International leader in engineering education joins Swinburne

Renowned engineering education researcher Professor David Radcliffe has been appointed Director of the future STEM Research Innovation Centre at Swinburne.

Professor Radcliffe comes to Swinburne from Purdue University in the US, where he has been the endowed Kamyar Haghighi Head of the School of Engineering Education for the past seven years and a foundation Epistemology Professor of Engineering Education since 2007.

In this prestigious leadership role at one of the leading international universities he has led the development of interdisciplinary engineering degree programs that incubate new and emerging fields of engineering, as well as a pioneering PhD program bringing together engineering, science, education and the social sciences.

“Professor Radcliffe will work with staff across disciplines and the university to develop our new research centre focused on driving STEM innovation both through education and professional practice,” says Professor Aleksandar Subic, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development).

“He will provide thought leadership, generate scholarly outcomes and drive strategic engagement with industry and our international partners.

Partnership with Purdue University

Professor Radcliffe will continue his association with Purdue as Kamyar Haghighi Head and Epistemology Professor Emeritus of Engineering Education.

He will also facilitate a strategic partnership between Swinburne and Purdue to foster collaboration in education, research and student and staff mobility between the two institutions.

Shaping STEM education

Professor Radcliffe is excited by the opportunity to join the team at Swinburne, helping to shape the national conversation around STEM education futures in meeting pressing global challenges and societal aspirations.

“Swinburne’s bold Research and Innovation Strategy 2020 provides an excellent framework for fostering world-class educational scholarship and research that reimagines the ways we approach the development of our graduates in the STEM disciplines,” Professor Radcliffe says.

“These future leaders will have fulfilling careers which achieve transformational impact on the industries and the community where they live and work.”

Prior to joining Purdue, Professor Radcliffe conducted research and taught at several Australian, UK and US universities, including the University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, Adelaide University, Bath University and Stanford.

Between 1999 and 2007, he led three strategic industry-university learning partnerships involving the University of Queensland and Thiess, Boeing Australia and Hatch.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia; a Chartered Professional Engineer; Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education; Fellow of European Society of Engineering Education; and Past President, Australasian Association for Engineering Education.

Media enquiries