Emeritus Professor Ian W. Dawes FAA (SAC CHAIR) School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Australia
Emeritus Professor Dawes’ research career has focused on the response of eukaryotic organisms to oxidative stress and ageing, the molecular analysis of control of one-carbon and folate metabolism in yeast and the mechanisms involved in initiation and timing of cell development. He is an editor of the journal FEMS Yeast Research and a member of the editorial boards of Yeast and the Journal of Microbiology.

Em. Prof. Dawes has been a Board Member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and of the Australian Proteomic Analytical Facility and Chairman of the International Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Community. He has a BSc from the University of New South Wales, a DPhil from the University of Oxford in the UK and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Dr Juan Juttner Senior Manager Genetic Technologies at Grains Research and Development Corporation
Dr Juttner was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics at University of Adelaide before moving to the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC). He has held a number of Project and Senior Management positions at the GRDC. Dr Juttner is now Senior Manager, Genetic Technologies at the GRDC. Dr Juttner is an experienced Research Manager who develops sound Research and Development (R&D) strategies and delivers targeted solutions to industry requirements. He applies technical, commercial, financial and intellectual property due diligence knowledge to plan and procure optimal investments.

In addition to this he also engages growers and industry stakeholders to secure a path to market for investment outputs and maximise investment impact. Dr Juttner has practical experience in establishing and leading the external and internal teams required to deliver broad organisational objectives.

Professor Fiona Cameron Honorary Professor, College of Science, ANU
Fiona Cameron graduated from the University of Sydney with a BSc and went on to ANU to achieve a first class honours equivalent by research into an antibiotic resistance gene and then a PhD in eukaryotic gene control at Macquarie university. Fiona’s research was pivotal in the discovery of the antibiotic resistance gene element integron, and also in the first demonstration of ribozyme activity in mammalian cells. Fiona’s work also demonstrated an early indicator of the effects of dsRNA on gene expression.

After more than 20 years in active research, much of it at the CSIRO in Sydney, Fiona assisted in establishing the CSIRO emerging science unit for nanotechnology before moving into the National Research Flagship for Food research to support the Director in managing and driving this successful multidisciplinary flagship program that worked closely and collaboratively with universities and industry.

Fiona joined the University of Western Sydney to establish and develop the Innovation unit for the university. Here she audited the university’s IP portfolio and built relationships with the academics and industry leaders to support innovation translation.

In Fiona’s subsequent role as Executive Director at the Australian Research Council she established a personal network across Australia’s universities and gained insights into the development and awarding of granting programs at a National level. Fiona was responsible at the ARC for the discipline of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (BSB), the BSB College of Experts, and also for oversight of the major investment programs including Centres of Excellence, Industrial Transformation Research Program and Special Research Initiatives as well as most other ARC funding schemes for brief periods.

Fiona holds an Honorary Professorship at the College of Science, ANU and is currently consulting personally, is a senior associate at “Outside Opinion” and sits on 2 research advisory committees in addition to Plant Energy Biology.