of Plant Health Australia. She worked with CSIRO for over 30
years as a researcher and as Group Executive of Agribusiness and Chief
of Division of Entomology. Her activities focus on agricultural sciences,
national research infrastructure including national research collections,
international cooperation in biodiversity informatics and agriculture for
development. She has just completed six years as an Australian Centre
for International Agricultural Research Commissioner, and has held a
number of senior roles including Chair of the international body, Global Biodiversity Information
Facility, and was a member of the Australian Biosecurity Advisory Council and the Australian eResearch Infrastructure Council. She chaired an expert working group on ‘Australia’s Agricultural
Future’ for ACOLA. She has assisted previously in the setting of national research and research
infrastructure priorities.
Professor Bob Pressey – UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Dr Helen Cleugh
Dr Helen Cleugh is an atmospheric scientist with almost 30 years’
experience combining research discovery, delivery and leadership.
Her research expertise lies in quantifying the interactions between
the land surface and the atmosphere, and their effects on weather,
climate and hydrology; and water-use and carbon uptake. She is
currently a Chief Research Scientist in CSIRO (Oceans and
Atmosphere), where she leads the Earth Systems and Climate
Change Hub. This Hub is a research consortium funded by the Australian government’s National
Environmental Science Programme (www.environment.gov.au/science/nesp). The Hub’s goal to
ensure that decision-making in Australia is effectively informed by an understanding of Australia’s
and future climate. Prior to taking on the Hub leader role, Dr Cleugh was a senior leader of climate
and atmospheric research within CSIRO. In collaboration with national research providers and
funders, Dr Cleugh had responsibility for delivering the research needed for Australia to manage the
challenges and opportunities of a changing and variable climate.
Understanding Cultures and Communities
Mr Alec Coles OBE
Alec Coles has been CEO of the Western Australian Museum, the State’s
museum with branches in Perth, Fremantle, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie and
Albany, since 2010. He was previously Director of Tyne and Wear
Archives and Museums in North East England for eight years. Prior to
that, he was CEO of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, a wildlife
conservation charity in North East England. He is an Adjunct Associate
Professor in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Western
Australia, an Executive Member of the Council for Australasian Museum
Directors and Vice-Chair of International Council of Museums Australia.
He is committed to developing and demonstrating the public value of
museums. He is currently driving Western Australia’s initiative of a new
State Museum and aspires to create a museum that is owned and valued by all West Australians and
admired by the world. In 2010, he was awarded an Order of the British Empire for Services to
Museums.
Professor Matthew Sanders
Professor Matthew Sanders was the founder of the Triple P-Positive
Parenting Program. He is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the
Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the
University of Queensland, Australia. Professor Sanders has built a
highly regarded international reputation for conducting
outstanding research and translating it into practical programs
which promote stronger families and prevent and address
childhood behavior problems. He is considered a world leader in
the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination
of population-based approaches to parenting and family interventions. The Triple P parenting
system has now helped approximately Seven million families worldwide. It is used in 27 countries
and has been translated into 19 languages other than English. More than 68,000 practitioners have
been trained it its delivery. Professor Sanders has consulted and advised governments at senior
policy levels in Australia, Canada, UK, Eire, Switzerland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan,
Iran, Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium, Indonesia and the Netherlands. He has been a consultant
to the World Health Organization and is Expert Consultant on Positive Parenting to the Council of
Europe. In 2006 he met and discussed policy with the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, shortly
before the Government launched a national parenting initiative, which included Triple P. Professor
Sanders is also an Honorary Professor at Manchester University, University of South Carolina,
Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Auckland. He has received numerous
prestigious awards, including the Australian Psychological Society’s President’s Award for
Distinguished Contribution to Psychology (2007), Queenslander of the Year (2007) and the
International Collaborative Prevention Science Award from the Society for Prevention Research
(2004).
Professor Lynette Russell
Professor Lynette Russell is a historian who combines anthropology
and archaeology in her research. She is Director of the Monash
Indigenous Centre which is a research and teaching unit specializing
in History, Archaeology and Anthropology. She is widely published
and is the author or editor of twelve books, specializing in Aboriginal
history. She has held fellowships at both Oxford and Cambridge
Universities, and she is a member of the Academy Social Sciences
Australia.
National Interest and National Security
Dr John Gunn
John Gunn is the Chief Executive Officer of Australian Institute of Marine
Science. John has significant experience in leading development of
strategy, scientific research and capability, and stakeholder engagement
across a research portfolio encompassing marine ecology, fisheries, coastal
systems, physical and chemical oceanography, atmospheric chemistry and
climate science. John joined AIMS from the position of Chief Scientist of
the Australian Antarctic Program, where he played a key role in developing
the Australian Antarctic Science Strategy Plan: 2011–2021. Prior to this,
John was Deputy Chief of CSIRO's Marine and Atmospheric Research
Division. John has broad experience on high level advisory and policy
development boards and Advisory Committees, including the UNESCO - IOC Global Ocean Observing
System Steering Committee, the National Marine Science Committee, and Australia's Integrated
Marine Observing System Board. Alongside his executive experience, John has an extensive
academic record. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, papers and technical
reports, and presented at more than 100 conferences and symposia, in many instances as the
keynote speaker. He has an international reputation in pelagic fish ecology and in the
development of marine biology observation technology and systems.
Professor Mary Barton
Professor Mary Barton – Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at the
University of South Australia. Mary is a veterinary graduate with
postgraduate training in veterinary microbiology. She worked for State
governments in veterinary diagnostic and research laboratories for the first
two thirds of her career and for the University for the last third. She has
interests in animal and public health and biocontainment.
Dr Jackie Craig
Jackie Craig was born in Glasgow, Scotland and has PhD in physics from St.
Andrews University. From 1981 to 1990 she worked for the UK Ministry of
Defence. In 1990 she emigrated to Australia and since then has worked for
the Australian Department of Defence as a scientist, holding a number of
positions over 25 years. She is currently the Chief of Cyber and Electronic
Warfare Division. In this role she leads over 300 scientists, engineers and
technical specialists engaged in a very broad spectrum of science and
technology in the areas of cyber, communications, signals intelligence,
threat countermeasures and networked systems. Jackie has over 50
publications in the open scientific literature, over 30 classified papers, and
is the holder of 2 patents and several invention records. She has presented many times at
conferences and given numerous invited talks. Jackie has held a number of leadership positions in
international forums. She led the Australian entry into a major classified Scientific and Technical
(S&T) forum and went on to lead the participation in that forum for ten years. From 1999 to 2001
she was the Australian Project Director of the joint US-AUS Collaboration on the Global Hawk
Australian deployment and assessment. From 2008 to 2012 she was the Australian national
representative on the Electronic Warfare Systems Group of the prominent fives eyes (S&T) forum
known as The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) and from 2012 to 2015 she was the Executive
Chair of Electronic Warfare Systems Group. In 2013 she was the Australian National Representative
on the (TTCP) Cyber Strategic Challenge Group and she is currently the Executive Chair of the (TTCP)
EC College. In 20010 she chaired the panel reviewing the Naval Research Laboratory’s internal
program on Electro-magnetic Warfare science and technology. She has contributed to several local
academic committees and served on the board of directors of Airborne Research Australia – a Major
National Research Facility. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Australian Chapter of the
Association of Old Crows. She was awarded the 2001 Ministers Award in Defence Science for her
work on imagery Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems, received a recognition
award for scientific leadership in a classified forum in 2008 and a (TTCP) award for outstanding
leadership in 2013. Jackie is married with two grown up daughters. Her hobbies are climbing, cycling
and surfing.
Underpinning Research Infrastructure
Professor Robyn Ownens
Professor Robyn Owens is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and has
responsibility for research policy development and leadership of the
University's research activities, postgraduate education, industry liaison,
intellectual property and commercialisation. Professor Robyn Owens has
a BSc (Hons) from UWA and a MSc and a DPhil from Oxford, all in
Mathematics. She worked at l'Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, continuing
research in mathematical analysis before returning to UWA to work as a
research mathematician. She has lectured in Mathematics and Computer
Science at UWA, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at
Berkeley, as well as for shorter periods in Thailand and New Zealand. Her
research has focussed on computer vision, including feature detection in images, 3D shape
measurement, image understanding, and representation. She is a Fellow of the Australian Computer
Society and a winner of the UK Rank Prize. In 2012, Professor Owens was elected as a Fellow of the
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Professor Owens led development
and research training through her previous role as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Research
Training) at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Prior to this, she was Head of the School of
Computer Science and Software Engineering at UWA. She is currently Chair of the Universities
Australia DVCR committee and a Board member of the Australian Astronomy Observatory Advisory
Council, the Integrated Marine Observing System and the Population Health Research Network.
Ms Cathrine Harboe-Ree
Ms Cathrine Harboe-Ree has been the University Librarian at Monash
University since 2002. She is responsible for the overall management of the
Monash University Library, including the libraries across the five Victorian
campuses, and provides advice to the libraries at the Monash Malaysia and
South Africa campuses. Ms Harboe-Ree is a member of the Australian
National Data Service (ANDS) Steering Committee (2008- ) and has been a
member of the joint ministerial Australian eResearch Coordinating
Committee (2005-2006) and the Australian eResearch Infrastructure
Council (2007-2009). She was Chair of the Commonwealth Government
funded institutional repository project, ARROW, from its inception to its completion (2002 - 2008)
and established and supervised the growth of Monash University Publishing, an innovative electronic
press. She is a past President of the Council of Australian University Librarians (2009-2013) and a
member of the Monash University Faculty of Information Technology Information Knowledge
Management Committee and the Editorial Board of Australian Academic and Research Libraries.
Dr David Mitchell
David Mitchell has over 20 years’ experience as an innovator and
entrepreneur, research leader, business manager and consultant. He
specialises in working in rapidly changing disciplines with experience in
climate change, renewables and biotechnology. Demonstrating an ability
to develop high level working relationships based on an extensive
international network, coupled with strong people management skills,
David thinks strategically, builds multidisciplinary teams and delivers
innovative solutions. He has previously worked as a Director of X-Energy,
developing small-scale LNG, solar PV project development for Ingenero, a
research leader in CSIRO and founded companies in both Switzerland and Australia. He has raised
early stage capital and written and implemented strategic business plans. Working at the interface
between R & D and commercialisation, David has developed IP strategies and pursued patent
protection from provisional to national phase. He previously specialised in high-throughput
technologies from screening industrial enzymes to microarray bioinformatics and chip based
platforms. David has a PhD, a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is a graduate member
of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.