Our people

Professor Nigel Andrew

Discipline Chair of Science

Nigel is a 2020 Fulbright Senior Scholar. His research investigates the responses of insects (native and introduced; pests and natural enemies) to environmental extremes and rapid climatic changes. Nigel is currently Editor-in-Chief of Austral Ecology, Chair of the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, and vice-President of the Entomological Society of NSW. He is a keen tennis player and has started to work on his deadlifting technique at the gym.

Professor Charles Lemckert

Discipline Chair of Engineering & I.T.

Charles is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia and holds CPEng in Civil, Environment and Leadership. Charles’ research interests are multidisciplinary and strongly related to understanding the dynamics of, and solving problems related to, water environments that encompass limnological systems, marine settings and engineered works.

Professor Rowland Cobbold

Discipline Chair of Veterinary Science

Professor Cobbold worked in mixed animal practice in Australia and the UK before completing a PhD in microbiology at UQ. Following a research position in food safety epidemiology and microbiology at Washington State University, he commenced a teaching and research position with the UQ School of Veterinary Science. Rowland’s research centres on zoonotic and food-borne pathogens – their natural ecology and potential public health risk, and control strategies.

Professor Damien Maher

Associate Dean (Research)

Professor Maher is a biogeochemist/hydrologist working on various aspects of the global carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles. Professor Maher uses stable- and natural radio-isotopes to characterize greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon and nutrient cycling pathways in aquatic and terrestrial environment. Professor Maher also undertakes extensive research on groundwater-surface water interactions, and the role of groundwater as a vector for solute transport.

Professor Anja Scheffers

Associate Dean (Education)

Professor Scheffers is the Associate Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Anja has served on ARC College of Experts, is a former ARC Future Fellow and is the Executive Director (Capability and Networks) of the global research network Future Earth Coasts, a global sustainability, research and innovation network that promotes knowledge sharing and action towards implementing our vision for healthy oceans and coasts for a just and environmentally sustainable future.

Associate Professor Joanne Oakes

Director, Higher Degrees Research

Alison Graham

Faculty Manager

Alison has 25 years of experience in University Administration and strives for best practice and continual process improvement. Through the Executive Officer position, Alison works closely with the leadership team and senior staff across the University to review Faculty performance and initiate and implement strategic projects.

Dr Debra Stokes

Bachelor of Science

Debra is an environmental scientist/coastal ecologist who has been teaching at SCU for over a decade, teaching earth science, marine science, geomorphology and protected area management. Her research interests are broad, but focus mostly on the plants and animals that live and visit lower estuarine environments.

Dr Vinh Bui

Bachelor of Information Technology

Vinh Bui is an enthusiastic researcher and tertiary educator, who has developed the academic leadership capabilities required to lead a positive change. He has background in both computer science and electrical engineering and is currently researching in the area of applied computing, focusing on applications of AI, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things in the healthcare domain. He has a special interest in synthetic data and synthetic environment for training machine learning algorithms.

Dr Mustafa Ucgul

Bachelor of Engineering Systems (Honours)

Dr. Mustafa is a mechanical engineer with a strong interest in computational mechanics and its applications in agricultural machinery design. With 17 years of research experience in the Turkish and Australian contexts, a major component of his research has focused on the discrete element and finite element method simulations of soil engaging tools, design of mechanical systems, and thermal analysis of agricultural greenhouses and desalination systems.

Professor Symon Dworjanyn

Bachelor of Science with Honours

Symon is a marine ecologist and aquaculture scientist. He examines the effects of climate change on marine critters and seaweeds. He also develops, new environmentally friendly, aquaculture technologies for fish, invertebrates and seaweeds.

Dr Golam Sorwar

Master of Information Technology

Dr. Sorwar is a leading international researcher with an extensive track record in the application and adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for the sustainable health and wellbeing of senior citizens, information system, artificial intelligence and multimedia signal processing. He has more than 125 peer-reviewed articles. He has an extensive teaching background in computer networking, security, and interactive user experience design.

Dr Prithwi Chakraborty

Master of Computing

Dr. Prithwi Chakraborty is an experienced academic in artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). He has been conducting impactful research on the application of AI in health and education with peer-reviewed journals and grants. His research interests are bio-signal processing, engagement/emotion analysis, and assessing machine learning techniques. He has a long and rich teaching experience in cloud computing, programming, big data, and machine learning.

Professor Charles Lemckert

Master of Business Administration / Master of Engineering Management

The two-year double degree, taught by industry experts at our Gold Coast campus, equips you with the skills to lead large infrastructure projects. Gain expertise in business, engineering, and strategic asset management, honing your abilities in stakeholder engagement, financials, and digital enterprise management. Graduates emerge as recognised leaders, sought after in government, private sectors, or as consultants.

Mr Robert Rollin

Associate Degree of Engineering

The Associate Degree of Engineering empowers you to shape the future by preparing you for technical roles in building infrastructure, manufacturing, and production systems, both nationally and globally. The degree is designed to meet the requirements for accreditation at the level of Engineering Associate by Engineers Australia.

Marie-Chantale Pelletier

Graduate Certificate in Regenerative Agriculture / Graduate Diploma in Regenerative Agriculture

The Graduate Certificate and the Graduate Diploma in Regenerative Agriculture courses draws on the University’s specialist expertise in plant science, agronomy, ecology and socio-ecological systems to develop a higher-level understanding of the philosophies underpinning regenerative agriculture and enables students to integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge to develop innovative solutions to agribusiness and land management challenges.

Dr Ghulam Qadir

Master of Engineering Management

With over a decade of experience in industry, teaching, and research across prestigious institutions in different countries like Australia, UAE, KSA etc. Dr. Ghulam specializes in sustainable project management, green building technologies, and innovative engineering practices. His mission is to empower students with knowledge and skills to thrive in the modern engineering landscape.

Brett Smith

Bachelor of Veterinary Technology

Brett graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology, and Massey University, New Zealand, with a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education. Having a significant role in developing three of the five Veterinary Technology degrees across Australasia and teaching at four, Brett’s academic interests lie in improving educational outcomes for veterinary students, and advancement of the Veterinary Technology profession within Australia.