Professor Sharath Sriram is the current Chief Scientist of Western Australia. The role of the Chief Scientist is to provide independent, expert advice to the WA Government on topics important to the future of science and technology in the State. 

Professor Sriram, a Fellow of Engineers Australia, is a distinguished science and research leader, renowned for creating and delivering breakthrough technologies in the fields of nanoelectronics, sensors, and medical technologies. His work is primarily focused on translating advanced technology for healthcare applications, e&ectively bringing science fiction to reality. 

Professor Sriram has led and coordinated a $60 million multi-user, interdisciplinary research facility and has led medical device prototyping and scale-up manufacturing initiatives, driving innovation and practical implementation in the medical technology sector. 

In addition to his technical and research contributions, Professor Sriram is an active contributor to science policy, with a particular focus on fostering innovation and developing long-term strategies. He is dedicated to supporting early- and mid-career researchers and is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion within the scientific community. 

Professor Sriram is the current president of the national peak body Science & Technology Australia. 

After graduating from Oxford and Edinburgh Universities, Lyn moved to Perth and built an internationally renowned research team that focused on recovery from brain damage. As Chief Scientist of Western Australia from 2006 to 2013, Lyn advised the Western Australian Government on science, innovation and technology.

Lyn was honoured to become an Officer of the Order of Australia and is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), as well as being a Companion of the Institute of Engineers.

In 2015 Lyn was amazed and delighted to be named the WA Australian of the Year. Lyn has always enthusiastically promoted Early and Mid-Career Researchers and is passionate that every young Australian, including those who are neurodiverse, should have access to the best educational opportunities.

Ryan is a professor of applied mathematics at Curtin University and the Director of the Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science. Ryan’s expertise lies in modelling and solving complex optimisation challenges that involve numerous decision levers, multiple conflicting trade-offs, and large, disparate data sets. He has over 10 years’ experience working on consulting and collaborative research and development programs across the mining, agriculture, oil and gas, and manufacturing sectors. Some of the companies Ryan has worked with include Lynas Rare Earths, Woodside Energy, Linkforce Engineering, Rio Tinto, BHP, Alcoa, and Roy Hill. Ryan holds a PhD in applied mathematics and was the winner of the 2020 Christopher Heyde Medal from the Australian Academy of Science, the 2019 JH Michell Medal from the Australian Mathematical Society, and the 2014 West Australian Young Scientist of the Year Award.

Hamid Laga is a Professor in the School of Information Technology at Murdoch University. His expertise is in Machine Learning, 3D Computer Vision, Computer Graphics and Virtual/Augmented Reality. While his primary focus is on fundamental research, he also undertakes cross-disciplinary and translational research across agriculture, animal science, biosecurity and health. He co-authored two books published, respectively, in 2017 and 2019, and more than 40 articles in top journals of his field. His work received multiple awards including the Best Paper Awards at (1) the Eurographics Symposium on Geometry Processing (2017), (2) the APRS/IAPR Best Paper Prize at DICTA (2012), and (3) the IEEE International Conference on Shape Modelling (2006). He is currently a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC)’s College of Experts and a recipient of the ARC Future Fellowship. 

Jane Lydon’s research centres upon Australia’s colonial past and its legacies in the present. In particular, she is concerned with the history of Australia’s engagement with anti-slavery, humanitarianism, and ultimately human rights. She is a white settler scholar who aims to carry out politically located research that respects Indigenous sovereignty. Her work has contributed to decolonizing heritage and academic practice, with a strong impact on debates regarding colonialism and Australian legacies of imperialism and slavery. Her most recent books include Imperial Emotions: The Politics of Empathy across the British Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2020) which examines the role of the compassionate emotions in creating relationships spanning the globe, and Anti-slavery and Australia: No Slavery in a Free Land? (Routledge, 2021), which explores the anti-slavery movement in imperial scope, arguing that colonization in Australasia facilitated emancipation in the Caribbean, even as abolition powerfully shaped the Settler Revolution. She currently leads the ARC-funded research project ‘Australian Legacies of British Slavery: Capital, Land and Labour’, with Zoë Laidlaw, Catherine Hall, Keith McClelland, Alan Lester, Edmond Smith, Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna and Kiera Lindsay (DP240101389, 2024-2026). She has authored seven books, and edited a further fifteen collections (including journal special issues).

Professor Chris Abbiss is the Dean of Graduate Research and responsible for leading the planning, governance and delivery of ECUs Higher Degree by Research programs at ECU. He is Professor of Exercise Physiology in the School of Medical and Health Sciences. His primary research interest centres on applied human physiology and exercise performance, with a focus on cycling, fatigue, thermoregulation, pacing strategies, training modalities and recovery. He collaborates with numerous national and international agencies, including the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Sport Commission, Cycling Australia, Team BikeExchange, Western Australian Institute of Sport and others. He has published over 140 referred scientific journal articles in applied physiology and exercise science journals. His Scopus h Index is 32 with his research publications cited more than 3000 times. His research has been successful in attracting in excess of $9M of grant funding from a variety of competitive funding sources.

Professor Anna Nowak is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) with responsibility for the University's central research activities including policy, operations, infrastructure, postgraduate education, strategic research institutes, industry liaison, intellectual property and commercialisation, and the University library. 

 The UWA Strategic Research Institutes within her portfolio include the Institute of Agriculture, Ocean’s Institute, UWA Data Institute, International Space Centre, Defence and Security Institute, Public Policy Institute, and Institute of Advanced Studies. The infrastructure portfolio includes Animal Care Services, the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, National Geotechnical Centrifuge, and Ridgefield Farm. UWA hosts 12 National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) capabilities.

 Professor Nowak’s academic background is as a medical oncologist and clinician scientist. With a PhD in cancer immunology and a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical trials and quality of life research, she has a true bench to bedside research perspective and her work has spanned laboratory, translational, clinical trials, quantitative and qualitative research. In 2018, Anna was named Cancer Researcher of the Year by the Cancer Council of WA, and in 2021 received both the International Mesothelioma Interest Group’s prestigious Wagner Medal for her contribution to mesothelioma research, and the Medical Oncology Group of Australia’s inaugural Martin H Tattersall’s Heroes Award for her mentorship, advocacy and contributions to the discipline.

Anna’s prior research leadership experience includes her role as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health and Medical Research) at UWA, Deputy Executive Dean of UWA’s Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Director of the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, and Chair of the national brain cancer collaborative clinical trials group COGNO.  In addition to Board roles associated with her position as UWA DVCR, she is a member of the Cancer Council WA Board and Cancer Australia Advisory Council. 

Peter Eastwood commenced with Murdoch University on 3 July 2023.  In his role as DVCRI, he is responsible for the strategic direction and focus of research undertaken within the university. This role involves developing closer research links and a funding base with both private and public sector users and providers.

 Peter has an extensive background in research, particularly in the field of sleep science. He has previously held positions such as the Director of the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute and Dean of Research of the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University.  He has also been a NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at the West Australian Sleep Disorders Research Institute and the Department of Pulmonary Physiology and Sleep Medicine.

Peter's research accomplishments include publishing over 200 research papers, developing novel tools to image and measure the human upper airway, and conducting research aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Lung Disease. He has supervised many postdoctoral fellows, and PhD, Masters, and Honours students.

At Murdoch University, Peter is involved in various initiatives, including the establishment of an Innovation Precinct to grow commercialisation and technology transfer activities, promote entrepreneurial education and mentorship programs, and establish new partnerships with early-stage SMEs.  He is also part of the team working on Murdoch’s Strategy 2023-2030, which focuses on increasing impactful and progressive research in areas of strength and excellent research across disciplines.

Professor Gretchen Benedix is a distinguished cosmic mineralogist and astro-geologist whose research explores the formation and evolution of asteroids and planetary bodies through the chemistry, mineralogy, spectroscopy, and petrology of meteorites. Since joining Curtin University in 2012, she has held several prestigious research fellowships, including a Senior Curtin Research Fellowship (2014) and an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2018–2021).

Currently serving as the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Professor Benedix is a key member of the Space Science and Technology Centre within the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her work focuses on deciphering the complex processes that shaped the Solar System, including rapid and slow heating events, mixing, and cooling—often in the presence of ice.

Her innovative research includes the application of machine learning to analyse digital imagery of planetary surfaces, contributing to new understandings in planetary science. She is deeply committed to STEM outreach and advocacy, regularly speaking at public events to inspire underrepresented groups in science.

Professor Benedix’s contributions have been recognised internationally, including the naming of Asteroid 6579 Benedix in her honour by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. She is a Fellow of the Meteoritical Society and recipient of the Antarctic Service Medal from the National Science Foundation for her participation in meteorite recovery expeditions in Antarctica.

She maintains active memberships in several professional societies, including the American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, and Mineralogical Society, and continues to be a passionate educator and mentor in planetary sciences.

Professor Caroline Finch AO is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Edith Cowan University in Perth. She has extensive board, committee and JVA experience, in science, technology, defence, health, and sport domains. She is a highly sought-after mentor, supervisor and woman in STEMM leader. She is a highly accomplished academic and world-renowned researcher whose influential research outcomes have directly informed safety policy and programs for Government Departments of Sport and Health, health promotion/injury prevention agencies, and peak sports bodies worldwide. In 2018, she was awarded her AO for distinguished service to sports medicine, particularly in the area of injury prevention as an educator, researcher and author, and to the promotion of improved health in athletes and those who exercise.