Professor Karen Hapgood
Professor Karen Hapgood is the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at Swinburne University of Technology, where 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. She is an experienced leader in higher education, with expertise in research, education and industry engagement.
Karen is also an industry focused researcher in chemical engineering and pharmaceutical manufacturing, particularly in the areas of wet granulation and particle technology; pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing, and additive manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. She has attracted national ARC and industry funding, including International Fine Particles Research Institute, and is a part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Eco-Efficient Minerals beneficiation. She also has served as an expert witness in patent disputes.
She is a Fellow of ATSE, IChemE, RACI and Engineers Australia, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She was the Head of Monash Chemical Engineering, Dean of Engineering at Deakin, Executive Dean of Science Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin, before stepping into the DVC Research role at Swinburne in 2022. In addition to the Bionics Institute, she is currently a Director of Swinburne Ventures Limited, AHURI and Entromat (a Swinburne startup). Given her background, she is passionate about diversity and inclusion in research, engineering and STEM.
