Waratah Research Network members
WRN members include senior representatives from each cluster, as well as members of the NSW Deputy Vice Chancellors (Research) Committee.
Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte
Chair
NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, Natural Resources Commissioner
Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte is the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer and Natural Resources Commissioner. From 2016-2018, Professor Durrant-Whyte was Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence. From 2014-2016 and 2002-2010, Professor Durrant-Whyte was a Professor and ARC Federation Fellow at the University of Sydney. From 2010-2014, Professor Durrant-Whyte was CEO of National ICT Australia (NICTA), and from 1995-2010 Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Autonomous Systems and of the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR).
Professor Durrant-Whyte is a world-leading authority on machine learning and robotics, and applications in areas including cargo handling, mining and defence. Professor Durrant-Whyte has also published over 300 research papers, graduated over 70 PhD students, and has won numerous awards and prizes for his work. These include being named the 2010 NSW Scientist of the Year and 2008 Engineers Australia NSW Engineer of the Year.
Chloe Read
Deputy Chair
Deputy Secretary, Education & Skills Reform, Department of Education
Chloe Read has worked in education policy for over 15 years, originally in IT support and consulting in the Department of Education, Tasmania. Ms Read joined the NSW Department of Education (DoE) in 2014, working across many executive IT, infrastructure and policy roles. Ms Read job shares the role of Deputy Secretary, Education & Skills Reform with Lisa Alonso Love, and represents the Department on the WRN as well as being an ex officio member of the NSW Skills Board. Ms Read and Ms Alonso Love previously job shared as Chief People Officer and Deputy Secretary, Educational Services in DoE. Ms Read holds an Master of Arts with Honours in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology from the University of Edinburgh, a Masters of Computing from the University of Tasmania and is a member of the Executive Fellows Program at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
Professor Glenn Wightwick
University Representative
Deputy Vice Chancellor of Enterprise, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Chair of the NSW/ACT Deputy Vice Chancellors (Research) Committee
At UTS, Professor Glenn Wightwick has responsibility for the University’s entrepreneurship, enterprise learning, industry engagement and precinct strategy. Prior to this he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research for 3.5 years. He spent 27 years working at IBM in Australia, the USA and China in a variety of technical and leadership roles in systems engineering, development and research. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and a Senior Fellow of the IEEE. He is Co-Chair of 2SER, a community radio station jointly owned by UTS and Macquarie University and is on the board of the Sydney Quantum Academy and SCECGS Redlands.
Dr Kerry Chant PSM
Chief Health Officer, Deputy Secretary for Population and Public Health, NSW Health
Dr Kerry Chant PSM has been the Chief Health Officer for NSW since 2008, and the Deputy Secretary for Population and Public Health. Dr Chant has extensive public health experience in NSW, having held a range of senior positions in NSW public health units since 1991. Dr Chanthas a particular interest in blood borne virus infections, communicable diseases prevention and control and Indigenous health. Dr Chant holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, a Master of Health Administration and a Master of Public Health from the University of New South Wales, where she is also a Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Dr Chant was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2015 for outstanding public service to population health in NSW and was the NSW Premier’s Public Servant of the Year in 2020.
Richard Cox
Director of Economic Strategy, NSW Treasury
Richard Cox has worked in economic policy for over 30 years, covering a broad range of areas. These include micro-economic reform, employment policy, energy and climate change, productivity, primary industries, industry policy, tax and fiscal policy, and economic evaluation. Mr Cox holds a Bachelor of Science (Economics) with first class honours from University College Cardiff, and a Master of Science from Queen Mary College London.
Felix Hamilton
A/Senior Manager, Research and Evaluation, Transport for NSW
Felix Hamilton is A/Senior Manager, Research and Evaluation, at Transport for NSW. Ms Hamilton leads the research unit to foster collaboration, thought leadership, and knowledge translation between government, academia, and other strategic research partners. Ms Hamilton focuses on delivering tangible research outcomes with impact to ensure that TfNSW is prepared for rapid changes in technology and innovation, and to create and maintain a world class, safe, efficient and reliable transport system into the future.
Ms Hamilton holds a Bachelor of Psychology from Murdoch University, a Master of Philosophy (Research) from Macquarie University, and a PhD in Economics and Governance from Western Sydney University (to be conferred).
Luke Grant
Deputy Commissioner, Corrective Services NSW
As Deputy Commissioner (DC) for Corrective Services NSW, Luke Grant is responsible for developing and implementing correctional policy for NSW. For over two decades DC Grant has championed research collaborations between the corrections industry nationally and universities. This includes commissioning research, teaching in undergraduate and post graduate programs and actively engaging in research around offender behaviour and health. DC Grant has contributed to articles in peer review journals and served on numerous interagency and statutory committees. DC Grant has been a member of the University of Sydney Law School Institute of Criminology Advisory Council for over 15 years and recently joined the Western Sydney University External Advisory Committee for Criminology and holds a Master of Science Degree (Research) from the University of Sydney.
Ian Opperman
Chief Data Scientist, Department of Customer Service
Dr. Ian Oppermann is the NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist working within the Department of Customer Service. He is also an Industry Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). From 2015 to 2019, Ian was also the CEO of the NSW Data Analytics Centre (DAC).
Ian is considered a thought leader in the area of the Digital Economy and is a regular speaker on “Big Data”, broadband enabled services and the impact of technology on society. Ian has an MBA from the University of London and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mobile Telecommunications from Sydney University. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, is a Fellow and Immediate Past President of the Australian Computer Society, Fellow of the NSW Royal Society, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Kristofer M Helgen
Chief Scientist and Director, Australian Museum Research Institute
Professor Kristofer M. Helgen is Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute. Professor Helgen was most recently a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide. Originally from Minnesota in the United States, Professor Helgen holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from Harvard University and a PhD in Zoology as a Fulbright Fellow from the University of Adelaide.
Professor Helgen holds additional academic appointments at the Natural History Museum in London, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, and George Mason University in Virginia.
Dr Georgina Kelly
Executive Director, Science, Economics and Insights, NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Dr Georgina Kelly is the Executive Director, Science, Economics and Insights at NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE). Over the last three decades, Dr Kelly has been working in environmental programs for management, regulation and policy.
Dr Kelly's career has focused on government environmental management and research agencies, including National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Environment Protection Authority, Sydney Water, Forestry Corporation NSW, the Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture), the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, and DPE’s Environment, Energy and Science Group. Dr Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours and a PhD from the University of Sydney, a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management from Flinders University and is an Adjunct Assoc. Professor at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales.
Dr Sam Nielsen
Director, Performance and Insights, NSW Public Service Commission
Dr Sam Nielsen is the Director, Performance and Insights at NSW Public Service Commission (PSC). Before joining the PSC in 2019, Dr Nielsen worked in the higher education sector for more than 20 years as a researcher, administrator and manager. Dr Nielsen developed and led the Strategic Intelligence Unit, International Strategy Unit and the Department of Reporting and Analysis at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Dr Nielsen holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Science (Applied Physics), a Bachelor of Information Technology, a Master of Education (Research) and a PhD in Disaster Management from the Queensland University of Technology.
Dr Antonio Penna
Executive Director, Office for Health and Medical Research
Dr Antonio Penna was appointed as the Executive Director of the Office for Health and Medical Research in 2012, bringing a wealth of experience from his professional background in health, research and medical administration. Dr Penna specialised in paediatric pharmacology and undertook clinical research for over a decade before moving into medical administration at Westmead and Royal North Shore Hospitals. In 2006, Dr Penna was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Dr Penna holds a Master of Business Administration from Macquarie University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Adelaide.
Dr Natalie Moltschaniwskyj
NSW Department of Primary Industries Chief Scientist
Dr Natalie Moltschaniwskyj is the NSW DPI Chief Scientist. Dr Moltschaniwskyj’s career spans more than three-decades and includes a five-year academic tenure at James Cook University, 12 years at The University of Tasmania, and five years at The University of Newcastle, before joining DPI Fisheries in 2016 as Director Fisheries Research.
Dr Natalie Moltschaniwskyj has strong track record of applied research with collaborative research with aquaculture and wild harvest sectors, with a demonstrated impact on management and policy. Evidence of research excellence is provided by more than 110 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and 15 industry focused publications supported by more than a $2.5 million in competitive research funding, including Australian Research Council (Discovery), Fisheries Research Development Council and Australian Research Council (Industry Linked) funding.
Dr Jessica Stewart
Executive Director of Insights, Analysis and Research, Department of Communities and Justice
Dr Jessica Stewart is the Executive Director of Insights, Analysis and Research in the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). Dr Stewart's role covers evaluating major reforms and programs across early intervention, child protection, homelessness and social housing, leading research, performance reporting, statistical and economic analysis for DCJ.
Dr Stewart has over 15 years’ experience in both federal and state governments, and Aboriginal health research. Dr Stewart has managed evaluations of health programs for NSW Health and led public reporting on the performance of hospitals and primary health care at the National Health Performance Authority. Dr Stewart was also study manager for the first Aboriginal-led randomised controlled trial to reduce smoking among pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Dr Stewart holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Law, a Masters of Public Policy and a PhD in health services research.