It has been great to see our students and staff returning to campus with the resumption of in-person classes this year. While safety still remains a top priority during these unprecedented times, we are thrilled to have our students and staff back on campus. We have commenced operations in Building J from the new UNSW Canberra City location at CIT Reid, in anticipation for construction to commence on the new UNSW Canberra City campus.
In January this year, Professor Emma Sparks took up the position as UNSW Canberra’s new Dean and Rector.
Joining from Cranfield University in the UK, Professor Sparks has been recognised as one of the ‘Top 50 Women in Engineering in the UK’ and is the first female to be appointed to the role of Dean and Rector at UNSW Canberra.
Professor Sparks brings 20 years’ experience working across both the higher education and defence sectors. Before joining UNSW Canberra, Emma was the Director of Programme Portfolio Delivery, Deputy Director of Education and Head of the Centre for Systems and Technology Management at Cranfield University
Professor Sparks boasts a wealth of accolades and qualifications that make her the perfect fit for this vital role at UNSW Canberra. These include:
- Member of the International Council on Systems Engineering and the Institution of Engineering and Technology
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) in sports science and osteopathy
- Masters of Science and PhD in systems engineering for defence
- Postgraduate certificate in teaching, learning and assessment for higher education.
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK
During her time in the UK at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Fort Halstead, she was responsible for numerous projects looking at all aspects of human protection and performance, helping to develop next-generation soldier systems. Her PhD research on future soldier capability developed a well-established relationship with DST in Adelaide, working on the Australian Soldier Modernisation Program, part of a $35 million package to boost the Army’s combat capability.
