Finkel, Alan Simon (1953 - )

Summary

Alan Finkel was appointed Chief Scientist in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in January 2016. He has an extensive reputation as an entrepreneur, engineer, educator and philanthropist. As a post-doctoral Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research he designed equipment to support research programs. Realising the commercial possibilities, in 1983 he founded Axon Instruments in California, to make precision scientific instruments used by researchers in the discovery of new medicines. After the company was sold Finkel returned to Australia in 2006 and became involved in a number of enterprises. These include the establishment of the Florey Neurosciences Institutes, educational programs for secondary school science and the training of neuroscientists, electric vehicle infrastructure, and the publication of the magazine Cosmos. He was Chancellor of Monash University from 2008 to 2015 and President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering from 2013 to 2015.

Details

Chronology

1976

Education - Bachelor of Engineering, (BEng (Hons)), Monash University

1981

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Monash University

1981 - 1982

Career position - Research Fellow, John Curtis School of Medical Research, Australian National University

1983 - 2004

Career position - Founder and CEO, Axon Instruments

1984 - 1987

Career position - Consulting Assistant Professor of Surgery, Stanford University, California

2000 - 2003

Career position - Adjunct Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland

2000 - 2003

Career position - Member, Strategic Advisory Committee, John Curtin School of Medical Science, Australian National University

2004

Career position - Founded Cosmos magazine

2004 - 2005

Career position - Senior Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer, Molecular Devices Corporation (formerly Axon Instruments)

2005

Career position - Member, Clunies Ross Foundation Board of Governors, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

2005

Award - Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award for facilitating international neuroscience research, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

2005 - 2012

Career position - Chair, Management Committee, Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN)

2006

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)

2006

Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for service to biomedical science, particularly through the design and manufacture of a range of electronic instruments, and to support for medical research and education

2006 - 2007

Career position - Chair, Amalgamation Committee, Florey Neurosciences Institutes

2007

Career position - Board Member, Florey Neurosciences Institutes

2008 - 2015

Career position - Chancellor, Monash University

2010 - 2015

Career position - Chair, Australian Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO)

2012 - 2013

Career position - Foundation Chair, Steering Committee, 'Securing Australia's Future Project, Australian Council of Learned Academies

2012 - 2015

Career position - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Stile Education

2013 -

Career position - Patron, Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN)

2013

Career position - Patron, In2Science School mentoring program, Australian Science Media Centre

2013 - 2015

Career position - President, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE)

2014

Award - Honorary Bragg Member, Royal Institution of Australia

2014

Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - for distinguished service to science and engineering, and to tertiary education administration, as an advocate for the protection of children, and to philanthropy

2015

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS)

2015

Award - Mountbatten Medal, Institution of Engineering and Technology

2016

Award - M A Sargent Medal, Electrical College, Institution of Engineers Australia

2016

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

2016

Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

2016 - Dec 2020

Career position - Chief Scientist, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

2018

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

2019

Award - David Dewhurst Award for Biochemical Engineering Excellence, Institution of Engineers, Australia

2022

Award - Companion of the Ordert of Australia (AC) - for eminent service to science, to national energy innovation and research infrastructure capability, to climate change and COVID-19 response initiatives, and to science and engineering education

Related entries

Published resources

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4706618. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Dr Alan Simon Finkel AO, Companion of the Order of Australia', in It's an Honour, Australian Awards and Honours Secretariat, Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2022. https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2009791. Details

See also

• Engineers Australia ed., Anything is possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders (Barton, A.C.T.: Institution of Engineers Australia, 2019), 136 pp. 'The Science of Engineering Leadership - Alan Finkel' p.107. Details
• Georg, Dietrich, 'Australia's most influential engineers: Top 100 [2009]', Engineers Australia, 81 (6) (2009), 30-64, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.838744586377406. Details
• Kannegieter, Tim, 'Australia's top 100 most influential engineers 2014', Engineers Australia: Civil Edition, 86 (6) (2014), 37-38, 40-71, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.992690194912654. 'Associations: Finkel, Alan - President, Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering', p.46. Details
• Kannegieter, Tim, 'Australia's top 100 most influential engineers [2015]', Engineers Australia: Civil Edition, 87 (5) (2015), 39-42, 44-69, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.964144482945092. 'Associations & NGOs: Finkel, Alan - Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering', p.50. Details