Behnam a PhD student with an MSc in Energy Engineering from Sapienza University of Rome and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Azad University. His academic and research experience covers renewable energy systems, electricity markets, photovoltaic technologies, battery storage, smart grids, and energy economics. At Sapienza University, he worked on projects involving techno economic impacts of photovoltaic curtailment, and electricity price behaviour in Spain. He also worked as a research assistant, using ImageJ and machine-learning techniques to analyse 13,200 microscope images of solar-panel soiling. His professional experience includes renewable-energy research on smart energy systems, market design, renewable integration, and data-driven modelling, as well as quality-control work in industry.

His PhD supervisor is Professor Christina Sklibosios Nikitopoulos.

His research interests include electricity markets, electricity-price modelling, renewable-energy integration, photovoltaic curtailment, battery energy storage.

PhD topic: Economic and Market Impacts of 4-Hour Li-ion Battery Storage for Mitigating PV Curtailment in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM).

His teaching areas include Energy Economics and Electricity Markets; Operations and Production Planning; Business Analytics and Quantitative Methods; and Sustainable Energy and Market Policy.

Dr Johanna Adriaanse is an internationally acclaimed expert in sport, women and gender equality. She began her career as a teacher in Physical Education and Sport in schools in the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. In 1990 she became an academic in Sport Science/Management at the University of Technology Sydney, where she currently is a Professional Fellow in the Business School.

She has published her work in edited books and prestigious academic journals in the field including the Journal of Sport Management, the International Review for the Sociology of Sport and the Journal of Business Ethics. She has been a visiting scholar in the USA (Smith College, Massachusetts), the Netherlands (Utrecht University) and Norway (Norwegian University of Sport Sciences).

In addition, Johanna is a strong public advocate for women's rights in sport and has completed projects with, among other, UN Women in New York, UK Sport in London and the Catalan Government in Barcelona. She regularly provides expert commentary for the media and has delivered presentations/workshops at conferences in all continents of the world. 

Throughout her career she has held numerous board positions, both nationally and internationally. She has been, among other, President of Womensport New South Wales (2000-2004), Board member of WomenSport International (2005-2019) and Co-chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (2006-2014). This demonstrates her strategic approach to working with others to affect social change.

In 2010 she convened the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport in Sydney and led its legacy: the Sydney Scoreboard, a tool to monitor and accelerate more women in sport leadership positions globally.

Johanna received a Trailblazer Award from the NSW Government for advancing women and sport in 2020 and the Margaret Pewtress Memorial Award from the Australian Government for her outstanding contribution to women’s sport in 2004. Representing the Netherlands in the Europe Cup for Hockey, she was a member of the team that won four gold medals in the 1970s.

Dr. Sumati Ahuja is the program director of the Digital Creative Enterprise major at the UTS Business School. Sumati is an academic with an impressive background of working in industry for over 25 years and teaching in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs for over 10 years. Her experience as an architect, educator and researcher condenses a unique trans-disciplinary orientation across the fields of Design, Innovation and Management. Sumati applies her considerable knowledge of creative thinking and practices in the design and delivery of her undergraduate and executive education courses at the UTS Business School.

Sumati's trans-disciplinarity underpins her research interests. Her research examines the changing world of work; how technology is changing the work of human experts and the impact of these changes on workers' and their emotional well being. She uses design perspectives to explore the value of design to business and social enterprise and how design-led innovation can be leveraged across a wide range of private and public sector organisations. Her work appears in leading international, peer reviewed journals and has been internationally recognised. Her research continues to influence practitioner communities through engagements with industry partners that have led to beneficial outcomes for partner organisations through improved strategies and practices that drive both business and societal change.

Sumati's PhD focused on the changing nature of professional work and explored the implications for the future of expert work. She is Winner of the UTS Business School Research Award (2022) for Early career researchers (ECRs), finalist in the prestigious international Grigor McClelland Doctoral Dissertation Award (2019) for most innovative PhD research in management and organization studies and winner, Best Paper Award for Journal of Professions and Organizations (2017) . Sumati was nominated for the UTS Medal of Excellence in Teaching and Research (2020).

Dr. Jake An is Senior Lecturer at the UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney, where he joined in April 2022. His research focuses on transforming data into societal value, with particular emphasis on how emerging technologies can amplify positive social impact. His work examines how digital tools—such as goal-enabling technologies and social investing platforms—can improve consumers’ financial wellbeing and influence broader societal outcomes.

Dr. An’s research has been published in leading international peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, and the Journal of Marketing. His work has received international recognition, including the Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award (2023), which honors the Journal of Marketing article published that year with the most significant contribution to marketing theory.

Before joining UTS, Dr. An completed a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) and PhD in Marketing at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2013 and 2018, respectively. From 2017 to 2022, he led research and development at Raiz Invest, a fintech company serving more than 600,000 active customers, where he worked on data-driven innovations to enhance financial decision-making and customer outcomes.

Professor Mikhail Anufriev (https://sites.google.com/view/anufriev) is an expert in bounded rationality and learning, experimental and behavioural economics, agent modelling, and complexity theory.

His work aims to improve our understanding of the economic processes by focusing on feedback loops between individual choices and aggregate market dynamics. It contributes to the growing area of heterogeneous agent modelling including theories of endogenous bubbles and crashes in financial market.

Professor Anufriev has recently published on the theoretical and empirical investigation of economic and social networks, as well as on wealth evolution in the models with heterogeneous expectations.

Mikhail's work has been published in leading economics journals including the Journal of the European Economic Association, the American Economic Journal: Micro, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of Banking and Finance, and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.

He is an associate editor of the Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, a member of editorial board of the Review of Behavioural Economics, and an associate editor of the annual special issue on macroeconomics and development of Industrial and Corporate Change.

Professor Anufriev was Head of the Economics Department in the UTS Business School from 2016 to 2021.

Dr Amir Armanious is a subject coordinator and lecturer in finance at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, with around two decades of academic experience spanning undergraduate, Master’s, MBA, and PhD programs. He has taught at local, regional, and international universities, bringing a wealth of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary teaching expertise.

Dr Armanious holds two PhDs in Applied Finance and Financial Economics, complemented by three Master’s degrees in Finance, Economics, and Strategic Planning, as well as three graduate certificates. His extensive academic qualifications underpin his research and teaching excellence.

Dr Armanious is a researcher in financial literacy, financial abuse, and financial fraud, integrating academic scholarship with industry practice. He played a central role in designing and coordinating the subject 25400 Financial Literacy. He contributes to the Financial Inclusion Action Plan (FIAP) and develops tailored financial literacy modules to enhance the knowledge and employability of UTS students.

His research adopts an interdisciplinary and impact-oriented approach, extending to entrepreneurship, responsible innovation, education, social impact, and future-focused teaching. He is particularly engaged in advancing student engagement, Generative AI applications in higher education, and assessment design, with an emphasis on preparing students for lifelong learning and leadership.

Dr Armanious has made significant contributions to student transition and success as the First and Further Year Experience (FFYE) Student Transition Coordinator, where he supports both students and staff and coordinates FFYE Forums. His impact has been recognised through prestigious awards, including:

• Runner-up for the Best Educator Award at the 2026 Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (MAIAs).
• UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Excellence Award in 2025.
• UTS Business School Achievement Award for Education and Student Experience in 2024.
• UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Excellence Award in 2018.
• 2017 SIBT Learning and Teaching Excellence Award.
• Top Teaching awards for 2024, 2019, and 2018.

As a committed higher education leader, Dr Armanious is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and serves as a mentor and reviewer within the UTS Educational Fellowship Program (EFP), supporting colleagues in achieving Advance HE recognition in fellowship and senior fellowship categories. He also contributes through committee service, including the Finance Department Education Committee and External Engagement and Student Engagement initiatives, as well as collaborations with UTS Startups.

Dr Armanious is the Academic Engagement Coordinator at the Centre for Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA). He also serves as Associate Editor of the Advances in Economics Education journal, regularly reviews for international journals, and coordinates academic conferences, shaping the next generation of researchers and industry leaders. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences, workshops, and symposiums.

As a doctoral supervisor, Dr Armanious plays a vital role in mentoring and guiding emerging scholars, fostering the development of future industry leaders and researchers, and contributing to the advancement of knowledge and practice in finance and entrepreneurship.

In addition to his academic career, Dr Armanious has extensive professional experience as a financial consultant for the United Nations, government institutions, multinational corporations, and startups, bridging academic research with practical global impact.

Michelle Baddeley is an applied economist specialising in social and behavioural economics focussing on themes including jury bias, expert opinion, migration, vulnerable work; and energy and the environment.

Michelle has taught and supervised across a wide range of economics and finance subjects and has published across a wide range of journals. Her books include Behavioural Economics – A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press), Behavioural Economics and Finance (Routledge, 2nd edition in 2018) and Copycats and Contrarians – Why We Follow Others and When We Don’t (Yale University Press).

Dr. Christopher Bajada is a Professor of Economics with expertise in applied macroeconomics, specialising in the circular economy, business cycles, economic measurement, tax compliance, and management practices. He is the Research Director of the Centre for Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA), where he leads a multidisciplinary team in translating complex data into actionable strategies that help businesses and governments make informed strategic decisions. Additionally, he serves as the Associate Editor of the journal, Advances in Economics Education, and is the Director of the Bachelor of Economics at UTS.

Professor Bajada has authored several research books, academic textbooks, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. He has successfully secured numerous competitive research grants, including funding from the Australian Research Council and various state and Commonwealth government agencies. With extensive experience in industry and government consulting, he has conducted research for several organisations, including the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science; the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; the Office of the Chief Economist (Canberra); the Australian Bureau of Statistics; the Export Council of Australia; Deloitte Access Economics; the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage; the National Association of Testing Authorities; the Asian Productivity Organisation (Tokyo); Cotton Research Development Corporation; and the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council.

In the field of education, Professor Bajada has played a key role in shaping Economics Learning Standards for Australian Higher Education and the NSW Economics HSC Curriculum (2027). He previously served as Associate Dean (Education) at the UTS Business School and chaired the UTS Teaching and Learning Committee. He has taught economics across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai, including the Executive MBA, with teaching spanning microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Recognised for his outstanding teaching, Chris has received both the University’s Teaching Excellence Award and a National Citation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in Higher Education. He has also supervised numerous Honours and PhD students.

Professor Bajada has held several external appointments, including serving as a Council Member of the Economic Society of Australia (NSW Branch), a member of the Australian Taxation Office’s Cash Economy Task Force, and a member of the expert committee responsible for developing national Economics Learning Standards for Higher Education in Australia.

Anna is an Associate Professor in the Accounting Discipline Group. Her research focuses on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and innovation. She has published in a number of peer reviewed journals and her research has been widely circulated in major media publications such as Forbes, SMH, and AFR. She has previously been a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and Bocconi University.

Anna lectures in both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects on corporate business acquisitions and business analytics. She has consistently been voted in the Top 20 lecturers lists. She has previously received the Postgraduate Business Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award (2018 and 2019), the Undergraduate Business Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award (2011 and 2019) and a Teaching Citation in 2018. 

In addition to her research and teaching, Anna is passionate about widening participation and increasing student engagement. Anna is a board member of ActivateUTS and the Treasurer of Financial Research Network (FIRN). Prior to joining as a full time member, Anna completed her Honours degree with 1st class Honours and completed her PhD on the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

David Bedford is a Professor at UTS Business School in the Accounting Discipline. David is internationally recognized as a leading researcher in the field of management accounting and control. His research focuses on the design of performance measurement systems in firms pursuing different types of innovation, how combinations of management controls are designed to align to strategic objectives, the use of management controls in supporting organizational sustainability, and the role of accounting in deliverying public healthcare. 

David has published his research in leading academic journals, including Accounting Organizations and Society, Management Accounting Research, and Journal of Management Accounting Research. David is an Associate Editor at the British Accounting Review and Journal of Management Control, and is an editorial board member of Accounting, Organizations and Society, Management Accounting Research, and European Accounting Review.

David is actively engaged with practice, having experience in collaborative projects with a range of government, industry, professional, and social enterprises, including ANZ, Telstra, Acciona, CPA Australia, NSW Health, the Independent Health Pricing Authority (IHPA), and the Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF). He is an invited speaker at academic and industry conferences and is highly regarded in delivering tailored executive education and specialist training, covering topics such as performance management, data literacy, data informed decision-making, and cost management.

As Research Officer (Centres) in the Business Research Office at UTS Business School, I provide operational and strategic support to the School’s research centres, enabling high-quality research and collaboration. My responsibilities include assisting with budgeting for research proposals, coordinating contract execution, managing financial processes such as invoice monitoring and acquittals, and supporting the planning and delivery of research engagement activities. I work closely with centre directors, researchers, the central research office, the finance department, and professional staff to ensure compliance and efficiency across research activities. Through this role, I contribute to the School’s institutional goals by fostering a collaborative research environment and supporting initiatives that drive innovation and impact.