Research, Innovation and the ‘Ideas Boom’: Pathways to Collaboration

Professor Wightwick is Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research at UTS and a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He joins UTS from IBM, where he was Director, IBM Research - Australia and IBM Australia Chief Technologist.

He brings global experience from his role at IBM having led teams in the US and China, worked on IBM's global technical strategy and established world-leading research laboratories here in Australia.

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Glenn has responsibility for research policy development and general oversight of the University's research activities, postgraduate education, industry liaison, intellectual property and commercialisation.

As Managing Director of Microsoft Australia, Pip Marlow is responsible for the overall business in Australia, ensuring the company meets the needs of its customers as well as the more than 11,000 partners and independent software vendors that sell or build on the Micosoft platform.

Pip began her career with Microsoft more than 20 years ago, working in the Australian Partner team on anti-piracy efforts, and the system builder channel and distribution strategy. She then moved to Microsoft's head office in Seattle, US, where she held a succession of senior roles, including General Manager for US channel sales.

After eight years in the US, Pip returned to Microsoft Australia. She worked in various positions across the business, including as Director of Small and Medium Business Solutions, and Partners. Before being appointed Managing Director in January 2011, Pip held the joint role of Enterprise and Partner Group Director and Public Sector Director.

Pip has a long history in the IT industry. One of her first roles was at Samsung Information Systems, where she was responsible for building the company's semiconductor distribution business. Before joining Microsoft, she was part of the founding team at Agate Technology, which became one of Australia's largest storage distributors.

Professor Dikai Liu received his PhD degree in 1997 and joined UTS in 2000. His main research interests include robotics (exploration, localisation, motion planning and collision avoidance), robot teams and physical human-robot interaction.

Dikai has been developing novel methods and algorithms that enable robots to operate in unstructured, dynamic and/or complex 3D environments autonomously or collaboratively with human users and other robots.

He has also been developing robotic systems that can be practically deployed in real applications; including autonomous grit-blasting robots for steel bridge maintenance, assistive robots for human strength augmentation in industrial applications, bio-inspired climbing robots for steel structure inspection and condition assessent, autonomous underwater robots for cleaning and inspection of underwater structures, and smart robotic hoist for patient transfer.

Dikai is the Co-Director of the UTS Centre for Autonomous Systems.

Paul Stoller is an environmental designer and architectural educator who has worked in the UK, US and Australia.

His research activities include resilient design, the sharing economy and collaborative urbanism, and living algae building systems.

At UTS, Paul is a senior lecturer teaching environmental design, systems integration, and studio and elective subjects that incorporate integrated design and sustainability thinking.

Through his professional practice at ESD consultancy Atelier Ten, where he leads the Australian offices, Paul has contributed sustainability planning and design consulting to environmentally ambitious buildings, precincts, and campuses. His areas of expertise include high-performance facades, advanced HVAC and energy systems, and sustainable master planning.

His professional projects include the South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute (high performance facade design), Barangaroo South (Green Star Communities strategy), the adaptive reuse of the Main Assembly Building at Tonsley Park, South Australia (daylighting, thermal comfort and energy efficiency consulting), and original environmental concepts for Federation Square in Melbourne.

Manamperi currently holds the position of Manager, Bridge and Maritime Assets at the Network Optimisation Branch of the Roads and Maritime Services of NSW.

His work involves providing an informed, effective client role in the management of bridge and tunnel infrastructure to achieve optimum outcomes.

As part of his job, Manam has to identify the inherent risks associated with bridges and develop and implement risk management strategies and programs to manage the identified risks.

Prior to joining the Network Optimisation Branch, Manam worked as the Works Engineer for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

As the Executive Director of The Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster (C3), Peter leads a dynamic, multidisciplinary team dedicated to improving predictions about the impacts of climate change.

Over the past 20 years his research has examined seagrasses, freshwater macrophytes, macroalgae and terrestrial plants from the scale of whole organisms to cellular and biochemical processes.

Because of Peter's expertise in the measurement of photosynthetic processes in seagrasses he is a member of the Blue Carbon International Scientific Working Group, formed under the auspices of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, United Nations Environmental Program and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. In addition he also is an invited member of the Integrated Marine Observing System National Bio-optical Working Group.

An expert in developing innovative solutions for sustainability in the built environment, Sara worked originally as a surveyor in the UK and now conducts diverse, cross-disciplinary research projects at UTS.

She is currently investigating the use of algae in new building technologies, as well as evaluating the potential of horticulture on rooftop gardens as therapy that could assist people who have mental health issues.

Sara is also working on an urban ecology reneweal investigation project and an international study on capacity building for chartered surveyors in regards to flood damage.

Sara feeds the results of this research into her teaching in sustainability related subjects in the undergraduate Property Economics and postgraduate Property Development courses in the School of the Built Environment.

Roslyn is a designer who believes in the power of using design thinking and multidisciplinary collaboration to solve complex social problems. She currently works on the team for the UTS: Hatchery program, an extracurricular program that teaches students entrepreneurial thinking.

Last year Roslyn worked as a designer for the inaugral StartupWeek Sydney whilst also completing her Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication at UTS. 

She is passionate about revolutionsing education at every level and credits the majority of her opportunities and knowledge to extra-curricular programs she was involved in outside of her degree.

Christine’s professional career was in arts and cultural planning and management consulting in the creative industries both in Australia and the United Kingdom. As an academic, Christine has taught and researched in areas of innovation, creativity, and audience decision-making in attending cultural events. 

As Associate Dean, Christine was instrumental in developing the MBA in Entrepreneurship, a state-of-the-art flagship program for the UTS Business School and which launched earlier this year.
 

Karen was President for ResMed, Asia Pacific and the Middle East from 2012 until 2015. Prior to this, she was Global Vice President, Marketing for Advanced Sterilization Products, a Johnson & Johnson company based in Irvine, California.
 
She has worked in the fast moving consumer goods and healthcare industries in senior commercial roles in Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, Taiwan and the USA for leading organisations including Nestle, Revlon, Goodman Fielder and Seagram, with a broad functional background in marketing, sales and business development.
 
Karen’s experience is strongly grounded in international leadership, business transformation and deep experience of both mature and emerging markets.
 

Sam is a leading academic and practitioner in the emerging field of design led innovation, and has led projects which have transformed businesses by embedding design capability. 

As Professor of Design and Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney, he leads a team investigating the value of Design Led Innovation to the Australian Economy. 

Through multiple practice led and applied research projects, the core of Sam’s published research is a better understanding of the relationship of design led innovation to business strategy and organisation value.  Sam was most recently the inaugural QMI Solutions Professor of Design and Innovation at QUT, which spanned the Creative Industries, Business, Science and Engineering faculties. 

Previous positions include the R&D Director of the CRC for Interaction Design (ACID) and Program Leader for the Ulysses Design Integration program. Sam has also consulted widely to industry, spanning the medical devices, consumer products, telecommunications, automotive and mining services sectors.  Sam also is also the convenor of the recently established Australian Design Integration network and is an executive board member of the Cumulus global network.

Picture by Damien Pleming. 

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Research, Innovation and the ‘Ideas Boom’: Pathways to Collaboration