Dr John Volkman (Chair), Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
Dr John Volkman gained his PhD in organic chemistry from Melbourne University in 1978 and then undertook postdoctoral research in the UK, USA and Australia before joining CSIRO in 1982 to establish a new research theme in marine organic chemistry in the then Division of Oceanography. His present employment is as a Chief Research Scientist in CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research in Hobart and leader of the Environment Program for the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture of Finfish (Aquafin CRC) which commenced in 2001.
Dr Volkman has published over 160 scientific papers and many commercial reports. His research interests are quite broad and include environmental effects of aquaculture, environmental pollutants, biogeochemistry of lipids, petroleum geochemistry, bioactive compounds, and lipid biosynthesis in marine organisms.
Mr Brian Chung, Product Development Manager, Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd (BRA)
Brian Chung, is the Product Development Manager with Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd (BRA), a pyrethrum production company in Tasmania. Following a 23 year career as a crop production researcher with the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture, he joined BRA about 12 years ago, initially as the R&D Manager and in recent years, he has been more involved in the commercial aspects of the business, including new export market development, product registration and stewardship and new business opportunities.
Brian is a graduate in Agricultural Science from the University of Tasmania and also has a Masters degree in Applied Biology from Cambridge University. Brian is currently on the Board of the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research.
Dr Hans Drielsma, General Manager Forest Management, Forestry Tasmania
Dr Hans Drielsma is Executive General Manager for Forestry Tasmanina, responsible for planning, resources, research and development, business systems and information technology.
Dr Drielsma is a member of the Tasmanian Forest and Forestry Industry Council and the Tasmanian Forest Practices Advisory Council, a Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Forest Landscapes, the Tasmanian Timber Promotion Board, the Forest Education Foundation and Australian Forestry Standard Ltd and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr Ross Dodd, Chief Executive Officer, Verdant Pty Ltd
Mr Ross Dodd is the Chief Executive Officer of Verdant Pty Ltd. In this role he is responsible for the strategic development of SonarData Pty Ltd (fisheries acoustics software) and AQ1 Systems Pty Ltd (aquaculture technology), which are part of the Verdant group.
Mr Dodd has a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University. Mr Dodd is a current member of the Information Technology Industry Council and has extensive experience at commercialising technologies.
Dr Antoine Guichard, Managing Director, Latitude Technologies Pty Ltd and Executive Secretary, Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
Dr Guichard has a PhD in Mechanics from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), France. Since 1998 Dr Guichard has been the Managing Director of Latitude Technologies, an independent consulting firm focused on resource efficient engineering, logistics and information services.
Since 2003 he has also been the Executive Secretary of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), which represents the logistics managers of the national Antarctic programs of 29 nations.
Dr Anthony Koutoulis, Head, School of Plant Science and degree coordinator for the Bachelor of Biotechnology at the University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Associate Professor Anthony Koutoulis is Head, School of Plant Science and degree coordinator for the Bachelor of Biotechnology at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). Anthony also chairs the Tasmanian branch of AusBiotech. He completed his BSc(Hons) and PhD at the University of Melbourne. Anthony went on to perform post-doctoral research at the University of Adelaide and Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts, USA before coming to UTAS.
Anthony has received a number of teaching awards, teaching grants and research grants from various sources. He has successfully supervised PhD and Honours students to completion, published in internationally peer-reviewed journals and given talks at national and international conferences. His areas of interest include cell and molecular biology, plant biology, plant breeding, genetics, marine biology, and biotechnology. He has long established research links with industry.
Professor Johanna Laybourn-Parry, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Tasmania
Professor Johanna Laybourn-Parry is Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Tasmania. Previous roles of Johanna’s include Dean of the Faculty o f Natural Sciences and Professor of Environmental Biology at Nottingham University. She has served both as Director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Head of the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
Professor Laybourn-Parry is internationally known for her research on lake ecosystems in the Antarctic and Arctic and more recently, she has collaborated with geologists, engineers and computer scientists.
Professor Laybourn-Parry has been prominent in a number of national scientific bodies, including serving on numerous NERC committees and the boards of various societies.
Ms Christie LeGoy, Commercialisation Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystem CRC
Christie is the Research Delivery and Commercial Development Manager for the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC). She has been responsible for developing the CRC’s commercialisation strategy and for its ongoing implementation.
She is project manager for Climate Futures for Tasmania, a project which aims to deliver the results of climate research focussed specifically on Tasmania in a manner that develops the capability of Tasmanian industry to respond and adapt to expected future changes in climate.
Prior to joining the ACE CRC, Christie spent over 25 years in the IT industry working in a variety of management roles both in Australia and the UK. She has a Bachelor of Science and Diploma of Education from the University of Tasmania and a Diploma in Computer Studies from the University of Melbourne.
Prof James Vickers, Associate Dean (Research) Faculty of Health Science, University of Tasmania
Professor James Vickers is currently the Professor of Pathology and Deputy Head, School of Medicine, and Deputy Director of Menzies Research Institute. Professor Vickers has held NHMRC Senior Research, RD Wright and CJ Martin Fellowships previously, and was awarded a DSc from the University of Tasmania in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to research into neurodegenerative conditions.
Professor Vickers represents the University’s shareholding in Neuroscience Australia and is on the Management Committee of the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience. In collaboration with Associate Professors Adrian West and Inn Chuah, Professor Vickers was involved in forming the NeuroRepair Group, the largest medical research team at the University of Tasmania. He is also a founder of the biotechnology company, ReWire Therapies, which focusses on developing new therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative disease and acquired forms of peripheral and central nervous system injury. Professor Vickers is also a Founder and Co-Director of the Tasmanian Dementia Research Consortium that was developed to examine new models of care for people with dementia.
