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Executive Directors
Dr Liz Jazwinska
Dr Ian Mackinnon
Professor Phyllis Tharenou
Professor Andrew Wells
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, member of the Federation Fellowships committee and member of the ARC advisory board.
Dr Jazwinska has over 24 years experience in biological sciences and biotechnology in both academia and industry. In 2002 Dr Jazwinska joined Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd (JJR) in Sydney as Executive Director of New Business & Strategic Alliances at where she established and led the J&J Asia Pacific Partnering Group responsible for the identification and evaluation of new business opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region for Johnson & Johnson (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, Liz 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. In 2005
Prior to joining JJR, Liz held a number of positions: as Assistant Director in Human Genetics and Pharmacogenomics in SmithKline Beecham (now GSK) in the UK, 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 ANU. During her academic career her research team was supported by a variety of funding bodies including the ARC, NHMRC, the Wellcome Trust and industry. Liz 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, Biotechs, and Government agencies and in the Asia Pacific and with VC groups world-wide.
Liz 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.
Dr Ian
Mackinnon
Engineering and Environmental Science
Phone: +61 2 6287 6610
Fax: +61 2 6206 7250
Dr Ian Mackinnon took up the position of Executive Director, Engineering and Environmental Science in late January 2006. Dr Mackinnon has a wealth of experience in academia and industry, previously as Professor at The University of Queensland and more recently as an Executive Director of a technology start-up company.
He spent 25 years as a researcher and research leader in university, government and commercial organisations in Australia and the USA. He has been awarded research and development grants in a range of fields including advanced materials, chemistry, mineralogy, cosmochemistry and wastewater treatment and authored more than 100 publications in the peer-reviewed literature.
Among his career highlights, Dr Mackinnon lists forming and leading successful technology development and commercialisation teams in new materials, managing a technology start-up company from initial phase to market sales and establishing the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at The University of Queensland.
Dr Mackinnon has a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and geology and a BSc (Hons) in geochemistry from James Cook University. He undertook his research work for a PhD in crystallography (James Cook) at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights via an Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering fellowship. He is a member of the Mineralogical Society and the Clay Minerals Society of America and the Australian Water Association.
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 Research Development in the Business Faculty at Monash University prior to taking up an appointment as Dean 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 recorder of grant success in the Discovery Projects scheme.
Professor Tharenou has a strong record as a consulting editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for top journals, Chair and contributor to Australian conferences, and presentation of her research at major international conferences and membership of international committees. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (US).
Professor Tharenou holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) from the University of Queensland.
She is the Executive Director for Program Coordination at the ARC, Executive Director for the Discovery Projects scheme, Executive Director for International activities, and Executive Director for the 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. He 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 and subjects in politics, history, economic history, Asian Studies and Australian studies at Monash, Melbourne, the ANU and Wollongong.
Professor Wells is published widely on Australian economic, labour and intellectual history and his current research interests are on 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.
