Professor Tat-Jun Chin
Professorial Chair of Sentient Satellites
Professor Tat-Jun Chin, University of Adelaide, is the Professorial Chair of Sentient Satellites. He has a PhD in Computer Systems Engineering from Monash University and a Bachelor in Mechatronics Engineering from Universiti Teknologi in Malaysia.
Professor Ryszard Kowalczyk
Professorial Chair of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Professor Ryszard Kowalczyk, the University of South Australia (Uni SA), is the Professorial Chair of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Professor Kowalczyk was Director of Swinburne’s Key Lab for Intelligent Software Systems and Head of Distributed AI Systems Research Group, and the former inaugural Wipro Chair of AI.
Professor Jill Slay AM
Professorial Chair of Cybersecurity
Professor Jill Slay, the University of South Australia, is the Professorial Chair of Cybersecurity. Professor Slay is a Board Member of The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) and the Chair of the Australian Women in Security Network Board.
Professor Craig Smith
Mike Miller Chair in Telecommunications
Professor Craig Smith, University of South Australia (Uni SA), is the SmartSat Mike Miller Professorial Chair in Telecommunications. Professor Smith has worked as a Research Scientist, University Lecturer, R&D Manager, Project Manager, Corporate Executive, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer across multiple disciplines.
Professor Kirk McKenzie
Professorial Chair of Precision Measurement in Space
Professor Kirk McKenzie, the Australian National University (ANU), is the Professorial Chair of Precision Measurement in Space. An expert in inter-satellite laser interferometry for Earth Observation and Astrophysics applications, he has led the ANU Space Interferometry group in the Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics since 2019.
Professor Hanna Kurniawati
Professorial Chair for System Autonomy, Intelligence and Decision Making
Professor Hanna Kurniawati, the Australian National University (ANU), is the Professorial Chair for System Autonomy, Intelligence and Decision Making. She is also Node Lead and Planning and Control theme lead for the Australian Robotics Inspection and Asset Management (ARIAM) Hub.
SmartSat has a cohort of over 70 Doctoral Candidates, with over 15% already completed. Their topics cover a variety of SmartSat CRC’s strategic and priority research areas ranging from space Internet of Things communications through to AI-powered autonomous operations in space.
The majority of the PhD thesis topics have one or more industry partners to support the practical application of the proposed thesis topic, demonstrating SmartSat’s commitment to fostering Australia’s space industry through building strong linkages between academia and industry.
The Aurora Space Cluster is a start-up and scale-up network providing a framework to grow within a collaborative ecosystem. Founded and supported by SmartSat, Aurora aims to create opportunities for its members via participation in SmartSat Research & Development programs and challenges, exposure to SmartSat’s partners and their global networks, and via creative collaboration with other members.
Aurora’s vision is to establish and nurture a collaborative network of space leaders and experts. We aim to deliver real and lasting impact to Australia through a thriving space start-up and SME ecosystem.