Western Sydney University celebrates April graduation

Ceremony 1 – Saturday 22 April – 9:30 am

Ms Rhea Sharma

Senior Business Consulting - Financial Services Risk Management, EY

Ms Rhea Sharma will deliver the Occasional Address

In 2012, Ms Rhea Sharma completed a Diploma in Business and Commerce at The College, and, in 2018, went on to complete a Bachelor of Business and Commerce in Applied Finance and a Bachelor of Laws from Western Sydney University.

Today, she is a qualified lawyer specialising in anti-money-laundering and financial crime compliance. In this complex field of law, Ms Sharma uses her passion to preserve the integrity of the Australian financial system. Despite being in the early stages of her career, over the past seven years Ms Sharma has dedicated herself to building a portfolio of expertise that spans the gambling, financial services and payments sectors.

In addition to advising corporate clients, Ms Sharma has also spent time volunteering with government organisations, including LegalAid and Housing NSW, and advocating for the rights of disadvantaged communities. These experiences have instilled the principles of 'justice', 'integrity' and 'authenticity' as some of her core values and shaped her lifelong commitment to helping others and ensuring that she lives a life that contributes positively to the world, both in her career and personal life.

As a graduate of both the College and the University, Ms Sharma shares her insights on the impact that her cultural upbringing has had on her educational journey.

Ceremony 2 – Saturday 22 April – 12 noon

Mr Brendon Noney

Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers

Mr Noney will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Brendon Noney is a Partner at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, Australia’s largest legal partnership with offices Australia-wide, including two offices in Sydney. Working from Norwest Business Park, Brendon advises Australian and international clients on mergers and acquisitions, information and communications technology, intellectual property and commercial contracting.

He also advises on matters relating to cloud services and technologies, including data centre co-location agreements, terms and conditions for cloud services, blockchain technologies implemented in payment platforms across multi-jurisdictions, privacy, cross-border data flow, data security and cybersquatting. Brendon has also been the lead advisor on the New South Wales and Queensland ten-cent container deposit schemes since they commenced.

Brendon is the President of Western Sydney Business Connection, which facilitates business engagement and growth in western Sydney, and chairs its subsidiary, Sound West Sydney, which stages an annual music and technology festival and conference. He also sits on the Western Sydney Procurement Steering Committee, which is helping to design the city of Bradfield, located next to the new Western Sydney Airport which is due to commence operations in 2026.

Ceremony 3 – Saturday 22 April – 2.30pm

Mr Lawrence Michael

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, RackCorp

Mr Michael will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Lawrence Michael is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of RackCorp, a privately owned Australian company that is a global cloud provider. RackCorp supports organisations, ranging from small and medium business through to larger enterprises and government agencies, via servers and teams located across 16 countries, helping them to secure and manage their cloud solutions through state-of-the-art technologies.

RackCorp works with clients to ensure their infrastructure and services have the highest levels of security, performance and reliability. As recent headlines have shown, data is often a company’s most precious asset and can be vulnerable to attack. RackCorp has developed a protection system that both detects and filters attacks within seconds.

Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Telecommunications Engineering, from the University of Technology in Sydney.

Ceremony 4 – Saturday 22 April – 5pm

Professor Margaret Gardner AC

President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University

Professor Gardner will deliver the Occasional Address and receive an Honorary Doctorate of Letters

Professor Margaret Gardner AC is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, a position she has held since 1 September 2014. As the ninth Vice-Chancellor of Monash University and the first female to serve in the role, her leadership has been described as ‘transformative’ by Simon McKeon AO, the Chancellor of Monash University.

After completing high school in the western suburbs of Sydney, Professor Gardner attended the University of Sydney and went on to obtain a first-class honours degree in Economics, followed by a PhD in Australian industrial relations. In 1988, she was appointed a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow and undertook research in comparative trade union strategy and industrial relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Professor Gardner has an extensive academic and executive career and has held various leadership positions at Australian universities, including at Griffith University and the University of Queensland, where she served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). Prior to joining Monash University, Professor Gardner was the Vice-Chancellor and President of RMIT from April 2005 until August 2014 where she led RMIT out of challenging circumstances and helped to shape its growth and vibrant urban presence.

Professor Gardner’s contributions to academia include publications in the fields of industrial relations and human resource management, which have been widely used as course texts at Australian universities. She is also a regular contributor to international journals and a speaker at academic and government conferences. In 2018, she was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia for her distinguished contribution to her discipline and to society.

As Chair of two major Queensland Government taskforces, Professor Gardner authored two government reviews between 1998 and 2002 – The Review of Industrial Relations Legislation in Queensland, and The Review of Pathways Articulation Through the Post-Compulsory Years of School to Further Education, Training and Labour Market Participation. Professor Gardner is a Director of Infrastructure Victoria and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). She is also Chair of the CASE Asia-Pacific Regional Council, a non-profit membership association dedicated to providing leadership and support to educational advancement professionals who share the common goal of championing education to transform lives and society.

Professor Gardner has been the Chair of a number of organisations, including Universities Australia, the Group of Eight (a coalition of research-intensive Australian universities), Museums Victoria, and the Strategic Advisory Committee and Expert Panel of the Office of Learning and Teaching within the Federal Government Department of Education and Training. She has also been a member of various boards and committees, including the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, the ANZAC Centenary Advisory Board, and the International Education Advisory Council.

In 2007, Professor Gardner was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to tertiary education, particularly in the areas of university governance and gender equity, and to industrial relations in Queensland. Subsequently, in January 2020, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for her eminent service to tertiary education through leadership and innovation in teaching and learning, research and financial sustainability.

The Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University has resolved to confer the award of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) on Professor Margaret Gardner AC, in recognition of her significant and sustained services to tertiary education.

Ceremony 5 – Monday 24 April – 9.30am

Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC

Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne

Professor Doherty will deliver the Occasional Address and receive an Honorary Doctorate of Science

Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC is an Australian immunologist and pathologist who, with Professor Rolf Zinkernagel of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for their discovery of the ways in which the body’s immune system recognises virus-infected cells.

Born in Brisbane in 1940, Professor Doherty attended state schools before graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1962. Following graduation, he worked with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock for several years and, in 1966, completed his Master’s in Veterinary Science with a thesis based on Leptospira pomona. In 1967, Professor Doherty left Australia to take up a position with the Department of Experimental Pathology at the Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh.

While working at the Moredun, he enrolled as a part-time graduate student at the University of Edinburgh’s medical school, and, in 1970, completed a PhD in Pathology. Returning to Australia in 1972, Professor Doherty took up a postdoctoral position with the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University, focussing his research on how the body’s immune cells protect against viruses. While at John Curtin, he began collaborating with Professor Zinkernagel to study the role of white blood cells, known as T lymphocytes, or T-cells, in mice infected with a virus able to cause meningitis.

The following year, Professors Doherty and Zinkernagel made an unpredicted discovery - that ‘killer’ T cells, the ‘assassins’ of immunity, recognise and eliminate virus-infected cells by interacting with virally-modified proteins of the body’s transplantation system. This Nobel Prize winning discovery continues to provide an important basis for vaccines and medicines for infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer. At the time of his Nobel Prize award, Professor Doherty was Chair of the Department of Immunology at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, where he remains an emeritus faculty member.

In 2002, he joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne as a Laureate Professor, and in 2014, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity was opened as a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Named in Professor Doherty’s honour, the Doherty Institute, of which he is a patron, has more than 800 staff who work on infection and immunity across a broad spectrum of activities.

Professor Doherty devoted his time during the COVID-19 pandemic to convey a basic understanding of infection, immunity and vaccines to the broader community. He featured in more than 500 radio and TV interviews, podcasts and zoom events, locally and across the globe, wrote 120 weekly articles for an online blog Setting it Straight, and interacted directly with people via social media.

Furthermore, Professor Doherty provided support for two Western Sydney University grant applications for the development of COVID-19 vaccines (1 NHMRC and 1 MRIF) as well as supporting COVID-19 vaccine testing developed by Western Sydney University staff as part of the Doherty Institute Testing Program for SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Drugs.

Over his career, Professor Doherty has published 550 research papers and reviews and authored eight ‘lay’ books, including Sentinel Chickens: What Birds Tell Us About Our Health and the World (2012), Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know (2014), The Knowledge Wars (2015) and An Insider’s Plague Year (2021). In addition to the Nobel Prize, Professor Doherty also shared the Paul Ehrlich Prize (Germany), the Gairdner International Award (Canada), and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Science (USA) with Professor Rolf Zinkernagel.

He is a Fellow, or Foreign Associate, of the Academies of Science of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia, and the French, US, UK and Australian Academies of Medicine. In 1997, Professor Doherty was named Australian of the Year and appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.

He is a National Trust Australian Living Treasure, has had his face featured on a postage stamp, and has research fellowships, a street and two buildings (in Edinburgh and Melbourne) named after him. To date, he is the only person with a veterinary qualification to win a Nobel Prize.

The Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University has resolved to confer the award of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) on Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC, in recognition of his international contribution to the field of immunology, and for his support to Western Sydney University.

Ceremony 6 – Monday 24 April – 12 noon

Mr Amit Yadav

Chief Executive Officer (Australia and New Zealand), GE HealthCare

Mr Yadav will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Amit Yadav is the Chief Executive Officer for Australia and New Zealand at GE HealthCare, a global medical technology company and digital solutions innovator. GE HealthCare helps clinicians to provide the best possible patient care and to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services.

Each year, more than two billion patient scans are managed by GE technology, with the company investing $1 billion a year in research and development.

GE HealthCare are committed to supporting Western Sydney University students through scholarships. In particular, the GE HealthCare Biomedical Engineering Scholarship for Women plays an important role in helping to encourage females into biomedical engineering studies.

Since joining GE HealthCare in 2004, Amit has held various roles, including Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Growth Officer for Australasia, and Commercial Excellence Leader for South East Asian Nations, Korea and Australasia. He sits on several company committees, including those dedicated to diversity, inclusion and remuneration.

Amit holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, specialising in medical imaging, and a Master of Business Administration, specialising in finance, both from Charles Sturt University.

Ceremony 7 – Monday 24 April – 2.30pm

Professor Iona Novak

Cerebral Palsy Alliance Chair of Allied Health at the University of Sydney; Co-Founder of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute

Professor Novak will deliver the Occasional Address

Professor Novak is an international expert in rehabilitation and neuroplasticity for children with cerebral palsy and is the invited Chair of the International Clinical Guidelines Australasian Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine.

She is the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Chair of Allied Health and co-founder of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, affiliated with the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and the Faculty of Medicine and Health.

Professor Novak is a Fulbright Scholar whose main research objectives are to discover, test and translate new treatments in areas identified as priorities by people with cerebral palsy.

She has been awarded multiple competitive grants to undertake clinical trials, cohort studies and translational studies for stem cells, and most recently, to establish a $2.5 million Centre for Research Excellence aimed at further decreasing the rate and severity of cerebral palsy.

Professor Novak holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Science and a PhD in Biomedical Science from this University. In 2018, Professor Novak was named the Chancellor’s Alumni of the Year.

Ceremony 8 – Monday 24 April – 5pm

Professor Basant Maheshwari

Western Sydney University

Professor Maheshwari will be accorded the title Distinguished Professor of International Engagement

Professor Basant Maheshwari is an internationally recognised expert in the fields of water, environment and sustainability. Through his research, Professor Maheshwari has developed solutions to the global challenges of delivering safe water to communities around the world.

His applied trans-disciplinary research addresses effective surface and groundwater management which plays a critical role in food production, sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development. Among his many international achievements is the Managing Groundwater Use and Aquifer Recharge through Village-level Intervention, or MARVI, program.

This program has resulted in the improvement of water security of irrigated water supplies, helping to enhance livelihoods across rural communities in India and Africa, particularly through meaningful collaborations with those most affected. Vital to Professor Maheshwari’s research is the village-level participatory approach for measuring groundwater levels and improving water-use efficiency in groundwater-stressed regions. MARVI transforms local villages by training local groundwater champions.

In particular, Professor Maheshwari identified the importance of women and children to this process. The MARVI program has trained village women, providing them with new knowledge on ground water and empowering them to change local attitudes. Together with colleagues from India, Professor Maheshwari is also the co-founder of the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC).

Strongly supported by both countries, the Centre is championing long-term collaboration across universities in Australia and India in the context of climate change and water availability and sustainability. Through the efforts of Professor Maheshwari, the University is recognised by the governments of both Australia and India as a primary site of expertise in water security research, training and innovation.

Western Sydney University awards the title of Distinguished Professor of International Engagement on Professor Basant Maheshwari in recognition of his outstanding achievement and contribution in the fields of Water, Environment and Sustainability.

Dr Tayanah O'Donnell

Partner - Risk Advisory, Deloitte

Dr O'Donnell will deliver the Occasional Address

Dr Tayanah O'Donnell is a qualified lawyer and scientist who is a Partner at Deloitte Risk Advisory’s Asia-Pacific Climate Change and Sustainability Practice. She has more than 17 years of experience working with government and industry in the climate and sustainability fields.

Her specific areas of expertise include climate change law; regulation and governance; environmental policy and programs; climate risk and climate-change adaptation planning; resilience and sustainability planning and strategies, and disaster-risk reduction and recovery.

Dr O'Donnell's expertise in climate-change risk and adaptation has resulted in thought leadership that is of global relevance. She has contributed to the delivery of many climate-risk, adaptation, resilience, and policy regulation and governance projects for clients as well as published several scientific papers, and two books on these topics.

She is particularly recognised for her achievements in complex stakeholder engagement and for her work with a range of government departments. Dr O'Donnell holds a double degree, a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Social Science, and a PhD from Western Sydney University.

Ceremony 9 – Monday 24 April – 7.30pm

Professor Brajesh Singh

Director, Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University

Professor Singh will be accorded the title Distinguished Professor and will deliver the Occasional Address

Professor Brajesh Singh is an international expert in the field of functional ecology and soil biology. He is currently a Professor within the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and Director of the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation. His applied research results identify and address issues relating to farm productivity, sustainable development, environmental protection and food security.

Professor Singh’s research has included partnerships with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, and the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

These research collaborations have advanced the development of climate adaptation tools for the agriculture industry; improved management solutions to increase soil organic matter; increased export market access for agriculture producers; trained farmers, consultants and policy advisors in sustainable agriculture and, have made important contributions towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Singh’s expertise and knowledge is internationally recognised.

In 2022, he was appointed to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation's Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS). The ITPS is comprised of 27 high-level soil experts representing all the regions of the world with a focus on providing scientific and technical advice and guidance on global soil issues. Last year, Professor Singh received the Soil Science Australia Fellowship Award and was named a Clarivate Highly Cited (HiCi) Researcher.

He is ranked in the top 1% of researchers globally – identifying him as one of the world’s most influential scientists in 2022. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including Soil Science Australia’s JA Prescott Medal. Professor Singh was awarded his PhD from the Imperial College London.

Western Sydney University awards the title of Distinguished Professor on Professor Brajesh Singh in recognition of his outstanding achievement and contribution in the field of Soil Functional Ecology.

Ceremony 10 – Wednesday 26 April – 9.30am

Professor Kathryn Holmes

Director, Centre for Educational Research; Associate Dean, Research, School of Education, Western Sydney University

Professor Holmes will be accorded the title Distinguished Professor and will deliver the Occasional Address

Professor Kathryn Holmes is an international expert in the field of Education, focusing on student educational and career aspirations, gender equity, STEM education and student wellbeing. She was appointed a Professor of Education at Western Sydney University in 2016 and is currently the Associate Dean, Research, with the School of Education. Prior to this, she held a number of positions with the University of Newcastle.

Professor Holmes is also the Director of the Centre for Educational Research, which conducts high quality research into critical issues in education. Since joining the University, Professor Holmes has been integral to the development of the University’s STEM Decadal Plan and has held a leadership role as Research Theme Champion for Education and Work.

Over the course of her career, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership in developing and deepening collaborative relationships. By partnering with industry and government, Professor Holmes has secured ongoing and significant collaborations with the NSW Department of Education and Training, the Western Parkland City Authority, Kimberly-Clark, Infrastructure NSW and Northrop Grumman.

Professor Holmes is deeply to committed to establishing productive and respectful relationships between mathematics educators, and mathematicians, as well as mentoring less experienced colleagues. Her peers note she has a 'capacity to include and develop Early Career Researchers’ which will ensure the next generation of research leaders.

Her research seeks to identify and address barriers to education with the aim of increasing female participation in STEM education, paving the way for educational equity and the development of a robust curriculum and skilled workforce. Professor Holmes has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Newcastle and a PhD from Monash University.

Western Sydney University awards the title of Distinguished Professor on Professor Kathryn Holmes in recognition of her outstanding achievement and contribution to the discipline of Education.

Ceremony 11 – Wednesday 26 April – 12 noon

Mr Tim Lloyd

Principal, Plumpton High School

Mr Lloyd will deliver the Occasional Address

Over the past nine years as principal of Plumpton High, Mr Tim Lloyd and his team have successfully transformed Plumpton into a school that is recognised for its focus on developing student leadership, agency and voice, and its commitment to building strong relationships with corporate business partners.

Tim's leadership as a principal was recognised at the 2019 Australian Education Awards, when he received the Australian Government School Principal of the Year Award, and, for two years in a row in 2019 and 2020, Plumpton High School was acknowledged by The Educator magazine as one of Australia’s most innovative schools.

Impressively, in 2021, Plumpton High School was 1 of 100 schools from across the world to present at T4 World Education Week - an initiative designed to provide a platform for schools to share their stories of success whilst coming together to advocate for quality education.

In his previous role as Director of Strategic Resourcing with the NSW Department of Education, Tim helped to lead, develop and implement school funding reform through the Local Schools, Local Decisions program. The program empowered schools to decide how they could best distribute funding to meet students’ needs.

In 2018, he was awarded a Commendation Prime Minister’s Award for “Promoting Excellence and Professionalism in Public Administration” for this work. Tim also regularly presents on change processes in schools and was a member of the NSW Secondary Principals Council Executive for three years.

Ceremony 12 – Wednesday 26 April – 2.30pm

Ms Rebecca Want

Transport Market Leader, GHD

Ms Want will deliver the Occasional Address

Ms Rebecca Want is the Transport Market Leader in the Sydney office of GHD, a company with global expertise in engineering, environment, design and construction. In the 1970s, GHD helped to rebuild Darwin in the wake of Cyclone Tracy. Today GHD is delivering cutting-edge solutions for communities around the world, including the development of Central Station for the Sydney Metro – a project close to Rebecca’s heart.

With more than 25 years of experience across both public and private transport infrastructure projects, Rebecca has specialist knowledge in business case development, construction, customer strategy, and design and delivery management. Rebecca is passionate about nurturing an innovative business environment, where she and other professionals can help create highly liveable, progressive and sustainable cities.

In addition to the technical focus of her role, Rebecca is an active industry volunteer and mentor to women and junior members of staff.

In 2022, Rebecca received the Australian Career Achievement Award from the Australasian Railway Association in recognition of her contribution to the rail industry, including her leadership in customer strategy and experience in design, as well as her work in progressing partnerships and collaborations with industry, and in connecting women in rail.

She was also recently appointed Chair of the Australasian Railway Association’s Women in Rail Committee and is also serving on the Board of the Australasian Railway Association.

Rebecca holds a Master of Engineering Science in Project Management from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Business Administration from Chifley Business School in Sydney and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Sydney.

Ceremony 13 – Wednesday 26 April – 5pm

Mr Nick Luzar

Chief Operating Officer, Fredon Group

Mr Luzar will deliver the Occasional Address

As the Chief Operating Officer of Fredon Group, Mr Nick Luzar helps lead one of Australia’s most diverse electrical and mechanical engineering companies. The company is headquartered in western Sydney and has branches around Australia and in New Zealand.

Nick has more than 30 years of experience in commercial construction and project management, and has found his niche in driving change in companies and solving critical strategic problems.

While he has predominantly helped to deliver traditional commercial buildings such as hospitals, schools, universities and defence projects, Nick has also been involved in civil infrastructure, tunnelling and rail projects, demonstrating his breadth of expertise.

Nick is passionate about supporting diverse communities and aiding access to education, and is deeply committed to developing the future of the Australian construction industry. This includes working outside of his construction roles as a part-time university lecturer, supporting the NSW Building Commissioner’s Office in developing better regulation for the construction industry, and donating his time as a Volunteer Ski Patroller.

Ceremony 14 – Thursday 27 April – 9.30am

Ms Melissa Montiero

Chief Executive Officer, Community Migrant Resource Centre

Ms Montiero will deliver the Occasional Address

Ms Melissa Montiero is Chief Executive Officer of the Community Migrant Resource Centre, a not-for-profit community organisation in Parramatta that provides settlement services to refugees and migrants. She is also Chair of the Settlement Council of Australia, the peak body for settlement in Australia, and one of three board members of the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW.

Melissa is passionate about supporting migrant and refugee women, humanitarian resettlement and social justice issues, and has an extensive background in advocating for and developing services for vulnerable and at-risk communities.

Her areas of expertise include building the capacity of small and emerging communities, mentoring women and youth, helping others to enhance their leadership skills, and developing governance and policy guidelines.

Melissa has been recognised for her ongoing commitment to assisting vulnerable and at-risk communities. In 2013, she was awarded Western Sydney University’s Community Services Award.

In 2019, Melissa won ProBono Australia’s Impact25 Collaborator Award, which recognises the positive impact of individuals working to make the world a better place.

Ceremony 15 – Thursday 27 April – 12 noon

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership, Professor Michelle Trudgett

Professor Trudgett will deliver the Occasional Address

Professor Michelle Trudgett is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership at Western Sydney University. Prior to this role she held the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education, Strategy and Consultation. Professor Trudgett is an eminent higher education leader who has also held senior positions at the University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University. Professor Trudgett’s significant contributions to the sector have been recognised through several awards including the highly prestigious National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year Award, the Neville Bonner Award for Teaching Excellence, and the University of New England Distinguished Alumni Award.

Professor Trudgett currently serves as the inaugural Chair of the New South Wales Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Committee and Deputy Chair of the inaugural Universities Australia Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Committee. She has also provided leadership to the Australian Research Council as the Chair of the Indigenous committee that advised on the Excellence in Research for Australia and the Engagement and Impact Review.

Professor Trudgett has been a Chief Investigator on four Australian Research Council grants, three as the lead Chief Investigator, which equate to over four million dollars in funding. Michelle has developed an international reputation as a leading Indigenous Australian scholar whose research provides considerable insight into Indigenous participation in higher education, with a specific focus on the postgraduate sector. She is currently leading two ARC projects - one will reshape the way universities currently 'do business' with Indigenous Australians through focusing on Indigenous leadership and governance in higher education, whilst the other investigates how the sector can best support and develop Indigenous early career researchers.

Professor Trudgett is a recognised strategic thinker who adopts a highly collegial approach to achieve positive outcomes for the higher education sector. She is particularly passionate about leading strategic initiatives that empower Indigenous people and communities.

Ceremony 16 – Thursday 27 April – 2.30pm

Dr Ragbir Bhathal

Dr Bhathal will be accorded the title Posthumous Emeritus Professor

Dr Ragbir Bhathal was a highly respected and well-known scientist, science historian, and champion of Australian female scientists, students, and early career academics. For over 60 years, he served the discipline of science, the sub-disciplines of astrophysics and the history and philosophy of science.

As a Commonwealth Scholar, Dr Bhathal completed his PhD in magnetism at the University of Queensland in 1968 and, from 1973 to 1982, went on to work as the Foundation Director of the Singapore Science Centre, one of the largest science centres in East Asia. He then held the position of Assistant Director and Head of the Science and Technology Division at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences until 1990.

In 1992, he was appointed as lecturer at Western Sydney University and remained dedicated to this role for the remainder of his life. Dr Bhatal’s personal research speciality was the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). In reasoning that alien civilisations could employ powerful laser beams to announce their existence he pioneered the Optical SETI Project which searches for alien laser communication signals.

His style of research was marked by an insatiable curiosity, a drive to generate knowledge and, most importantly, a desire to translate and communicate that knowledge widely.

The academic work of Dr Bhatal has featured in 60 publications, including 15 books. In 1996, he led, with the National Library of Australia, an exceptional project on eminent Australian women scientists. In 1999, he published a book on his findings titled Profiles: Australian Women Scientists, which featured the stories of sixteen prominent Australian women scientists and included a foreword from Sir Gustav Nossal, President of the Australian Academy of Science.

In his writings, Dr Bhathal provides a compelling case for science and research to be appraised according to rigour, evidence, and scholarship. His work shines light on findings, people, and stories of those less known and underrepresented, including Australian women scientists and Aboriginal people, whom he acknowledged as the first scientists.

Dr Bhathal forged a seamless connection between research and teaching. His teaching was imbued with first-hand knowledge of the practice of science and a deep understanding of physics and astronomy. He was an approachable and popular teacher and mentor who shared with his students his passion for ideas, his lifelong curiosity and his intellectual humility.

Dr Bhathal was a strong advocate for Western Sydney University. As a founding member of the Macarthur Astronomical Society, he designed and led the build of the twin-domed Campbelltown Rotary Observatory, which opened on the Western Sydney University Campbelltown Campus in 2000. He served as the Observatory Director for twenty-two years and assisted the University’s Penrith Observatory with its public outreach program. In addition to this work, he also presented at academic conferences and to community audiences, contributed to Open Days, STEM events and even prepared nominations for senior colleagues, especially females, to be appointed Fellows of the Royal Society of NSW.

As an adviser to the Federal Minister for Science in Australia, Dr Barry Jones, Dr Bhathal was a member of the committee set up to establish the National Science & Technology Centre, Questacon, in Canberra. He was also the Project Director for the Sydney Observatory restoration building program and served as a UNESCO consultant on science policy for the ASEAN group of nations.

Rabgir’s national and international standing is evident in his election as Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in London, Honorary Fellow of the Singapore Association for the Advancement of Science, and his appointment as a Visiting Fellow with the Australian National University’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, in recognition of his significant contributions to astronomy research and authorship of books in natural history. In addition, Dr Bhathal was awarded the Bicentennial Royal Society of NSW Medal for services to science and research, the CJ Dennis Award for excellence in natural history writing, and the prestigious Nancy Keesing Fellowship by the State Library of NSW.

The Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University has resolved to posthumously confer the title of Emeritus Professor on Dr Ragbir Bhathal, in recognition of his significant contribution to the disciplines of astronomy and astrophysics and to Western Sydney University.

Accepting this award on behalf of the late Dr Bhathal is his wife, Mrs Johanna Bhathal.

Councillor George Greiss

Mayor, Campbelltown City Council

Cr Greiss will deliver the Occasional Address, and is a PhD graduate in Geography and Urban Studies

As Mayor of Campbelltown City Council, Councillor Greiss serves a population of more than 176,000 residents. He was elected to this position last year after serving as a Campbelltown City Councillor since 2008.

In his time on the Council, George has developed expertise and experience in local government administration, serving on or chairing committees which consider a range of issues, including traffic matters, planning and environment, and corporate governance. He is also a Metropolitan/Urban Director on the Board of Local Government NSW.

George is also deeply familiar with Western Sydney University, both as a staff member and student. He has worked at the University as a Partnership and Business Development Officer and is now a PhD graduate in geography and urban studies.

George holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Property Development from the University of Technology Sydney, and a Master of Management (Information Technology) from Charles Sturt University.

Ceremony 17 – Thursday 27 April – 5pm

Dr Patricia Jenkings

Chair and President, United Nations Association of Australia (NSW)

Dr Jenkings will deliver the Occasional Address

Dr Patricia Jenkings is the President of the New South Wales Division of the United Nations Association of Australia, and Vice President National of the same association. Dr Jenkings’ educational attainment, together with an esteemed career in humanitarian fields of work are a testament to her life-long commitment to social justice and human rights.

Dr Jenkings has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a PhD from the University of Sydney. Her doctoral thesis made a significant contribution in explaining the shift from the Anglo-Celtic, mono-cultural view of citizenship in Australia, to one that officially recognises the culturally diverse nature of current Australian society.

Dr Jenkings attributes her contact with the European post-war migrant communities of Bondi, amongst whom she grew up, as having played a key role in influencing her pursuit and desire for social justice. Dr Jenkings is a Member of the Academic Council on the United Nations System and serves as a World Bank Group Global Influencer Panellist.

She has also served as Vice-Chair of the UN Women Sydney entity and has presented on the emergence of UN Women globally.

A passionate advocate on the importance of quality education, particularly, for girls and women, Dr Jenkings has developed strategic programs focused on women and struggling communities throughout Africa. She has also helped to shape programs which have contributed to educational and workplace reform, combatting child trafficking and improving outcomes for young people in Pakistan.

In addition, she has led a United Nations local governance project for Uzbekistan, focussed on increasing local participation in community decision making and has received international recognition for the development of a surf awareness program at Bondi Surf Club for newly arrived migrants.

Dr Jenkings is dedicated to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people can enjoy peace, prosperity and equality. She has been recognised for her unwavering ability to champion the concept of kindness in action through her grass-roots approach, which positively influences her community and country.

Her inspiring capacity is amplified by her enthusiasm and ambition to, in her own words, help create a better world for all in the wonderful spirit of humanitarian mateship.

Ceremony 18 – Friday 28 April – 9.30am

Mr Gaven Morris

Managing Director, Bastion Transform

Mr Gaven will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Gaven Morris is the Managing Director of Bastion Transform, a digital transformation and content strategy consultancy. He is also an Industry Professor at Western Sydney University.

Until December 2021, Gaven was the Director of News, Analysis and Investigations at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. During his time at the ABC, he launched the ABC News Channel, led the daily news and current affairs teams, and implemented a comprehensive strategic and cultural change programme that elevated ABC News to become Australia’s leading digital news service and significantly broadened the diversity and breadth of its audience and staff profile.

Prior to this, he worked in international news for a decade. He was a senior member of the team that built and launched Al Jazeera English, and he also worked on the expansion of CNN.com into one of the first global online news services.

With 30 years of experience in the Australian and international media, Gaven has covered key events, including global conflicts, terrorism attacks, natural disasters, and political upheaval. Gaven also spent many years in the Australian parliamentary press gallery.

Ceremony 19 – Friday 28 April – 12 noon

Professor Ivor Indyk

Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University

Professor Indyk will be accorded the title Emeritus Professor and will deliver the Occasional Address

Professor Ivor Indyk is an internationally renowned Australian literary academic, editor and publisher. He is the founding Director of the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University and has served as the Whitlam Chair in Writing since 2005.

Professor Indyk led the Centre with distinction from 2005-2011, helping to establish it as one of the most important centres for research on literature in Australia. During his time at the University, Professor Indyk has exercised important leadership in the development and publication of writers from the Western Sydney region.

He is the founding editor and publisher of the distinguished Australian literary journal, HEAT magazine and the award-winning Giramondo Publishing, both of which have been situated in the Writing and Society Research Centre since 2005. Giramondo, led by Professor Indyk, is one of the most decorated, independent publishing houses in Australia. Its titles have won or have been shortlisted for all major Australian literary awards, including the Miles Franklin Award, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the Stella Prize, and all the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.

An early initiative of Professor Indyk’s was the establishment of a workshop for young writers from Western Sydney, at the Powerhouse Youth Theatre in Fairfield. This developed into a distinctive literary movement, with the first generation of writers from the region – Mohammed Ahmad, Felicity Castagna, Luke Carman, and Fiona Wright – publishing award-winning books with Giramondo, and the new works of a second generation – Maryam Azam, Yumna Kassab, Max Easton and Rawah Arja – now attracting public attention.

Professor Indyk has also played an important role in the publication, promotion and critical interrogation of contemporary Indigenous writing, with Giramondo publishing poetry collections by Lionel Fogarty and Ali Cobby Eckermann, and novels and a memoir by Alexis Wright. Giramondo is also committed to publishing translations of literary works from overseas, including writers from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and India, and authors whose works are of special relevance to Australian history and advancement.

Professor Indyk has also been influential in cultivating literary exchanges between China and Australia. He was a key organising member of the first China Australia Literary Forum in Sydney in 2011 and a key delegate of the second forum held in Beijing in 2013.

Despite stepping down as Director of the Writing and Society Research Centre in 2011, Professor Indyk continued to contribute to the Centre by co-founding the Sydney Review of Books and establishing writing programs focused on Western Sydney.

Through his work as Director of the Writing and Society Research Centre, and co-founder of the Sydney Review of Books, Professor Indyk has brought academic distinction to the University, with this work supported by two ARC Discovery Grants for Australian Indigenous Storytelling and Australian Literary Publishing. Professor Indyk is also recognised as a major scholar of Australian literature, having authored essays on Australian art, architecture and literary publishing, including a monograph on David Malouf published by Oxford University Press.

Professor Indyk’s teaching credits include undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Australian literature and literary publishing. He has supervised over 30 PhDs, Doctor of Creative Arts and Master of Research candidates, the most recent of whom, Dr Amanda Tink, graduated with a PhD at this ceremony.

The Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University has resolved to confer the title of Emeritus Professor on Professor Ivor Indyk, in recognition of his significant contribution to Australian literature and literary scholarship and to Western Sydney University.

Ceremony 20 – Friday 28 April – 2.30pm

Ms Siobhan Casey

Chief Growth Officer; Director Migration Pathways, Australian Computer Society

Ms Casey will deliver the Occasional Address

Ms Siobhan Casey is the Chief Growth Officer and Director of Migration Pathways at the Australian Computer Society – the professional association for Australia’s technology sector. The ACS works to grow the technology sector and is the nominated assessing body for tech migration to Australia. More than 30,000 people apply each year to continue their tech careers in Australia.

In this role, Siobhan is responsible for the association’s migration-related services, including visa assessments. She joined the ACS in 2019 as the Director of Scale Ups and Innovation Labs. Prior to this appointment, she was a board adviser and Chief Operating Officer of fin-tech start-up HashChing, Australia’s first online marketplace for customers to access verified mortgage brokers.

Prior to these roles, Siobhan was the Chief Executive Officer of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia, the peak industry body for Australian mortgage brokers.

Siobhan holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, from Western Sydney University.

Ceremony 21 – Friday 28 April – 5pm

Dr Tim Leach

Chief Executive Officer, Community Legal Centres Australia

Dr Leach will deliver the Occasional Address

Dr Tim Leach is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Legal Centres Australia, which is the peak body for more than 170 community legal services throughout Australia. These independent, community-run organisations provide free legal assistance and support to people and communities most in need.

Tim’s connection to this area of the law started in the 1980s, when he was a student volunteer at the Redfern Legal Centre. He began his career as a solicitor at Southwest Sydney Community Legal Centre in 1990. He then worked for numerous organisations, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations.

He became a governance and management consultant, working primarily for NGOs across the legal, welfare and international development sectors. During this period, he also worked with community legal centres as well as the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Community Legal Centres NSW.

Ceremony 22 – Saturday 29 April – 9.30am

Mr Moe Khodragha

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Dialysis Australia

Mr Khodragha will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Mohammed Khodragha is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Dialysis Australia, a provider of home-based dialysis services that are changing the landscape for people living with chronic kidney disease. In 2012, together with a friend, Mohammed co-founded Dialysis Australia.

Since its inception, Mohammed has led Dialysis Australia in pioneering the assisted home dialysis model of care which provides an alternative to more traditional hospital administered dialysis care.

Dialysis Australia are committed to supporting Western Sydney University’s nursing students and are actively working with the University to provide new opportunities for academic and career success.

Born and raised in South-Western Sydney, Mohammed has a Bachelor of Education (Humanities), majoring in Economics and Geography, from the University of Sydney.

Prior to founding Dialysis Australia, he worked in the public education system for 15 years where he was committed to addressing behavioural and learning challenges. A key achievement for Mohammed was the establishment of a Learning Support Team at Moorebank High School to help students to improve their learning outcomes.

Having achieved this professional milestone, Mohammed then focused his attention on helping patients and their families living with chronic kidney disease. The result was the establishment of Dialysis Australia.

Ceremony 23 – Saturday 29 April – 12 noon

Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward

Chief Executive Officer, Australian College of Nursing

Adjunct Professor Ward will deliver the Occasional Address

Adjunct Professor Ward is the CEO of the Australian College of Nursing and the Australian College of Nursing Foundation. She has led a program of transformation at ACN, making them Australia’s beacon for Nurse Leadership, Policy and Education.

As a passionate humanitarian and fighter for equality, she is inspired to raise recognition of nurses and women in society, ensuring they have a major seat at the table in developing health and social policy.

Adjunct Professor Ward holds honorary academic professorships with six leading Australian universities, has Fellowships with several organisations, including a Wharton Fellowship from the United States, and is the recipient of multiple awards in recognition of her transformational leadership and business acumen.

Along with her CEO roles, she is a Board Director of three national organisations as well as being Ministerially appointed to multiple national steering committees. Adjunct Professor Ward is also the first nurse in Australian history to be Ministerially appointed to the Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency.

Adjunct Professor Ward is an author, media personality, keynote speaker and is highly sought after as a voice of authority on leadership, workforce, culture and change. She is a woman determined to see positive changes and she is renowned for investing in those around her to enable them to achieve their best.

Along with all of these remarkable achievements, Kylie has gained her undergraduate nursing qualifications from Western Sydney University, followed with a Master of Management, also from Western Sydney University.

The culmination of her impact, influence and achievements saw her awarded the WSU Alumni Award for Professional Excellence in 2018 and last year she was announced as Outstanding Leader of the Year for the Leadership Headquarter Awards in Australia.

Ceremony 24 – Saturday 29 April – 2.30pm

Mr Scott McDonnell

Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals

Mr McDonnell will deliver the Occasional Address

Mr Scott McDonnell started studying a Bachelor of Science at Western Sydney University in 1990, before honing in on his passion for helping people which led him to transfer to a Bachelor of Nursing degree.

He spent some time in Canada, seeing first-hand how the country’s aged-care system operates before returning to Sydney to work as a registered nurse in the Hawkesbury District Health Service. Scott has specialised in several areas of hospital and health-care services, having worked in all facets of critical care, including as a Clinical Nurse Consultant.

Through his work he realised his passion for leading change and moved to leadership and management positions across SWSLHD before becoming Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Camden and Campbelltown hospitals last year.

In this multi-faceted role, he is able to focus on his big-picture goal of transforming the patient experience with the help of cutting-edge technology.

For Scott, this represents an opportunity and personal realisation of seeing, in his lifetime, a revolution in how Australia delivers health care.

Ceremony 25 – Saturday 29 April – 5pm

Ms Carmen Morgan

Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Westmead Hospital

Ms Morgan will deliver the Occasional Address

Ms Carmen Morgan is the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Westmead Hospital. In this role, she is able to pursue her passion for developing the nursing workforce and providing care that is patient-centred.

In addition to this role, Carmen is also a Board Director for the Australian College of Nursing. Carmen has decades of experience as a nurse, with much of her clinical career spent working in rural, regional and remote health in Western Australia.

As Regional Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Western Australia’s Kimberley region, she oversaw nursing and midwifery activities across five hospitals, community and public health services, and mental health services. She also chaired the Western Australia Country Health Service’s state-wide Infection Control Advisory Group, raising the profile and impact of this function across the State.

In 2020, she relocated to Australia’s east coast to work as the Director of Nursing and Midwifery and Support Services at NSW Health’s Coffs Harbour Health Campus, before taking up her current role in Sydney last year.