New appointment to drive innovation and industry collaboration
The University of Sydney's Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies has made a new appointment to facilitate greater industry collaboration.
Professor Salah Sukkarieh and his team from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics have worked with Qantas to develop smarter ways to fly.
Salah Sukkarieh, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, has been appointed to the role of Associate Dean (Industry and Innovation). In this role, he will lead the faculty’s work in the area of industry engagement.
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies Professor Archie Johnston congratulated Professor Sukkarieh on his appointment.
“The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies has a long tradition of innovation and engagement with external partners. In this new role, Professor Sukkarieh will build on our faculty’s existing and emergent strengths to form exciting new partnerships and foster greater connectivity between our researchers and industry, government and other global partners,” he said.
Professor Sukkarieh said: “The Faculty has a lengthy track record of engaging with industry in innovative ways within its education and research portfolios. I look forward to working with my fellow colleagues to deepen current engagements, build new ones, and encourage the next generation of engineering entrepreneurs. ”
Professor Sukkarieh is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR), and leads the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation and the Horticulture Innovation Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
He also leads a project on smart farming systems for nutrition at the Charles Perkins Centre and leads a project on nanorobotics at the Australian Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (AINST).
During his time at the University of Sydney, Professor Sukkarieh has led a number of robotics and intelligent systems R&D projects and has spearheaded partnerships with Rio Tinto, Qantas, QLD Biosecurity, Meat and Livestock Australia and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, amongst others.
He was awarded the 2017 CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Innovation and Science earlier this year and received the NSW Science and Engineering Award for Excellence in Engineering and Information and Communications Technologies in 2014.
Professor Sukkarieh was recently named one of Australia’s top six entrepreneurs in the Australian Financial Review’s True Leaders 2017: Game Changers list. The ACFR also received an AFR Higher Education Award in the Industry Engagement category in 2016.
