Prof Raymond (Ray) Chan is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Flinders University, and current Interim Vice President and Executive Dean, CSE. Prof Chan is a leading researcher in the field of Cancer Care, Systems and Policy. Prof Chan’s research program focuses on optimising models of care, health services’ and policy responses to address the needs of people affected by cancer. Prof Chan currently serves on the NHMRC Council (Triennium 2024-2027) [Ministerial Appointment].

Professor Giselle Rampersad is the Dean (Education) in the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University. She was named STEMM Educator of the Year in 2021 in the SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards. 

She is a Professor in Innovation and Co-Director of the Centre for Defence Engineering Research and Training at Flinders University. She is also the Director for the award winning Diploma of Digital Technologies. Under her leadership, it received national recognition, winning the Australian Defence Industry Award for the Training and Mentorship Program of the Year in 2020, by Defence Connect. It also won the Industry Collaboration award at the SA Training Awards in 2021. The program is undertaken by employees from BAE Systems Australia and other defence primes, SMEs, STEM teachers and Wine/AgTech. This program has achieved over 50% participation by women. 

She leads various major defence research projects including with Defence Science and Technology Group on digital twins. She has an interdisciplinary educational background including a PhD in Innovation and Technology Management (Adelaide University, Australia) and an MSc in Internet Systems and e-Business (Durham University, UK, Computer Science Department). Her research focuses on innovation and technology management, digital transformation and human factors in the adoption of disruptive technologies.

Prof Mark Taylor is Dean (Research) for the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University. Professor Taylor has over 25 years in experience in orthopaedic biomechanics and has spent time in both academia and industry. Prof Taylor’s main area of research is the applications of in silico medicine to orthopaedics, with research spanning diagnosis of osteoporosis to pre-clinical testing, in silico clinical trials and surgical planning of total hip and knee replacements.   Recently, he has focussed on assessing the ability of computational models to predict in vivo performance, which is an essential step to enabling the wider adoption of these tools in routine clinical practice.

Rocco is Professor and Head of Engineering at the Flinders University of South Australia, a position that he took up on 1st July 2014. As a part of this leadership role, he manages numerous research projects and teaching programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. His research interests include the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for transportation applications. This research work has mainly involved the use of Intelligent Transport System technologies to improve the effectiveness of transport. He also has a background in the assessment and investigation of the environmental impacts of various transport policy initiatives, including the use of alternative fuels and vehicles. Rocco is currently also heavily involved in connected and autonomous vehicle research and trials.

Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman is Head of Information & Computing Technology and Associate Professor in Cybersecurity and Networking. Dr Rehman holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Auckland, with research focusing on wireless network security. He is a Senior IEEE member and has served as a publication and local chair for EAI and IEEE conferences. He is on the conference program committee, a journal editorial member, and a reviewer for several journals and conferences relevant.

Anthony Kittel is the owner, CEO and Managing Director of the REDARC Group.

Born in Port Augusta, Anthony graduated as a qualified Mechanical Engineer at the South Australian Institute of Technology (Now UniSA).  He also completed his MBA at the University of Adelaide.

In 2013, Anthony completed the three year Owners Presidents Management program at the prestigious Harvard Business School. 

Anthony is a National Vice President and Director of Australian Industry Group, Chair of the College of Science and Engineering Industry Advisory Board at Flinders University and a member of the Adelaide University Business School Industry Advisory Board.

Anthony is also a Director of privately owned technology businesses Coogee Metals Limited and DEWC Systems.

He is a Chartered Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Murray has a coastal engineering background with a Bachelor of Engineering, Maritime (Hons), Australian Maritime College; a Master of Engineering Science (Civil), University of Melbourne; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering), Monash University.  He is a member of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the Royal Society of SA, and became a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2009 and a Fellow of the Governor's Leadership Foundation in 2010. 

Murray previously managed the Coast Protection Branch within the SA Department for Environment and Water until late 2023.  He and his team provided leadership, advice and guidance on coastal policy, engineering and management and climate change adaptation, manage Adelaide's beaches and provide support to the Coast Protection Board's governance, engagement, policy development and application and its works and grants programs.  The branch is a specialist group of coastal engineers and scientists, urban and regional planners, surveyors, policy officers and administrative staff.  He is currently Assistant Director, Climate Adaptation Policy in the Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, engaged in developing a National Adaptation Plan.

Research interests include the reintroduction of tidal flows to restore coastal ecosystems, the interaction between sea level rise impacts, demographics and value-adding opportunities in climate change adaptation, and impacts of rising sea levels on coastal processes and hazard management.  Murray has co-supervised postgraduate research students and publishes and presents on coastal policy and management and climate change adaptation.

He was the South Australia representative on Engineers Australia's National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering (NCCOE) from 2002 to 2017 and served two terms as Chair.   NCCOE released guidelines on climate change and sustainability on the coast in the 1990s, and a new guideline on adaptation in 2012.  These guidelines are periodically reviewed and contemporised.

Jessica Balasso is the General Manager for Engineering and Non Process Infrastructure for BHP in South Australia. Her Engineering team own and govern the technical standards, processes and design engineering working with the operational sites and all project teams conducing upgrades to existing infrastructure, equipment and tools as well as any new installations. She also leads the integrated services teams that provide Transport, Aviation, Accommodation, Waste management, maintenance, and services for all non-process infrastructure in SA and the Training team who manage vacation students, graduates, trainees and apprentices.  Prior to this role she was the Head of Technology for BHP South Australia from 2019 till 2023. She joined BHP in 2011 and has worked in various management roles in both South Australia and Western Australia. In railways, ports and processing across different layers of management and across production, maintenance, reliability, engineering and improvement.

Prior to joining BHP, Jessica managed a labor hire business recruiting for the mining industry and shutdown work crews across Whyalla, Port Augusta, Olympic Dam (SA) and Port Hedland (WA) where she worked with industry on job ready programs.

Jessica has been a member of the BHP Investment Review Committee, and lead for the BHP Wellness Committee, a volunteer group who promote and run a number of events held in offices and the sites in BHP across the year to support physical and mental health.

She is a mentor and supporter of BHP Women in South Australia network and regular guest speaker on careers and leadership in the BHP leadership programs, she has previously mentored for METS Ignited and other industry programs supporting technology startups and women in resources.

In her spare time Jess is an artist painting floral and botanical studies in large scale formats, she enjoys gardening in in her home in the Adelaide hill and spending time on the River Murray.

From technical foundations in Engineering, Andrew has a passion for understanding the big picture strategy of how things fit together.  Andrew is also motivated by small tangible steps delivering short term value and how that contributes towards coordinated long term impact.

Operating from within BAE Systems Australia’s Maritime Innovation Program, Andrew is the custodian of our Technology Roadmaps.  The strategy of our Innovation program also seeks to capture the best from our collaborators and participants.

Andrew has strong recognition that deliverable value comes from the convergence of technology and industry.  As an author of a number of our strategies, Andrew seeks to bring this to life within our key Innovation focus areas.  Our focus on our Digital Strategy and Digital Reference Architectures gives the landscape of the technology, skills, workforce and supply chain that we require to deliver on our ambitions.

These enablers will ultimately deliver for the outcomes of our Maritime business unit: headlined by the Hunter Class Frigate, Anzac Class Frigate and Hobart Class Destroyer programs.  These long term Defence capabilities require harnessing the workforce, industrial base and infrastructure of our nation, spanning multiple generations of continuous excellence, adaptability and innovation.

Andrew seeks to coordinate the brightest minds of our teams, our academic and research collaborators and our supply chain partners to best mobilise value for our national endeavours.

Jan is an association management specialist, with expert level understanding of member driven organisations. Through numerous management roles, Jan is accustomed to interfacing with government at all levels, regularly interacting and liaising with industry groups, education providers, board-level and C-suite executives. Jan’s success as a connector and communicator who thrives on building and maintaining strong relationships with high level stakeholder groups, decision makers and individuals alike has provided many successful outcomes for those she represents.

Jan has a solid appreciation and understanding of the practice of engineering, the challenges, and the opportunities facing the profession having worked with businesses specialising in engineering, advisory and design for well over a decade.

Ben is the General Manager of City Services at the City of Marion, responsible for the delivery of Council’s service programs, including Engineering, Assets and Environment, Community Connections which encompasses the Libraries, Neighbourhood Centres and Projects and Partnerships, and Operations. He has the full end to end primary accountability for the leadership, operations, and management of Council’s external service delivery.

Prior to joining the City of Marion, he served seven and a half years with Babcock International in both the UK and Australia, most recently leading a multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of the maintenance of the Weapons System for the Collins Class Submarine program, implementing substantial improvements across program performance, customer relationship and organisational culture. He also has a breadth of experience in various roles operating in highly regulated environments in the disciplines of Project, Program and Portfolio Management, Capability Management, Business Improvement and Chief of Staff to the Babcock Nuclear Chief Executive during the early stages of the global pandemic. Ben has also successfully managed his own companies in residential construction, the Superyacht industry and most recently in the extreme sports industry.

Ben has a broad range of experience across Construction, Civil Engineering, Marine, Nuclear, Defence and Local Government industries, paired with a passion for sustainability and the built environment, stemming back to his Masters in Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol in the UK.

Ben is a family man. Having emigrated from the UK in the middle of a pandemic with his wife and 2 young children, they are enjoying their new life in South Australia and can usually be found out on the water!

Mr Suneel S. Randhawa is Chief of Information Sciences Division in the Defence Science and Technology Group within the Australian Department of Defence in Adelaide, Australia. He was previously Research Leader for Cyberwarfare Operations within Defence Science and Technology Group.

Mr Randhawa’s expertise and research interests lie in Cyber Security and Cyber Warfare, with an emphasis in the intersection with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Autonomy. Mr Randhawa began his career with Defence Science and Technology Group in 1995, commencing in the Advanced Computer Capabilities group. He successfully received the prestigious Defence Science Fellowship in 2002 facilitating a secondment to SRI International in the USA.

Mr Randhawa has received several commendations including for his work on the Situation Awareness Common Operating Picture (SA-COP) for Headquarters Joint Operations Command in 2012 and in 2017 for his steerage of the Mission Assurance Research Collaboration (MARC) between the United States and Australia. Both awards highlighting Mr Randhawa’s longstanding productive relationships with international partners in Cyber Research.

Mr Randhawa holds: an Honours degree in Electrical and Electronics and a Masters in Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) with a research focus in Automatic Speech Recognition.

As a mechanical engineer, Anthony has over 23 years’ experience leading advanced technology product development and commercialisation of products in a wide range of sectors, including telecoms, IT, UHV, food, consumer durables, security and medical sectors. At Micro-X, he established the technology and commercialisation strategy for the start up, assisted with private capital raising and the public listing and has grown the team of over 85 staff. He currently leads all research and engineering operations as well as running the innovative CT business unit.

Anthony believes strongly in customer focused design and has delivered a number of award winning products including the MDS Sciex Cellkey™ Coca-Cola FreestyleTM, Philips VisaPure™ and the Caresteam DRX Revolution Nano™.

Nick graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Chemical) and a Masters of Engineering Science, earned in the G.K.Williams Centre for Extractive Metallurgy.  His early career was spent working in pyrometallurgy at Pasminco Research Centre in Cockle Creek NSW in the development of new zinc extraction processes and at Pasminco Metals BHAS in Pt Pirie SA on leadsmelter optimisation.  For the last 28 years he has been worked in the technology, consulting and utility sectors of the water industry. 

He has taken on diverse roles covering research and development, planning, design, project management, operations, safety, quality systems and data management. He has experience in water, wastewater, stormwater and recycled water treatment, water quality management, optimisation of operations, environmental and heritage management, asset management and WATSAN. With this background Nick takes a broad perspective on the social, technical, economic, environmental and political elements of the water industry, one that is fundamental to the health and prosperity of our communities and our planet.

He is currently Manager Research and Development at SA Water, a Chartered Professional Engineer and Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia, an associate editor for the Australian Water Association Water e-Journal, and a member of the SA Advisory Group for the Australian Water Industry Operations Association.

Kylie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. She works with Australia’s leaders in applied science, technology and engineering to advise decision-makers, lead crucial national conversations to solve complex challenges, and support Australia’s technology-powered, human-driven future.

Kylie is Chair of Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), driving evidence-based quality care for older Australians, is a Professorial Fellow at Flinders University, and – as a national award-winning science communicator – is a visiting Fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. In 2026, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to science communication and advocacy.

Her international leadership includes chairing the Australian National Commission for UNESCO. Kylie’s work to champion the people, structures and investments necessary to a thriving STEM-powered economy has been recognised with an honorary doctorate and a place on the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence list in 2019.

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Neil leads ASC’s Nuclear, WHSE, Quality & Assurance, and SubSafe teams, supporting the company's transformation into a nuclear-capable organisation.

He joined ASC in January 2025, bringing 30 years' experience across the nuclear industry managing complex projects, programs and strategic delivery partnerships.

Prior to joining ASC, Neil served as Executive Site Director for the UK's Sellafield site, where he led the nation's most complex nuclear facilities through significant operational and strategic transformation.

His leadership at Sellafield spanned major decommissioning and infrastructure programs, with a strong focus on improving asset condition, reducing risks and hazards, and delivering safe, efficient outcomes.

Neil is recognised for his ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, safety and collaboration.

He is a Fellow and Chartered Member of the Association for Project Management (UK), reflecting his commitment to excellence in project leadership and governance.