Science & Technology Australia is thrilled to announce the appointments of outstanding leaders to our innovative Bench-to-Boardroom Committee.
This strategic initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic research and industry applications, fostering a future where Australian science and technology ideas flourish into successful businesses.
The Bench-to-Boardroom program embodies STA's commitment to enhancing the commercialisation of scientific research in Australia. By appointing these exceptional individuals, STA reinforces its mission to create significant economic and social benefits for all Australians through science and technology.
Our five inaugural Bench-to-Boardroom Committee members will join the already appointed co-chairs, immediate past President of STA Professor Mark Hutchinson and STA Vice-President Jas Chambers.
We welcome Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Innovation) at UNSW Stephen Rodda; policy and strategy leader in science, technology and innovation Matt Wenham; Group Executive - Commercial at Cicada Innovations Ingrid Marsh; founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW Professor Veena Sahajwalla; and Partner and Co-founder at Cruxes Innovation Jonathan Lacey.
"We envision a future where more start-ups are established from science and technology ideas and nurtured into businesses here in Australia," said Professor Hutchinson. "This committee will play a crucial role in making that vision a reality."
The appointment of this high-calibre committee aligns with STA's broader mission to advance the role, reputation, and impact of science and technology in Australia by fostering more robust links between research and industry.
"More effective commercialisation of science will not only drive economic growth but also position Australia as a global leader in innovation," added Jas Chambers. "We're excited to work with our brilliant scientific community to turn more of Australia's 'nearly there' research into 'really there' products and services."
Former STA President Professor Mark Hutchinson and current STA Vice President Jas Chambers co-chair the Bench-to-Boardroom Committee.
Mark's STA member organisations are the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) and the Australasian Neuroscience Society. Jas' STA member organisation is the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS).
Meet the Bench-to-Boardroom committee members:
Professor Stephen Rodda
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Innovation) at UNSW
STA member organisation: UNSW
Stephen serves as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Innovation) at UNSW, leading strategic initiatives in industry engagement, knowledge transfer, business development, commercialisation, and entrepreneurship. His career has centred on technology commercialisation, corporate governance, executive leadership, and investment portfolio management.
Stephen has supported hundreds of technology licensing deals, helped form and finance dozens of companies, and secured over $500 million in investments, grants and other funding.
He holds a first-class Honours degree and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Adelaide. Stephen has trained at Harvard University and Harvard Business School and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Veena Sahajwalla
Director of Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at UNSW
STA member organisation: UNSW
As a leading expert in the field of recycling science and founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW, Professor Veena Sahajwalla is producing a new generation of green materials, products and resources made entirely, or primarily, from waste.
Veena also heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for 'green manufacturing' - a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Veena has been extensively recognised for the innovation and significance of her work, including via election to be a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
Dr Matt Wenham
Senior Manager - Biosecurity & Products of National Significance at CSL Sequirus
STA member organisation: The Royal Society of Victoria
Dr Matt Wenham is a science and innovation policy and strategy leader with experience across the biotechnology industry, academia, government and non-profits in Australia, the US and the UK. At CSL, Australia's largest biotech firm, he helps manage critical public health medicines supply. Previously, he oversaw the $1.2 billion Next Generation Technologies Fund at the Department of Defence.
As Executive Director, Policy at ATSE (2014-2020), Matt led evidence-based advice to government and industry. He also consulted on science and health policy for various think tanks.
Matt holds a BSc and Honours in biochemistry from Adelaide University and a DPhil in cell biology from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He's served in the Australian Army Reserve and trained at Sandhurst. A graduate of the AICD, Matt received the Australian Centenary Medal in 2003 for community service.
His career spans roles at the US National Institutes of Health and the Institute on Science for Global Policy in Washington, DC.
Ingrid Marsh
Group Executive - Commercial at Cicada Innovations
STA member organisation: Cicada Innovations
Ingrid Marsh, is Group Executive – Commercial for Cicada Innovations, Australia's pioneering deeptech incubator supporting companies solving the world's most pressing problems through science and engineering. She is a systems thinker who is passionate about the potential of Australia's deep tech sector to benefit industries, deliver impact for the economy, and the community. She is a dynamic leader with more than 20 years' experience working at the nexus of industry, investors, universities and government in state, national and international contexts.
In her current role, Ingrid leads commercial partnerships and develops new business opportunities. She has 20 years' experience as an economic development professional. Her experience spans industry development, innovation programmes and international trade and investment, developing sector strategies and working at the coal face delivering practical support to assist business growth.
She has worked in senior executive government roles with Investment NSW and Austrade and earlier roles with the Commonwealth Government including Invest Australia, AusIndustry and the Office of Small Business. Ingrid holds a Master of International Business and Law and a BA Hons in Social Science and International Studies majoring in Chinese.
Jonathan Lacey
Partner and Co-Founder of Cruxes Innovation
STA member organisation: Cruxes Innovation
Jonathan Lacey's career vision is a world in which Australian researchers and innovators lead humanity into a sustainable, just, and safe future. He started his career as a physical science and engineering researcher at the University of Melbourne. He spent 10 years in Silicon Valley where he became fascinated by the challenges of helping other researchers make a difference in the world with their ideas, in large companies and university and research lab spinouts. He returned to Australia to lead a spinout based on Monash University research. It raised $10M in funding but failed. Since then, the focus of his career has been putting the lessons he learned here to work in creating impact with research. He has used this experience in CSIRO business development, as a research commercialisation consultant for Australian universities and research centres, and in helping other researchers gain customer discovery and market validation skills in the CSIRO ON program and as a co-founder and partner in Cruxes Innovation.
