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Dr Mark Matthews, Executive Director, FEAST

Mark was appointed as executive director of FEAST in April 2007 following Neil Hamilton’s move to head-up the WWF’s Arctic research program. Mark has a long-standing interest in the nature and extent of international collaboration in public science and industrial R&D. This stems from his exposure to the geopolitical and cross-cultural influences on who collaborates with whom and how effectively this works — encountered as part of work on strategic issues faced in the aerospace industry and in science and innovation policy in general. He is also particularly interested in making the case for government support of public science on the basis of how such knowledge helps us to identify and manage the risks and uncertainties that markets cannot cope with very effectively (see his 2006 policy paper on science, innovation and preparedness).

Mark’s career in science and innovation policy has encompassed both academia and management consulting. He has held positions at the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, the School of Management, University of Bath and the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick. He is also currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering at the ANU. Mark’s career as a management consultant specialising in public policy work has involved working in both Australia and the United Kingdom. His government advisory committee work includes membership of the Research Quality Framework (RQF) Metrics Working Group in 2006 and the Safeguarding Australia expert sub-committee of the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy in 2005. His major qualifications are a B.A. (Hons) in Geography, an M.Sc. in Science, Technology and Industrialisation and a Doctorate (D.Phil) in Science and Technology Policy, all from the University of Sussex.

Mark’s outside interests are geographical in nature: travel and solo mountain trekking (a lapsed rock climber) plus cycling, culinary adventures, carpentry and trying to swim half as well as the average Australian.

Ms Lynne Hunter, Adviser, the Delegation of the European Commission to Australia and New Zealand

Lynne Hunter was born in Presbyterian Scotland to a French Jewish mother and English Catholic father.  She survived 12 years of the Scottish Education System before coming to Australia where she completed an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and English Literature.  She then completed a Masters in International Relations, specialising in Conflict Resolution and Crisis Diplomacy. With this background, she believes she was destined to end up working for the European Commission. 

Lynne has been with the Delegation of the European Commission to Australia and New Zealand since February 1989.  She is now an Adviser with responsibility for many different portfolios including Science & Technology, Education, Development, Immigration, Transport, Energy, and Social Affairs.  The Delegation’s primary function is to maintain a two way flow of information between the Australian Government and the European Commission in Brussels and to highlight and enhance areas of mutual interest and collaboration. 

Since first being accredited to Australia in 1981, the Delegation has seen the EU-Australia relationship grow from one fixated on the Common Agricultural Policy to one of wide ranging interests with Agreements and Exchanges of letters in over 12 different areas including Science and Technology, Wine, Conformity Assessment, Coal, Environment and Energy.    

Mr Jean-François Desvignes-Hicks, Senior Project Officer, FEAST

Jean-François Desvignes-Hicks was appointed as project manager of FEAST the 1st August 2005, but he has been involved with FEAST since 2001.

His interests in, and commitment to, transnational cooperation in research and higher education stem from early university experiences with groups in western and eastern Europe and in the USA.

He has a molecular biology background, having completed a Bachelor’s degree in France. He also had one year at the University of Oklahoma (USA) where he undertook courses and research in fresh water ecology. Having fulfilled his motherland duties, dressed up with a red pompom on an high-tech metal scoop on the Atlantic Ocean, he started a Masters in modeling and analysis of biological systems at the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon.

His Masters thesis and research focused on a high potential, high value and culturally important fish, common to most continental Europe… cyprinus carpio (the common carp).

But he was not destined to be a researcher. Instead, he would investigate innovative support for researchers to achieve their objectives, in particular toward international goals.

He is certainly known by some of you from his previous role with FEAST-France as he was working with Alain Moulet at the French Embassy in Canberra.

The FEAST team is composed of a small secretariat with an important community. The overall job of this six handed secretariat is to catalyze excellence within this community.

More specifically, Jean-François's role at FEAST is to liaise with the community. For example, by posting this newsletter every two months. But most importantly, by providing quality services to address issues of Australian-European collaborations:

• Ongoing updates of successful research projects,
• One stop shop system for enquiries.
• Deliver effective activities with and for the FEAST networks.

Dr Rado Faletič, Webmaster, FEAST

Rado joined the FEAST team at the end of July 2005, primarily as the webmaster. His interest in FEAST stems from his love of promoting, encouraging and highlighting science and new ideas, along with the personal satisfaction he receives from building functional websites for virtual communities.

He has previously held a number of teaching and IT positions at The Australian National University, including appointments at the Research School of Chemistry, the Department of Physics and the Department of Mathematics. At the ANU Rado has also completed a PhD in shock tunnel tomography. His other research projects have included the spatial modeling of water flow in de-forested landscapes with the CRC for Catchment Hydrology, and seismic tomography at ANU’s Research School of Earth Sciences.

Outside of FEAST, Rado’s other engagements include running his own business, and close involvement with the National Youth Science Forum. He enjoys keeping fit in the outdoors; composing, playing and listening to music; watching movies; and, helping others excel.