Our people

Professor Jon Hill

Professor Jon Hill

Executive Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Jon is energised by the opportunities that lie ahead at Southern Cross University encompassing both curriculum development and innovative research. A strong advocate for an inclusive student experience, Jon champions  a learning culture that both prepares students for a changing world and empowers them to thrive in their future careers. This ethos is complemented by an energetic research environment that nurtures curiosity and ingenuity in students.

View Jon's profile

Faculty Executive Members

Professor Nigel Andrew at Lismore campus

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.

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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.

Rowland Cobbold portrait image

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

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

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.

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Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau

Director, Higher Degrees Research

Renaud is a geochronologist and a geochemist, Head of the Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group (GARG; www.garg.org.au). His research focuses on the development and application of direct dating methods and micro-analytical techniques to key questions in paleobiology and archaeological sciences, such as the timing of human evolution, hominid ecological niche, diet and early life history. Evolutionary medicine and medical geochemistry are also of prime and growing interest.

Alison Gtaham

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.

Course Coordinators

Dr Debra Stokes

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.

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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.

Man with glasses

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 photo

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 photo

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.

Preferred Name Surname Job Title Link to Staff Directory
David Abrego Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Ali Reza Alaei Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Jay Anderson Senior Research Fellow Staff Profile
Nigel  Andrews  Professor  Staff Profile
Bronwyn Barkla Associate Dean (Research) Staff Profile
Kirsten Benkendorff Professor Staff Profile
Liam Bolitho Research Fellow Staff Profile
Ramon Braga Research Fellow Staff Profile
Vinh Bui Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Ed Burton Professor (Research Scholar) Staff Profile
Peter Butcherine Research Fellow Staff Profile
Mitchell Call Research Fellow Staff Profile
Prithwi Chakraborty Lecturer Staff Profile
Rowland  Cobbold  Professional Program Director Veterinary Medicine Staff Profile
Dexter  Dela Cruz Postdoctoral Coral Researcher  Staff Profile 
Maarten  De Brauwer  Research Fellow  Staff Profile
Symon Dworjanyn Professor Staff Profile
Dirk Erler Professor Staff Profile
Bradley Eyre Professor Staff Profile
Ruitao  Feng Lecturer in IT (Cybersecurity) Staff Profile
Guoyang  Fu  Lecturer in Engineering  Staff Profile
Reza Ghanbarzadeh Lecturer Staff Profile
Abe Gibson Research Fellow Staff Profile
Marine Gouezo Krause Postdoctoral Coral Researcher Staff Profile
John Grant Lecturer Staff Profile
Danielle Griffani Lecturer in Engineering Staff Profile
Peter Harrison Distinguished Professor Staff Profile
Daniel Harrison Associate Professor Staff Profile
Simon Hartley Associate Lecturer  Staff Profile
Alex Hendry Lecturer Staff Profile
Jon  Hill  Professor  Staff Profile
Emily Howells Senior Research Fellow Staff Profile
Luke Jeffrey Research Fellow Staff Profile
Kwanho  Jeong  Research Fellow  Staff Profile
Renaud Joannes-Boyau Professor Staff Profile
Scott Johnston Professor (Research Scholar) Staff Profile
Brendan Kelaher Professor Staff Profile
Tobias Kretzschmar Associate Professor Staff Profile
Szabolcs Lehoczki-Krsjak Research Fellow Staff Profile
Charles Lemckert Chair of Engineering, Professor Staff Profile
Lin  Li Lecturer in IT (Cybersecurity) Staff Profile
Ben Liu Senior Research Fellow Staff Profile
Damien Maher Professor Staff Profile
Raina Mason Chair of Discipline (Eng & IT) Staff Profile
Helen  McGregor  Research Fellow  Staff Profile
Shane Mcintosh Research Fellow Staff Profile
Chris  Medcraft  Postdoctoral Researcher  Staff Profile
Jos Mieog Academic Staff Profile
David Newell Associate Professor Staff Profile
Hoan  Nguyen  Lecturer  Staff Profile 
Joanne Oakes Associate Professor Staff Profile
Alexandra Ordonez Alvarez Academic Staff Profile
Graeme Palmer Lecturer Staff Profile
Marie-Chantale Pelletier Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Steven Purcell Professor Staff Profile
Ghulam  Qadir  Lecturer  Staff Profile
Michael  Reading  Postdoctoral Researcher  Staff Profile
Amanda Reichelt-Brushett Professor Staff Profile
Andrew  Rose  Professor  Staff Profile
Mick  Rose Associate Professor  Staff Profile
Terry Rose Professor Staff Profile
Judith  Rosentreter  Research Fellow  Staff Profile
Christian Sanders Professor Staff Profile
Anja Scheffers Professor Staff Profile
Cooper Schouten Lecturer Staff Profile
Kai Schulz Associate Professor Staff Profile
Reza  Sedighi  Research Associate - Mechanical Engineering  Staff Profile
Carolyn Seton Lecturer Staff Profile
Haifeng  Shen  Professor  Staff Profile
Mervyn Shepherd Senior Research Fellow Staff Profile
Md Noor E Alam  Siddique  Senior Research Associate  Staff Profile
James Sippo Research Fellow  Staff Profile
Golam Sorwar Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Debra Stokes Lecturer Staff Profile
Douglas Tait Senior Researcher Staff Profile
Emma Thompson Brewster Lecturer Staff Profile
Aaron  Thornton  Senior Lecturer  Staff Profile
Mustafa Ucgul Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Jerry  Vanclay  Professor  Staff Profile
Jacqueline  Williams  Senior Researcher  Staff Profile
Sarah-Jane  Wilson  Director, Academic Accreditation, Veterinary Science Staff Profile
Amanda  Xiao  Research Fellow (High resolution cloud microphysics modelling) Staff Profile
Lachlan Yee Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Jacob Yeo Postdoctoral Research Associate Staff Profile
Sunny  Yu  Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Wenjing  Yu  Postdoctoral Researcher  Staff Profile

Preferred Name Surname Job Title Link to Staff Directory
Omid  Ansari  Project Manager  Staff Profile
Amanda Beasley Technical and Laboratory Team Leader Staff Profile
Peter Bligh-Jones Technical and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Nyomi Bodley Technical and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Shannon  Bull  Curriculum and Accreditation Coordinator  Staff Profile
Aaron  Chai  Research Assistant   Staff Profile
Kristy Cocks Executive Assistant Staff Profile
Tony Coyle Technical and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Pip  Davenport  Project Officer  Staff Profile
Amy  Draper  Veterinary Clinical Skills Centre Coordinator  Staff Profile
Ernest Du Toit Technical Manager, ReCirculator Staff Profile
Georgia Foley Administrative Coordinator (Research) Staff Profile
Alison Graham Executive Officer Staff Profile
Pauline  Graham  Administration Officer, RRAP  Staff Profile
Karina  Griffin  Research Officer  Staff Profile
Roz Hagan Technical and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Ceylena Holloway Scientific Project Officer Staff Profile
Lee Kearney Research Officer Staff Profile
Isaiah Koopmans Technical  and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Susan Lang-Lemckert Program Manager Staff Profile
Peter  Marshall  Administration Officer  Staff Profile
Charmaine Mcgrath Curriculum and Accreditation Coordinator Staff Profile
Yvette Millist Research Officer Staff Profile
Jaimee  Moynihan  Research Assistant  Staff Profile
Will Petrie Field Research Assistant Staff Profile
Sydur  Rahman  Technical Officer  Staff Profile
Lara Reading Administrative Assistant Staff Profile
Robert  Rollin  Industry Experience Manager  Staff Profile
Toby  Shapiro Ellis  Technical Assistant  Staff Profile
Ben  Stewart  Research Technician  Staff Profile
Sam  Sutton  Accreditation and Curriculum Coordinator Staff Profile
Alejandro Tagliafico Guzman Technical and Laboratory Officer Staff Profile
Sonia Weiss Administrative Coordinator (Research) Staff Profile
Pete  Wilkins  Apiary Technician  Staff Profile
Erich Wittstock Technical and Laboratory Team Leader Staff Profile

Preferred Name Surname Job Title Link to Staff Directory
Denis  Anderson  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile 
Nick  Ashbolt  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Maxime Aubert Adjunct Professor Staff Profile
Andy  Baker  Adjunct Lecturer  Staff Profile
Stephanie  Barwise  Adjunct Professional Fellow  Staff Profile
Jenelle  Benson  Adjunct Lecturer  Staff Profile
Terri-Ann  Berry  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Jeremy  Bradley  Adjunct Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Matt Broadhurst Adjunct Professor Staff Profile
Lyndon  Brooks Adjunct Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Paul Butcher Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Daniele  Cagnazzi  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Angus  Carnegie  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Victoria Cole Adjunct Lecturer Staff Profile
Melinda Coleman Adjunct Professor Staff Profile
David  Davenport  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Michael  De Lint  Adjunct Professional Fellow Staff Profile
Liz  Deschaseaux  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Morgan Disspain Adjunct Lecturer Staff Profile
William  Doherty  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Ken  Doust  Adjunct Senior Lecturer  Staff Profile
Alejandro  Espinosa-Wang  Professional Fellow Staff Profile
Monica  Gagliano  Adjunct Associate Professor  Staff Profile
Ross  Goldingay  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Samantha  Goyen  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Karina Hall Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
David  Harasti  Adjunct Associate Professor Staff profile
Liz Heagney Adjunct Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Bruce Hodgson Adjunct Fellow Staff Profile
Robert  Holdom  Adjunct Professional Fellow  Staff Profile
Graham Jones Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Carlo Leifert Adjunct Professor Staff Profile
David  LLoyd  Adjunct Associate Professor  Staff Profile
Kim  Lovegrove  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Ramil  Mauleon  Adjunct Senior Lecturer  Staff Profile
David  Mills  Adjunct Senior Lecturer Staff Profile
Edward Narayan Adjunct Associate Professor  Staff Profile
Steven  Owen  Adjunct Professional Fellow  Staff Profile
Sumith Pathirana Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Benjamin  Poulter  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Rachel  Przeslawski  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Steve  Pudney  Adjunct Professional Fellow  Staff Profile
Suzy  Rogiers  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Isaac Santos Adjunct Professor Staff Profile
Robert  Sawyer  Adjunct Professional Fellow  Staff Profile
Haile  Shishaye  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Geoff Smith Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Stephen  Smith  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Kathryn Taffs Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Chamindra Vithana Adjunct Fellow Staff Profile
Naomi Wells Adjunct Lecturer Staff Profile
Philip West Adjunct Lecturer Staff Profile
Steve  Whalan  Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Robert  Whittaker  Adjunct Professor  Staff Profile
Simon  Williams  Adjunct Fellow  Staff Profile
Jacqueline Williams Adjunct Associate Professor Staff Profile
Heidi  Zimmer  Adjunct Fellow Staff Profile

Contact the Faculty of Science and Engineering

Executive Assistant to the
Dean of Faculty		 National Marine Science Centre
Kristy Cocks Reception
T: +61 2 6620 3557
E: kristy.cocks@scu.edu.au		 T:  +61 2 6659 8100
E: nmsc@scu.edu.au

Please direct all faculty enquires to:

T:  +61 2 6620 3650
E:  fseinfo@scu.edu.au