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Executive Directors
Professor Richard Coleman
Dr Liz Jazwinska
Professor Phyllis Tharenou
Professor Andrew Wells
Professor Richard Coleman
Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences
Phone: +61 2 6287 6685
Fax: +61 2 6206 7254
Professor Coleman joined the ARC in July 2009 as Executive Director for Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences. Prior to this, he was the Professor of Marine Science and Director of the Centre for Marine Science at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and also the Director of the joint CSIRO-UTAS PhD Program in Quantitative Marine Science.
Professor Coleman was a member of the ARC College of Experts on the Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences panel since 2008.
He has over 25 years experience as a researcher and academic in the Australian university sector. Professor Coleman has held positions at the Research School of Earth Sciences, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, and the University of Tasmania—where he also held a joint appointment with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.
Professor Coleman has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in the physical sciences (spatial information, earth, and marine sciences). He has a wealth of experience in graduate supervision, with some 27 completions, and has served as Acting Dean of Graduate Research at the University of Tasmania.
Professor Coleman holds a Bachelor of Surveying (Hons 1) and a PhD in Geodesy from the University of New South Wales. He has received a Fulbright postgraduate award and Queen’s Fellowship in Marine Science and has been a visiting scientist at universities and research institutions in France, Japan and the United States.
Throughout his career, Professor Coleman has been awarded more than $13 million in research funding from nationally competitive research grants over 20 years. His research comprised geodesy, physical oceanography and glaciology, with the main focus based on understanding the role of the oceans and cryosphere in the global climate system by using observations, theory and modelling.
Professor Coleman has written more than 90 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr Liz Jazwinska
Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
Phone: +61 2 6287 6697
Fax: +61 2 6206 7270
Dr Jazwinska joined the ARC in April 2009 as Executive Director for Biological Sciences and Biotechnology. Prior to this, she held various appointments at the ARC including member and Chair of the College of Experts in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, and member of the ARC Advisory Council.
Dr Jazwinska has over 24 years experience in biological sciences and biotechnology in both academia and industry. From 2002–2009, Dr Jazwinska was Executive Director of New Business & Strategic Alliances at Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd (JJR) in Sydney. In this role, she established and led the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Asia Pacific Partnering Group responsible for the identification and evaluation of new business opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region for J&J global companies. During her term, the group negotiated numerous agreements including Licences, R&D partnerships and Outsourcing with biotech companies, CROs and academic groups across Australia, New Zealand, India, China and Singapore. Most recently, Dr Jazwinska was closely involved in the divestment of the JJR R&D portfolio where her role was to produce initial business plans and identify alternative funding opportunities to support the development of the JJR R&D assets. Through this, she led and successfully completed the Series A fund-raising for a new molecular diagnostics company.
Prior to joining JJR, Dr Jazwinska held a number of positions: as Assistant Director in Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics in SmithKline Beecham (now GSK) in the United Kingdom, Business Development Manager at the University of Sydney, Senior Research Fellow in Human Genetics at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and Research Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University.
During her academic career, her research team was supported by a variety of funding bodies including the ARC, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Welcome Trust and industry. Dr Jazwinska has authored 62 publications in peer-reviewed journals and continues to act as an expert reviewer for international molecular and medical journals and science funding agencies. She has a substantial network of contacts with academic groups, Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies, Government agencies and Venture Capital Groups world-wide.
Dr Jazwinska is qualified in both science (she completed her BSc (Hons) at Aberdeen University and her PhD at Edinburgh University) and business (she completed her MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Phyllis Tharenou
Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Phone: +61 2 6287 6653
Fax: +61 2 6206 7297
Professor Tharenou joined the ARC in August 2008 as Executive Director of Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences. Prior to this she held various appointments at the ARC including Member and Chair of the College of Experts in Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences and Member or Chair of a range of other committees spanning the breadth of the ARC grant schemes.
She has held a number of appointments in the university sector and worked at the Queensland Institute of Technology, Griffith University, the University of Queensland, Monash University, and the University of South Australia. She was the Associate Dean of Research Development in the Business Faculty at Monash University prior to taking up an appointment as Dean of Research in the Business Faculty at the University of South Australia. Earlier in her career, she was an Executive Director for Human Resource Management in the Queensland Public Service and had substantial consulting experience in the public and private sectors.
Her research expertise combines the disciplines of organisational behaviour and management. She is recognised for her research on gender differences in managerial career advancement, international careers, training and development, and employee self-esteem. She has a strong record of grant success in the Discovery Projects scheme.
Professor Tharenou also has a strong record as a consulting editor, editorial board member and reviewer for top journals. This includes Chair and contributor to Australian conferences, presenting her research at major international conferences, and membership of international committees. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (United States).
Professor Tharenou holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) from the University of Queensland.
At the ARC, Professor Tharenou is the Executive Director for Program Coordination, the Discovery Projects scheme, International activities, and Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences.
Professor Andrew Wells
Humanities and Creative Arts
Phone: +61 2 6287 6650
Fax: +61 2 6206 7260
Professor Andrew Wells joined the ARC in February 2009 in the position of Executive Director, Humanities and Creative Arts. Before joining the ARC, he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong for five years, commencing in September 2003.
Professor Wells has a strong understanding of the ARC and the humanities and arts sector. He has held four ARC grants and has been a highly active HDR supervisor—with around 25 completions to his credit. Professor Wells has previously been an active member of the Executive of the Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. In addition, he has a longstanding interest in interdisciplinary studies, substantial and longstanding management experience, and a great capacity for strategic thinking.
Professor Wells is a graduate of Monash University (BA Hons, MA) and the Australian National University (PhD). He has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in politics, history, economic history, Asian studies and Australian studies at Monash University, Melbourne University, the Australian National University and the University of Wollongong.
Professor Wells is published widely on Australian economics, and labour and intellectual history. His current research interests concern comparative studies of Australian and South East Asian labour history, most recently focusing on imperial hegemony and colonial labour—a major, multi-authored study on the commodification of colonial labour is close to completion.
