Innovation and Entrepreneurship Collaborative

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.

Associate Professor Martin Bliemel is the Director of Innovation at TD School (ex Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Prior to this, he served as the inaugural Director of Research (aka ADR) for TD School for 4 years. In 2024, with colleague Jochen Schweitzer, he co-instigated the Innovation & Entreprenuership Collaborative (IEC) across UTS, more formally bringing together 30 researchers from across UTS with a common interest in evidence-based innovation policy and producivitiy improvements (https://iec.uts.edu.au/). 

Martin’s research interests include startups, entrepreneurial networks, accelerators, education, research commercialisation, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the entrepreneurial university. Martin’s research has been published in several prestigious journals including Nature Nanotechnology, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Technovation, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Education+Training, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, and the Entrepreneurship Research Journal where one of his articles on entrepreneurship education is ERJ’s most downloaded article. 

His work frequently informs innovation policy, such as the $23m Incubator Support Programme by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, the evaluation of the $150m Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). He has been an expert advisor and author on several innovation policy reports for the New South Wales Innovation and Productivity Council, and has led projects for various levels of government, including Georges River Council, Greater Cities Commission, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT Australia-Indonesia Institute), and OECD. 

In 2020, Martin had the privilege to host the UTS Impact Studios 7+1-part podcast series, which was also featured as part of an article for The Conversation titled "Who cares about university research? The answer depends on its impacts"

Martin is a recipient of the nationally competitive Office of Learning and Teaching Citation for “For preparing students studying management to become entrepreneurs by creating authentic and respectful learning experiences that immerse students in collaborative interactions with external stakeholders."

He is a member of the committee for the Australasian Consortium for Entrepreneurship Research Excellence (ACERE), was a subcommittee and Expert Advisory Group member of the NSW Innovation & Productivity Council, and was on the executive committee for the Network of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research Organisations (NITRO Oceania).

In previous careers, he's worked with Canada's oldest Angel Network, Canada's largest startup pitch competiton, various startups, launched his own startup consultancy, engineered the tuned mass damper for Taipei 101, worked assembly line in a car manufacturing plant, and a few more mechanical engineering experiences. 

Michael Blumenstein is currently a Visiting Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) where he previously served as the Pro Vice Chancellor (Business Creation and Major Facilities). Earlier, Michael served as the Acting Dean and the Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) in the Faculty of Engineering & IT at UTS, and prior to this, he held the positions of Associate Dean (Research Strategy and Management) and Head of the School of Software (now Computer Science). Previously, Professor Blumenstein worked at Griffith University in Queensland where he accumulated over a decade of experience in leadership roles including portfolio Dean (Research) of the Sciences Group and Head of the School of ICT.

Professor Blumenstein has served in numerous leadership roles with industry and professional associations over two decades, including most recently as a Board Member of the Internet of Things Alliance Australia (IoTAA). Previously he served as Vice President (Academic) of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), and prior to that as Director of Technical Advisory Boards. Professor Blumenstein was also elected onto and served as a member on the NSW Council of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA). Prior to moving to NSW, he served as the Chair of the Queensland Branch of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Computational Intelligence Society. He was also the Gold Coast Chapter Convener and a Board Member of the ACS Queensland Branch Executive Committee. He is a past Chairman of the IT Forum Gold Coast and a former Board Member of IT Queensland.

Michael has served on the Australian Research Council's (ARC) College of Experts on the Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics (EMI) panel. In addition, he also served on the Executive of the Australian Council of Deans of Information and Communication Technology (ACDICT).

Paul is a national and international award-winning academic specialising in production economics, integrated modelling to understand and evaluate the sustainability of production systems, innovative and innovation-management practices, and teaches Creative Intelligence and Innovation at UTS.

Paul is a leader in several multi-disciplinary teams and has successfully led or contributed to over 15 externally funded research engagements, leading to over 28 policy papers and industry reports on various topics. Several of his projects have significance at the national level, such as his work on Management Capability, Innovation and Productivity, and, more recently, Waste Avoidance Measurement. Paul’s work has been published in leading international journals, including Journal of Cleaner Production, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research, British Accounting Review and Business Strategy and the Environment.

Paul has been part of the teaching and development teams for a range of innovative subjects and courses which have been recognised as being at the leading edge of innovation in education and industry engagement, including the international award-winning Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (Bronze Award - Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Award 2016 (category of Presence Learning Innovation). Awarded for “the most innovative classroom-based pedagogy resulting in enhanced student learning” for BCII: Create The Future (University of Technology Sydney, Australia). One of the key characteristics of the BCII degree is that it has been recognized as being at the leading edge of work-integrated learning and other teaching and learning strategies that involve information transfers and innovation at the interface of the university and industry.

Paul completed a Master of Business Administration degree in Accounting, graduating with Distinction at UTS in 2004. He received the ACCA prize for being judged the best graduating student in the Master of Business in Accounting. Paul joined the UTS School of Accounting in 2005 as an associate lecturer, subsequently completing a PhD in 2009 on the topic 'Group versus Individual Compensation Schemes for Senior Executives and Firm Performance'.

Kate Carruthers is a leader in data analytics, AI, data governance, and cyber security with extensive experience across higher education, large enterprises, startups, and boards. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Transdisciplinary School at UTS and is researching AI governance and innovation policy.

She is the Professor of Contemporary Technology Management at the School of Computer Science at UTS. Her main interest and research topics are Digital Transformations, Entrepreneurship, and Technology & Innovation Management. She serves in various prestigious journals, including IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, where she is the Senior Department Editor for the Technology Management track.

She received her B.S. degree from the Industrial Engineering Department at Bogazici University (BU) in Turkey, her MA degree from the Economics Department at BU, and her Ph.D. degree from the Management Department at Istanbul Technical University. She holds an "Entrepreneurship Certificate" from Harvard Business School and a "Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program Certificate" from MIT.

She worked at Case Western Reserve University (USA), Portland State University (USA), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), and Sabanci University (Turkey). She was a visiting professor at Cambridge University, the UK (in 2008 and 2024), and MIT, the US (in 2014). She has participated in many international projects, including those of the UN and the EU. She has more than 220 publications, including ten books. She received an "encouragement award" from the Turkish Academy of Sciences in 2003, the Best Book award from the International Association for Management of Technology in 2012, and the PICMET Fellow award in 2019.

She served in various administrative roles. After being the Director of the Competitiveness Center from 2008-11, she was the founding Director of the SUCOOL Accelerator at Sabanci University, which she directed from 2012-17. She joined the Faculty of Engineering and IT at UTS in 2017 as the Director of the Masters in Business and Technology. She served as the Director of Techcelerator from 2021 to 2024.

Bronwen is the Head, Department of Management and Director of the Masters of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Program at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is also the founder and CEO of the charity Ruff Sleepers , a service that washes the dogs of homeless people while also advocating for greater awareness of the value of pet ownership for mental and physical wellbeing, and for improved housing options for homeless people with pets. In 2015 she was the Co-Director of the UTS Centre for Cosmopolitan Civil Societies and in 2012 she was also the National Manager, Research at Mission Australia. Bronwen completed her PhD at the University of Oxford, where she was awarded the Oxford University Larkinson Award for Social Studies and was the recipient of the British Vice-Chancellors Committee Overseas Research Scholarship and the Korea Foundation Scholarship. Bronwen also has a BA from the Australian National University and a MA from Yonsei University, Korea. She is on the Boards of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Australia Korea Foundation; the National Volunteering Research Advisory Group; Volunteering NSW and the editorial board of the journal Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. She is also Regional Vice-President, Oceania of the International Council of Voluntarism and Civil Society.  In recognition of her significant service to social advocacy and social justice academia and to charitable organisations, Professor Dalton received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division of the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.

Bronwen has conducted extensive research in the field of Not-for-Profit sector studies and authored book chapters and journal articles on NFP childcare, NFP business venturing, social enterprises and advocacy. She has also published studies on international NGOs and recently co-authored a book on the role of NGOs in combating Sex Trafficking. From 2003-2011 Bronwen was Director, Centre for Australian Community Organisations and Management. In 2007-8 Bronwen was an investigator on an Australian Research Council Linkage grant which examined the National Compact, an agreement finalised between the NFP sector and the Australian Federal Government. Bronwen was an expert adviser on the evaluation of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services’ Stronger Families and Communities Strategy. Bronwen has also worked closely with the NSW community sector as part of her work in social policy at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the NSW Attorney General’s Department.

Bronwen has a long association with Korea and speaks Korean. She was a Director of the National Korean Studies Centre (NKSC) (1993 - 1996) a consortium of La Trobe University, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Melbourne. Bronwen has focused her interests on North Korea. In 2013-2016 Bronwen is Chief Investigator on an ARC Discovery grant titled “North Korea's Quiet Transformation: Women in the Rise of the Informal Market - DP130101700”. This is the first major research project to investigate the role played by women in the emergence of a nascent capitalist economy in North Korea.

Professor Simon Darcy believes passionately in the rights of all people to fully participate in community life. A Professor in Management in the Enterprise, Innovation and Impact discipline at UTS Business School, he specialises in developing inclusive organisational approaches for marginalized groups, including people with disability. Simon’s work has spanned transport, tourism, employment, entrepreneurship, the built environment, sport, events, volunteers, and disability services. It is characterised by an evidence-based approach to changing practice in the business, government and not-for-profit sectors.

He has been awarded Australian Research Council grants involving volunteer management, disability entrepreneurship and improving sport legacy for marginalized groups. Together with his involvement in the CRC for Sustainable Tourism, other major grants involving national and international organisations he seeks to bring an evidence-base to change practice and policy for improved social participation and citizenship. Some of the major areas of impact includes contributing significantly to the understanding of the business case for accessible tourism nationally and internationally through the UN World Tourism Organization and, with Professor Jock Collins, undertaking research that has illuminated entrepreneurship among people with disability – informing development of the IgniteAbility startup program and ongoing work as a mentor with Remarkable.

Simon is currently working on a number of projects related to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Australian Disability Strategy 2021-31, disability citizenship and person-centred approaches. Internationally, he is involved in research on the management of volunteers at the Olympics and Paralympics, understanding legacy outcomes of major events, and the importance of accessibility for the sustainability and liveability of cities. Connected to all this work is how disability relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

To all this work, Simon brings an insider's perspective to working with marginalized groups as someone with lived experience of disability where he has experienced a pre-disability world and then as somebody who traumatically acquired his disability he has had to navigate the very different discriminatory ableist world from a disability perspective. He became the first complete quadriplegic to be a professor in Australia.

Simon also has a long history of involvement in advocacy and on volunteer boards, and of involvement with the disability community as a person with traumatically acquired disability. He has been a power wheelchair user since 1983. Simon was a member of the Disability Council of NSW (2011-2015) and actively involved in development of the NSW Disability Inclusion Act 2014. He has held a variety of board positions, was the Vice-President of the Association of Consultants in Access Australia, and is/has been an advisor to the Commonwealth and New South Wales Government on disability services, employment/entrepreneurship, transport and tourism.

Simon’s outstanding contribution to research, engagement and collaboration in accessible tourism was recognised with the World Leisure Organisation’s 2010 Innovation Prize for the Sydney For All project with Destination NSW and Easy Access Australia. He received the 2009 Vision Australia Making a Difference Award for this work. In 2017 he was invited to present the Richard Jones Oration for the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission examining issues of transport, travel, sport and tourism as it relates to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2015 and 2021 Simon collaborated with UN World Tourism Organization on the development of publications outlining the field of accessible tourism and industry best practice.

From 2021-2026 Simon was named in the top 2% of scientists worldwide by the Stanford University/Elsevier BV citation metrics. This included in Business & Management & the subfields of Sports, Leisure & Tourism; Rehabilitation; and Economics & Business (See Baas, Jeroen; Boyack, Kevin; Ioannidis, John P.A. (2021-2026).

Simon was a recipient of the UTS Vice Chancellor’s Human Rights Award and the inaugural UTS human rights social media award. He also received the 2018 and 2023 Distinguished Research Scholars Award from the UTS Business School. In 2024 Simon received the UTS Chancellor's Medal for Sustained Research Excellence for work on the social participation of marginalised groups, disability citizenship and developing transformative solutions to discriminatory practices.

Simon has been recognised for his contribution to the disability community through being an Australia Day Ambassador and an Ambassador for the Don’t Dis My Ability campaign, He was nominated and awarded as highly commended for the 2020 National Aspire Awards in both the Government/University and Human Rights categories. From 2021-2024 Simon has been an Ambassador for the IncludeAbility Employment Program of the Australian Human Rights Commission working with 17 of Australia's largest employers.

Simon's research has been published in leading international journals, including the Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, Voluntas, European Sports Management Quarterly, Event Management, Disability & Society, and Disability & Rehabilitation. Simon is also author or co-author or editor of 10 books, including Managing the Paralympics (2017), The Dis/ABLED Tourist: Navigating an Ableist Tourism World (2024), Accessibility in Sport Management: An International Venue Perspective (2025), and forthcoming The Paradox of Minority Entrepreneurship: Australian Insights, Global Implications (2027).

In 2026 Simon was recognised for his outstanding contributions to higher education, and accessible and inclusive environments in the Australian Honours list as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Professor Héléne de Burgh-Woodman has undertaken a range of projects on consumer communities and marketing theory with a particular interest in inter-disciplinary approaches to the cultural uses of marketplace artefacts within communities. Hélène is also engaged in work on consumer agency and interactions with market forces as a way of understanding issues of community cohesion, formation of ethical positions and social sustainability. Hélène is an Endeavour Research Fellow, a recipient of various grants and awards in excess of $5m and has successfully led a range of strategic, inclusion, social impact and engagement projects. She is a member of peak academic bodies in her field and a long-standing member of institutional statutory boards such as University Research Committees, Teaching and Learning, Social Justice and Inclusion, Academic Boards, Scientific Councils, ERA panels and external review panels. Hélène is the founder of the International Centre for Knowledge Resilience, a joint research centre in collaboration with numerous prestigious European partner institutions.

Sabina is a social researcher and educator with extensive expertise in qualitative research and meaningful community engagement. Her work spans a broad range of sectors, including entrepreneurship, small business, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, disadvantaged and at-risk populations, public policy, education, health, aged care, disability, and climate change.

Since June 2024, Sabina has been seconded to the Central Research Office. Initially appointed as a Business Research Engagement Associate, she supported academic staff in identifying tender opportunities and building their capacity to secure competitive funding. She is currently acting as the Business Research Engagement Manager for AgTech, where she leads strategic initiatives that connect UTS researchers with industry partners, fostering impactful collaborations and driving innovation.

Sabina holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, where her doctoral research explored the role of cultural capital and religious diversity in shaping entrepreneurial practices. Her qualitative study focused on small and medium-sized ethnic minority-owned businesses, with particular attention to how religious capital influences business decision-making and operations.

A passionate advocate for continuous learning and professional growth, Sabina is dedicated to empowering researchers. She shares her knowledge and experience to help them navigate complex funding environments and deliver research that addresses society’s most pressing and persistent challenges.

Enterprise Software Systems -> Adaptive Enterprise Architecture | Agile Software Development | Design Science Research & Innovation

Linked Architecture Standard: ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2022 - Software, systems and enterprise
https://www.iso.org/standard/74393.html 

Summary: 

Professor Asif Gill is Head of Discipline Software Engineering at the School of Computer Science, UTS. He is also a Director of the DigiSAS Lab. He is a fellow of the ACS (Australian Computer Society) and DSE (ESCP Center for Design Science in Entrepreneurship), and senior member IEEE. He is a member of the Data Sharing Committee, IFIP Technical Committee 8.1, and Standards Australia Software and Systems Engineering Committee IT-015. He is also an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Technology & Society.  As a founder of DigiSAS Lab and FGEA (Future Generation Enterprise Architecture) CoP for industry and government, he has enabled integrated teaching-research-engagement that fosters the exchange and translation of research into practical applications and at the same time creates and enhances graduate employment opportunities. He is often invited and involved as a professional keynote speaker, editor, conference chair, organizer and reviewer for a number of national and international academic and industry conferences. 

Career and Roles:
Asif is a senior technology leader with extensive 25+ years’ experience covering various academic and professional roles. Throughout his career, along he spent significant time with industry and government through expert advisory and consulting in strategy, enterprise architecture, software development, product engineering and innovation. He has experience in leading and developing teams, as well as training and coaching enterprise architects and software engineers. He has led and delivered several successful engagements across education, government and other sectors.

Qualifications and Professional Certifications:
Asif has PhD Computing, MSc Computing and Master of Business. He is also certified as a Data Vault Data Modeler (Mastery Level) for information/ data architecture, DCAM for Data Management Capability Assessment Model, CDS for Collibra Data Steward, Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt) for lean business process architecture, applied business architecture (EA), ITIL (Foundation) for service architecture, TOGAF 9 (Level 1 & 2) for enterprise architecture and CISM for information security. He is also ACS Certified Professional and Fellow. 

Research and Innovation:
Asif's applied research and innovation work focuses on the large scale data-intensive enterprise software systems that targets the challenges of academia, industry, government and society. He is an internationally recognised leader in adaptive enterprise architecture (AEA) driven agile software development (ASD) and design science research (DSR). His work focuses on architecting, implementing and evaluating the human-centric enterprise software systems (e.g. applications, data, AI). He collaborated with several organisations such as Capsifi, Cuscal, Data Zoo, Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU), Enviro Frontier, Evolve and Amplify (E&A), Geotron, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPE), Reserve Bank of Australia, Revenue NSW and Surround Australia. He has extensive professional experience in leading and delivering multi-million dollar research & innovation projects. 

Engagement and Impact: 

Asif’s research and innovation work is largely supported by industry and government grants.  His collaboration with government and industry resulted in several impactful contributions. His collaborative work with the government research partner (RBA) resulted in the IT system resilience framework and software solution for increasing resilience in the banks’ business technology services. This is critical for financial transactions and payments within in the overall context of Australia’s economy. His collaborative work with the government research partner (Revenue NSW) resulted in the enterprise knowledge graph based complex customer data architecture and software solution. This work contributed to data efficiency and innovation practices, which is critical for data-driven knowledge economy. Similarly, his collaboration with the industry research partner (Capsifi)  contributed to the the development of data-driven intelligent enterprise architecture practices, tools and techniques. Furthermore, his collaboration with several other industry research partners (e.g. Capsifi, Data Zoo) resulted in innovation software systems and solutions. 

Professional Advisory and Practice:
Asif's earlier professional experience in agile software development, solution architecture, information architecture, information security, and program management provided a strong foundation for later work in digital strategy, enterprise architecture, innovation, board member. He worked with several organisations such as Ability Options, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, ANZ Bank, Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Defence, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DoIIS), Digital Transformation Agency, Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU), Flexi Group, ING Australia, OnePath, KPMG, Telstra, Transport for NSW (TfNSW), TAFE, University of Newcastle, and University of Sydney etc. He has extensive professional experience in leading and delivering multi-million dollar commercial consulting engagement including enterprise learning and executive education. He is also advising start-ups in developing innovative digital technology enabled business models and platforms.

Publications:
Asif introduced novel information driven adaptive enterprise architecture and information trilogy theories, and 4 practical frameworks for designing and implementing the large scale data-intensive enterprise software systems: Agile Software Solution Framework, Adaptive Enterprise Architecture Framework, Digital Ecosystem Information Framework, and Research & Innovation frameworks. He authored 3 books and 190+ articles. His work has appeared in major academic journals: IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Information and Management, Information Systems, Communications of the AIS, Computers and Security, Data and Knowledge Engineering, Information and Software Technology, Information Systems Frontiers, Journal of Systems and Software; Conferences: ASWEC, AINA, AMCIS, ACIS, CAiSE, CBI, EDOC, ER, HICSS, ICIS, ICONIP, ISD, PACIS, PoEM; and industry articles: IEEE IT Professional, Cutter IT Journal, CIO Magazine, Enterprise Architecture Professional Journal, Public Sector Network, Sydney Morning Herald, and The Conversation.

Emeritus Professor Roy Green AM is Special Innovation Advisor at the University of Technology Sydney. Roy graduated with first class honours from the University of Adelaide and gained a PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge, where he was also a Research Fellow. He has worked in universities, business and government in Australia and overseas, including as Dean of the Macquarie Graduate School of Management and Dean and Vice-President for Research at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is also a Conjoint Professor at the University of Newcastle and a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Management, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, Centre for Policy Development and Royal Society of NSW.

Roy has advised and published widely in the areas of innovation policy and management as well as trends in business education. He has undertaken research projects with the OECD, European Commission and other international bodies. Roy chaired the Australian Government's Innovative Regions Centre, CSIRO Manufacturing Sector Advisory Council, NSW Manufacturing Council and Queensland Competition Authority. He has also participated on the board of the Innovative Manufacturing CRC and as a member of the Enterprise Connect Advisory Committee, ABS Innovation Technical Reference Group, SA Training and Skills Commission, SA Public Sector Performance Commission, NSW Modern Manufacturing Taskforce, Committee for Sydney Knowledge Economy Taskforce, Australian Fashion Chamber and the Prime Minister’s Manufacturing Taskforce.

Roy conducted the Australian Government's Review of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Industries, led Australian participation in a global study of management practice and productivity, coordinated an Australian Business Deans Council project on the future of management education, and he has prepared or co-authored numerous research and public policy reports, including a report on a national innovation framework for Australia for the Business Council of Australia, a report on public sector innovation for the Institute of Public Administration Australia, a report on productivity for the McKell Institute, a report on NSW innovation precincts for the NSW Government, a review of SA advanced manufacturing strategy and a report for the Senate Innovation System Inquiry on the structure and performance of Australia's national innovation system, which became an input to the Prime Minister's National Innovation and Science Agenda.

More recently, Roy joined the Board of CSIRO and the SmartSat CRC, and he is a member of the CSU Council and the newly established Australian Design Council and Committee for Sydney Economics Advisory Council. He is also currently Chair of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub and the Port of Newcastle.

Jan Henrik Gruenhagen is a Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Deputy Director of the Diploma in Innovation at the Transdisciplinary (TD) School at UTS. His research interests include international entrepreneurship, the new venture creation process, innovation systems, entrepreneurial ecosystems and the development, adoption and diffusion of new technologies. Jan has been involved in several externally funded research projects, including projects investigating innovation districts, entrepreneurial support organisations and decarbonisation initiatives in the resources sector. Jan has developed and teaches several subjects that equip students with skills related to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining UTS, Jan worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for METS Business Innovation at QUT Business School researching firm and system level enablers and barriers to technology development, adoption and diffusion. He received his PhD for his research at the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research at QUT investigating start-up activities and impact of returnee entrepreneurs in emerging economies. Jan also completed a Master of Business (International Business) and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Science.

Before working in academia, Jan accumulated extensive industry experiences as a journalist, editor and news anchor for radio and print media in Germany.

Dr.-Ing. Matthias Guertler is a Senior Lecturer (~ US associate professor) and founding member of the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Technology Sydney. He holds a German engineering PhD in Engineering Systems Design (Dr.-Ing.) from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, along with two Master degrees, one in manufacturing and mechatronics engineering, and one in innovation management. Matthias is a core member of the newly established Australian and New Zealand, Design and Engineering Network (ANDEN).

His applied research in Engineering Systems Design focuses on developing and applying new processes, methods and tools that help organisations in building an in-depth understanding of specific issues/problems, developing alternative solutions, and assessing and selecting the most suitable ones. While this usually means the product development of technical systems, it can also include overarching issues like technology adoption and force design. His research can be categorised into two overarching areas:
1.) Advanced Systems Engineering, including AI-enhanced Systems Engineering and hybrid-agile Systems Engineering
2.) Systematic advanced manufacturing technology adoption in SMEs

Current examples include the development of (a) local LLM system to augment requirement engineering, (b) new guidelines to design safe cobot workplaces, and (c) the development of adoption framework of new advanced and digital manufacturing capabilities, such as collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing and digital twins – also considering necessary socio-technical enablers like organisational and individual competences and training.

Through his longstanding work in and with German and Australian manufacturing companies and the Australian Defence Force, he built a deep understanding of the socio-technical opportunities and challenges of advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Through his applied research projects, he supports organisations in understanding and solving pressing complex socio-technical problems. His work particularly focuses on the interface and dependencies between product development and advanced manufacturing, and the transfer of research results to practice.


Interested in doing a PhD that combines research with practical impact to support Australian companies and organisations?

• Contact me via Matthias.Guertler@uts.edu.au - please include a CV, transcript of record, and brief outline of your research interest and background.
• Topics around systems engineering include
  • Strengthen local industry through scalable systems engineering capabilities
  • Explore AI augmentation of systems engineering to make its adoption and use easier while keeping human skills and talent
  • Support companies in adapting new technologies to address capability needs while ensuring compatibility with existing Brownfield systems
• Industry PhDs are welcome too.

I've developed software used by over 100 million users (Ad Muncher), implemented the largest survey of Australia's startup ecosystem (Startup Muster), grown Australia's largest network of startup hubs (Fishburners), designed and implemented Australia's first data-focused accelerator program (Westpac FUELD), and I'm now leading the largest early stage startup incubator in Australia (UTS Startups), at the heart of both UTS and the Tech Central precinct.

Australia’s future relies on Australia’s future tech sector, I’m passionate about both.

Catherine Killen is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Built Environment at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. She teaches in the Postgraduate Project Management Program and conducts research on the management of innovation and projects with a focus on project portfolio management. Catherine has published more than 100 journal articles, conference papers and book chapters in these areas. Her recent projects have explored the links between strategy and projects in construction, the use of data visualisations to support project and portfolio decision making, and the multi-dimensional nature of strategic value. Her research is published in top journals such as the International Journal of Project Management, Project Management Journal, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. Catherine also delivers corporate workshops and assists organisations benchmark and improve their innovation and portfolio decision-making processes. 

Catherine has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia (USA) with high distinction, a Master of Engineering Management from the University of Technology, Sydney (awarded the MEM prize), and a PhD from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney, Australia.

Nancy Kong is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE). She earned her PhD from Dalhousie University (Canada) in 2017. Nancy's expertise lies in leveraging microeconometric modeling to delve into the intricate connections between economics and health. Her research focus revolves around child development, with a particular emphasis on exploring how economic conditions are transmitted across generations, influencing children's health outcomes, cognitive abilities, and non-cognitive skills. Furthermore, Nancy is interested in the economics of innovation, especially the patent system and its implications for economic progress and technological advancements. Her research is covered by media outlets such as the New York Times, the Guardian, ABC News, and the Conversation.

Research interests:

• Health inequality
• Socioeconomic determinants of health
• Maternal and child health
• Panel data analysis
• High dimensional data analysis
• Applied econometrics

Dr. Helena Li is a Senior Lecturer at UTS Business School at the University of Technology Sydney. She received her Ph.D. in 2018 from Zhejiang University, China, and was a visiting scholar at The University of Sydney and The University of Melbourne for one year during her PhD candidature. She has been the subject coordinator for three undergraduate subjects: Introduction to International Business, Transnational Management, and IB Capstone and one MBA class: Global Strategic Management. 

Helena Li’s research examines how organizations and leaders navigate an increasingly complex world shaped by (de)globalization, technological disruption, and societal challenges. Her overarching goal is to generate insights that help organizations create both economic and societal value through effective strategy, innovation, and responsible leadership.

Her work sits at the intersection of global strategy, innovation, sustainability, and public policy, with a particular focus on two interconnected themes. First, she investigates how organizations learn, innovate, and adapt in response to changing institutional environments, emerging technologies, and global opportunities. Second, she explores how organizations, governments, and other stakeholders collaborate to address grand societal challenges such as sustainability, environmental protection, and inclusive growth.

A central thread across her research is understanding how external institutions and internal leadership jointly shape organizational decision-making. In particular, she examines how government–organization interactions, public policies, political environments, and leaders’ experiences and capabilities influence strategic choices, innovation outcomes, and broader societal impact.

Her research has been published in leading international journals, including Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Global Strategy Journal, Regional Studies, International Business Review, Journal of International Management, and Asia Pacific Journal of Management.

Research Substream 1: Global Strategy, Innovation, and Technological Change 

Research Substream 2: Sustainability and Social Impact

Helena Li was one of the chief investigators for several research projects on lifting Australian firms’ managerial capabilities funded by the Australian Federal Government. She also worked with the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and developed a report on ‘Dynamic Capabilities in Australia pre- and post-COVID’. She is the Associate Editor for two journals: Multinational Business Review and Business & Society. She also serves on the editorial reviewing board for Journal of Production Innovation Management, Business & Society, Management and Organization Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, and continues to review for prestigious journals in the field of strategy and management, such as Organization Science, Journal of Management Studies, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Ethics, Global Strategy Journal, Journal of International Business Policy, and Journal of International Management.

Beyond academia, Helena actively contributes to public debate by translating management research into accessible insights on contemporary business and societal issues. Her work has appeared in The Conversation, SBS News, the Australian Financial Review, and other media outlets.

Professor Martina Linnenluecke is an internationally recognised researcher in climate risk, adaptation and resilience, and Professor of Environmental Finance at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She is Director of the UTS Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, where she leads an interdisciplinary research program examining the physical and transition risks associated with climate change and global environmental change.

Her research investigates how climate and environmental risks affect organisations, industries, financial systems and communities, and how these systems can adapt and build resilience. Her work spans climate adaptation and resilience, environmental and climate finance, climate-risk disclosure, clean-energy transitions and the economic and financial consequences of climate change.

Professor Linnenluecke has served as Chief Investigator on multiple Australian Research Council-funded research projects addressing climate risk, climate policy and financial-market responses, the clean-energy transition and sustainability-oriented financial innovation. She has published more than 100 academic articles, book chapters and conference papers and is the author of The Climate Resilient Organization.

She was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), contributing to the international scientific assessment of climate-change impacts and adaptation.

As Director of the Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, Professor Linnenluecke leads and collaborates with researchers across disciplines on evidence-based research addressing climate risk, adaptation and resilience. The Centre works across academic disciplines and with government, regulators, industry and community stakeholders to advance understanding of climate-related physical and transition risks and support effective responses to global environmental change.

Her research combines interdisciplinary, empirical and quantitative approaches to understand the consequences of climate change and to develop evidence that supports climate adaptation, resilience, decarbonisation and decision-making.

Martin Loosemore is a Distinguished Professor of Construction Management in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He holds honorary positions as an Honorary Professor at The University of Cape Town, South Africa, and as a Visiting Professor at the University of Loughborough, UK. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Recognised internationally as one of the world's top-cited scientists in the Mendeley database and the world's most highly cited researcher in construction social procurement, Martin is a prolific writer of books and internationally-refereed articles in highly cited journals and leading international conferences. His extensive publications cover areas such as productivity improvement, innovation, construction industry reform, entrepreneurship, social value, social enterprise, social procurement, corporate social responsibility, human resource management, equity, and diversity.

Martin contributes regularly to leading media outlets, including ABC News, The Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Conversation, The Fifth Estate, Pro Bono Australia, and The Mandarin.

Over the past decade, Martin has been awarded 10 prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and has successfully managed more than $12 million in competitive research projects.

His research has led to senior advisory roles in private, government, and civil society organizations, including:

• The Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry (2003)
• The Senate Inquiry into Building and Construction Industry (Transition to Fair Work) Bill (2009)
• The Federal Built Environment Industry Innovation Council (2011-2014)
• Productivity Commission Inquiry into Infrastructure (2014)
• Infrastructure NSW Gateway Reviewer Panel (ongoing)
• NSW Office of the Building Commissioner’s ‘Construct NSW’ Working Group (ongoing)
• Transparency International
  
  

Martin has held senior advisory roles in numerous leading companies and on internationally significant construction and infrastructure projects such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games facilities, Three Gorges Dam, and Al Raha Beach project in Abu Dhabi.

His research and industry work have received numerous international awards and have been widely commercialised through several spin-out enterprises and joint ventures. Martin is also the co-founder of a successful social enterprise that specialises in securing meaningful jobs and training in the construction industry for people facing disadvantage. In 2025, Martin was awarded the UTS Medal for Research Impact in recognition of the significant positive social impact his work has had in the community.