The Office of Graduate Research (OGR) recently hosted a fantastic event recognising PhD and industry partnerships at Flinders. Held on Wednesday 25 September at HMRB, the event saw a full house with over 120 guests, including representatives from government, businesses, NGOs, and Flinders researchers. The evening was filled with insightful discussions, meaningful networking, and a showcase of the partnerships between our industry partners, PhD students and Flinders University.
Professor Lucy Lewis served as MC for the evening, which began with an Acknowledgement of Country, before a video was played, showcasing three excellent examples of industry and PhD research partnerships currently underway with Flinders University. The video gave perspectives from the PhD Students, their Academic Supervisors and Industry Partner staff members on the benefits of such programs.
The highlight of the evening was an inspiring panel discussion on “Bridging the Gap: Synergy between Academia and Industry through PhD Projects”. Chaired by Professor Tim Cavagnaro, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Training and Capabilities) & Dean of Graduate Research, attendees were able to gain insight into the importance of these types of collaborations in research and the impact they can have on individuals, industry partners and society. A big thank you to the below panellists for their expert perspectives and insights.
- Harriet Whiley, Associate Professor, Flinders University
- Dr David Beecham, Regional Director, National Industry PhD Program, Campus Plus
- Dr Paul Monis, Principal Scientist, R&D Planning & Excellence, SA Water
- Sonali Deshmukh, PhD Candidate, Flinders University
After a few crowd questions, everyone broke out into a wonderful networking session where new connections were formed and ideas where exchanged, fuelled by a delicious selection of food and drinks.
The night was a huge success with lots of positive feedback coming from the attendees in the days that followed. The OGR team look forward to continuing to build and celebrate these powerful collaborations that drive real-world outcomes through innovative PhD projects.