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Alan Finkel

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist

Dr Finkel commenced as Australia’s Chief Scientist on 25 January 2016. He is Australia’s eighth Chief Scientist.

Dr Finkel has an extensive science background as an entrepreneur, engineer, neuroscientist and educator.

Prior to becoming Chief Scientist, he was the Chancellor of Monash University and President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE).

Dr Finkel was awarded his PhD in electrical engineering from Monash University and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in neuroscience at the Australian National University.

In 1983 he founded Axon Instruments, a California-based, ASX-listed company that made precision scientific instruments used at pharmaceutical companies and universities for the discovery of new medicines. After Axon was sold in 2004, Dr Finkel became a director of the acquiring company, NASDAQ-listed Molecular Devices.

In 2006, he returned to Australia and undertook a wide range of activities. He led the amalgamation that formed the Florey Neuroscience Institutes; he became Chair of the Australian Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) and was a director of the ASX-listed diagnostics company Cogstate Limited. He was Executive Chair of the educational software company Stile Education, Chair of Manhattan Investment Group, Chief Technology Officer of Better Place Australia and Chair of Speedpanel Australia.

Committed to science education, Dr Finkel co-founded Cosmos Magazine, which in addition to magazine publishing operates a secondary schools science education program. At ATSE, he led the development and implementation of the STELR program for secondary school science, which has been adopted in nearly 500 Australian schools. Dr Finkel also established the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience to train early career neuroscientists.

Climate Change Series

Made in America: how Biden's climate package is fuelling the global drive to net zero

Oct 06, 2023 02:31 am UTC| Politics

This article is part of a series by The Conversation, Getting to Zero, examining Australias energy transition. Just over a year since US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, its...

Finkel's Law: robots won't replace us because we still need that human touch

Aug 22, 2017 14:53 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science Technology

By now, youve probably been warned that a robot is coming for your job. But rather than repeat the warning, Ive decided to throw down a challenge: man against machine. First, Ill imagine the best possible robot version...

Economy

EU-India Trade Deal Offers European Carmakers a New Opening in India’s Competitive Auto Market

European carmakers facing mounting pressure from U.S. tariffs and intense price competition in China are set to gain modest relief from a landmark EU-India trade deal that significantly reduces import duties on cars. The...

Trump Raises Tariffs on South Korean Autos, Escalating Trade Tensions Despite Prior Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a sharp increase in tariffs on South Korean autos and other goods, intensifying trade tensions with one of Washingtons closest allies. The move, revealed on Monday, raises tariffs from...

Asian Stocks Rise as U.S. Tech Earnings and Tariff Uncertainty Drive Markets

Asian shares moved higher on Tuesday as investors positioned for a wave of U.S. mega-cap earnings, even as fresh tariff tensions from President Donald Trump added a layer of uncertainty to global markets. Optimism around...

Fed Confirms Rate Meeting Schedule Despite Severe Winter Storm in Washington D.C.

The Federal Reserve has confirmed that its closely watched policy meeting will proceed as scheduled, even as extreme winter weather forced the closure of many government offices across Washington D.C. In an official...

Oil Prices Slip Despite U.S. Winter Storm and Ongoing Geopolitical Risks

Global oil prices edged lower on Tuesday even as a massive winter storm disrupted crude oil production and refinery operations across the United States, highlighting the markets focus on broader demand concerns and supply...

Politics

Philippines and U.S. Conduct Joint Naval Exercises at Scarborough Shoal Amid South China Sea Tensions

The Philippine and United States militaries conducted a joint sail and maritime exercises this week at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, underscoring the growing defense cooperation between the two...

Israel Recovers Remains of Last Gaza Hostage, Advancing U.S.-Backed Plan to End War

Israel announced on Monday that it has recovered the remains of Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli hostage held in Gaza, marking a major milestone in ongoing efforts to end the war in the Palestinian territory. The...

Mark Carney Walks Back Davos Remarks After Call With Donald Trump, Says U.S. Treasury Secretary

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reportedly softened his stance on controversial remarks he made at the World Economic Forum in Davos following a direct phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to U.S....

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Clarifies Taiwan Stance, Stresses Importance of U.S. Alliance

Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reiterated the importance of the JapanU.S. strategic alliance amid rising tensions over Taiwan, while carefully distancing herself from earlier remarks that were interpreted as...

California Governor Gavin Newsom Launches Review Into Alleged TikTok Content Suppression After U.S. Ownership Deal

California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused TikTok of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, prompting a state-level review into the platforms content moderation practices to determine whether they...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Micron to Expand Memory Chip Manufacturing Capacity in Singapore Amid Global Shortage

U.S. memory chip maker Micron Technology is preparing to announce a major new manufacturing capacity investment in Singapore, signaling an aggressive expansion to meet surging global demand for memory chips. According to...

Microsoft Wins Approval to Build 15 New Data Centers in Wisconsin

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) has taken another major step in expanding its data center footprint after receiving unanimous approval from local officials in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, to build 15 additional data...

Samsung Set to Begin HBM4 Production for Nvidia and AMD

Samsung Electronics is preparing to begin mass production of its next-generation high-bandwidth memory chips, known as HBM4, as early as next month, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. The...

U.S. Lawmakers Demand Scrutiny of TikTok-ByteDance Deal Amid National Security Concerns

U.S. lawmakers are calling for closer congressional scrutiny of a new deal involving TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance, raising fresh concerns about national security, data privacy, and potential Chinese...

Ericsson Plans SEK 25 Billion Shareholder Returns as Margins Improve Despite Flat Network Market

Swedens telecom equipment giant Ericsson announced plans to significantly boost shareholder returns after reporting a sharp rise in net cash and continued margin improvements, even as the global mobile network market...