Celebrating 40 years since the Bionics Institute was founded, we are delighted to announce that three new Directors from Swinburne University of Technology recently joined the Bionics Institute Board.
Interim Chair of the Board Hannah Crawford says the new Directors will bring expertise in research strategy, commercialisation and transdisciplinary research to the Board, helping to propel the Bionics Institute into the future.
This marks the beginning of our partnership with Swinburne where we will combine cutting edge facilities, scientific expertise and resources to progress medical device innovation with the aim of improving human health. Hannah Crawford, Interim Chair
Professor Karen Hapgood is Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at Swinburne, where she leads Swinburne’s Research strategy and advances Swinburne’s innovative and tech-focused R&D community. Her career has combined industry experience in the USA and Australia, including 4 years of pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing experience with Merck & Co USA followed by 15 years of leadership roles in the higher education sector, all based around a common thread of manufacturing and STEM and leadership.
Dr Werner van der Merwe is the inaugural Vice President, Innovation and Enterprise at Swinburne, charged with invigorating innovative spirit in partnership with industry. Since his appointment, Swinburne has become one the most inventive universities in Australia and owns shares in more startups for its size than any other Australian university. Before joining Swinburne, Werner led the Commercialisation function at CSIRO, as well as an extensive international career in roles that spanned engineering, research and development, and commercial positions.
As Pro Vice Chancellor, Flagship Initiatives at Swinburne, Professor Alan Duffy is tasked with driving large and ambitious transdisciplinary research across Swinburne’s flagship research areas by actively engaging with external organisations (including government, industry, NGOs) to identify large-scale opportunities that require university-wide collaboration and the formation of coalitions of universities and partners. He brings to the Bionics Institute his experience of over 15 years of research, as a computational astrophysicist, and founder of a sensor company, mDetect, exploring mine sites nationwide.
For more information about our strategic alliance, read this article: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/swinburne-bionics-institute-strategic-alliance/
