Announced yesterday (29 June), Professor Reynolds has been named amongst Australia’s Top 100 Most Influential Engineers 2015, an accolade she also received in 2013 and 2012. The list comprises engineers who are considered extremely influential, not only in the engineering profession, but in Australian society as a whole.
As one of four South Australian engineers to make this list, Professor Reynolds was named in the Entrepreneurs/Experts category, a fitting tribute to the innovative leader.
Bridging the gap between research and industry, Professor Reynolds has a proven passion for fostering collaboration between researchers, industry and end-users to ensure clinical relevance and improved patient outcomes for industry-based projects.
As Director of Flinders University’s Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) and the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP), Professor Reynolds is committed to connecting research and industry to enhance health technology innovation.
On this announcement, Professor Reynolds said she was humbled by this recognition.
“We have some leading minds here at Flinders, and are working hard to make this knowledge accessible to industry and the community,” said Professor Reynolds.
“Being recognised alongside some other high achieving leaders is extremely rewarding,” said Professor Reynolds.
Though dedicated programs such as the MDPP, Professor Reynolds has established formal avenues and successful models for collaborating with industry partners to ensure research remains relevant and accessible.
Working to help transform the economic environment in South Australia, Professor Reynolds is playing a pivotal role in establishing Tonsley as a Health Technology Innovation precinct.
“South Australia is poised to benefit from the diversification from automotive manufacturing, building on our strengths in medical devices, assisted living and health technologies”, said Professor Reynolds.
Beyond South Australia, Professor Reynolds plays a lead role in the development of the biomedical engineering and medical technology industry in Australia.
As Chair of the Biomedical Engineering and of the Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering’s Health & Technology Forum, Professor Reynolds’ influence is widespread.
Regarded as one of Australia’s leading biomedical engineers, Professor Reynolds’ research contributions include developing new sensors for monitoring various physiological parameters such as body temperature and respiration, devising new implants for orthopaedic surgeries and designing assistive technologies and assisted living environments for people living with a disability.
Flinders Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Day said the area of Health Technologies is a growing and important area for the University.
“It is vital that we leverage success and explore ideas collectively across the University. By bringing capabilities together we can make a significant impact in the health technologies space”, said Professor Day.
“Professor Reynolds is an ambassador for science and engineering, and a prime example of how ambition, hard-work and dedication can result in wide-ranging influence”, said Professor Day.
This year has seen a record number of women selected for the Top 100.
“It gives me great pride to see so many other women recognised for their contributions to the engineering discipline and I hope this inspires more young females to join the profession”, said Professor Reynolds.
This honour follows an already stellar career. In recognition of her significant contributions to industry development and medical device innovation, Professor Reynolds was awarded the 2014 Medical Technology Association of Australia’s Outstanding Achievement Award, named South Australian Scientist of the Year in 2012 and awarded Australian Professional Engineer of the Year in 2010.