Think Big, Start Small and Move Quickly: Ways to Make Things Happen
VC New Professor Talk
How can great ideas, when transformed into reality, positively impact on our lives and change the world?
It is easy to become enamoured with the technology that we have created and ignore the realities of the external world. Without an understanding of the intersection of how people, technology, and business can come together - many innovations are doomed to failure.
In this lecture, Professor Zelinsky will reflect on the lessons learned in innovation in a career that spans leadership in industry, government and now the university sector. He will draw upon examples of technology successes and failures during his career. Professor Zelinsky will outline the drivers of innovation success and argue that a big vision is needed to tackle the important problems that we face as a nation. A bold vision is of no value unless it is implemented. It is vital to quickly move towards realising the dream in a measured way drawing upon the capabilities of collaborators.
About the speaker:
Professor Alex Zelinsky AO is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle, joining us in November 2018. Prior to this he was Chief Defence Scientist leading Defence Science and Technology and Group Executive for Information Sciences at CSIRO. Professor Zelinsky was the co-founder and CEO of Seeing Machines, a high technology publicly-listed company focused on computer vision. Seeing Machines was a startup from ANU where he was a Professor of Systems Engineering.
Professor Zelinsky has won numerous national and international awards including a Clunies-Ross Medal for successful innovation, the Trevor Pearcey Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement, the M A Sargent Medal by Engineers Australia and was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer. He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the Institute of Engineers Australia and was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2017.
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.