20 Science Leaders Across Australia and New Zealand

Science leadership is not only about a breakthrough in a lab. It is also about setting direction, building institutions, explaining evidence clearly and turning research into something that helps people. This list brings together 20 science leaders across Australia and New Zealand, spanning research, public policy, national agencies, universities and science communication.

The people below work in very different fields. What connects them is the responsibility to make good evidence useful, whether that means advancing a new technology, protecting public health, leading a research system or helping more people understand the world around them.

1. Tony Haymet

Australia's Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist

Tony Haymet is Australia's Chief Scientist, bringing an oceanographer's view to the national conversation about science, evidence and public decisions.

His earlier leadership included CSIRO Marine Research and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The distinctive lesson in his work is that scientific depth matters most when it can help a country make better choices.

2. Doug Hilton

Chief Executive, CSIRO

Doug Hilton is Chief Executive of CSIRO, one of the central institutions connecting Australian research with industry, government and the wider community.

He joined CSIRO in 2023 after leading the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. His work shows how research leadership includes building confidence in the institutions that hold knowledge.

3. Bronwyn Fox

Chief Scientist, CSIRO

Bronwyn Fox is Chief Scientist at CSIRO, where she helps connect science with the practical challenges facing Australian industry and society.

Her work has linked materials engineering with advanced manufacturing and Australia's Industry 4.0 capability. She represents the kind of science leader who keeps discovery connected to use.

4. Elanor Huntington

Deputy Chief Executive, CSIRO

Elanor Huntington is Deputy Chief Executive at CSIRO and leads work that brings strategy, external engagement and research capability together.

She is a quantum technology researcher with earlier leadership experience at the Australian National University. Her career shows that complex science still needs clear direction, partnerships and careful communication.

5. Sam Berkovic

President, Australian Academy of Science

Sam Berkovic is President of the Australian Academy of Science and a neurologist whose research has helped uncover genetic causes of epilepsy.

He is a Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne and helped identify the first epilepsy gene with collaborators. His work connects detailed medical research with a wider responsibility to improve health.

6. Ute Roessner

Chief Executive Officer, Australian Research Council

Ute Roessner is Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council, helping shape the funding environment for research across Australia.

Her research background includes metabolomics and plant science, alongside senior university leadership. That combination matters because strong research systems need both subject expertise and sound stewardship.

7. Michelle Simmons

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Silicon Quantum Computing and UNSW Sydney

Michelle Simmons is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Quantum Computing and a professor at UNSW Sydney, where she has helped advance atomic-scale silicon research.

Her team has demonstrated atom-based quantum devices and a two-qubit gate in silicon. Her leadership shows how a long research programme can be carried towards a technology with commercial potential.

8. Andrew Dzurak

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Diraq and UNSW Sydney

Andrew Dzurak is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Diraq and a Scientia Professor at UNSW Sydney, working at the meeting point of silicon engineering and quantum computing.

His team demonstrated silicon qubits in 2012 and has continued developing quantum devices that can draw on established chip-making methods. He shows how research and enterprise can reinforce each other.

9. Veena Sahajwalla

Founding Director, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology, UNSW

Veena Sahajwalla is the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at UNSW, where she leads research into recycling and green materials.

Her microfactory work turns difficult waste streams into useful materials and products. The distinctive idea in her work is that environmental progress can be designed into local production systems.

10. Tamara Davis

Laureate Fellow and astrophysicist, The University of Queensland

Tamara Davis is a Laureate Fellow and astrophysicist at The University of Queensland, known for research into dark energy and the changing universe.

She leads the OzDES project and has also helped connect gravitational-wave research with broader public understanding. Her work makes an enormous scientific question feel concrete and worth engaging with.

11. Lesley Hughes

Director and Councillor, Climate Council

Lesley Hughes is a Director and Councillor of the Climate Council and a Distinguished Professor of Biology whose work focuses on climate change impacts on species and ecosystems.

She has contributed to the IPCC and the Climate Change Authority. Her leadership shows why science communication needs both strong evidence and the courage to explain what that evidence means.

12. Genevieve Bell

Founder and Inaugural Director, ANU School of Cybernetics

Genevieve Bell is the Founder and Inaugural Director of the ANU School of Cybernetics, where she works across technology, culture and the social consequences of complex systems.

She is also the Florence Violet McKenzie Chair and a Distinguished Professor, as well as a Vice President and Senior Fellow at Intel. Her work asks a vital leadership question: how should people shape the technologies shaping them?

13. Brian Schmidt

Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, Australian National University

Brian Schmidt is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the Australian National University and a Nobel Prize winner for showing that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

He has also led major institutions, including the Australian National University. His example shows that scientific leadership can move between discovery, institution building and public service.

14. Sharon Lewin

Director, Doherty Institute

Sharon Lewin is Director of the Doherty Institute, where her work has helped shape research into HIV, hepatitis and infectious diseases.

She is a physician-scientist who brings laboratory research, clinical understanding and public health together. Her leadership shows how progress often depends on different forms of expertise working as one team.

15. Jane Harding

President, Royal Society Te Apārangi

Jane Harding is President of Royal Society Te Apārangi and a neonatal researcher whose work has influenced how clinicians understand the first weeks of life.

Her research has explored newborn nutrition and development. She represents a form of scientific leadership that is careful, patient and closely connected to the wellbeing of families.

16. John Roche

Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, New Zealand

John Roche is New Zealand's Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor and Chief Science Advisor for the Ministry for Primary Industries, bringing agricultural science into public policy.

He was appointed in 2025 to provide independent science advice to the Prime Minister and government. His role shows how science leadership can help decision makers face uncertainty without pretending it is simple.

17. Shaun Hendy

Chief Scientist and Co-founder, Toha; Adjunct Professor, Te Herenga Waka

Shaun Hendy is Chief Scientist and Co-founder of Toha and an Adjunct Professor at Te Herenga Waka, working on applied science, innovation and the links between evidence and action.

He was a founding director of Te Pūnaha Matatini and helped lead the team that won the Prime Minister’s Science Prize for its COVID-19 response. His work shows the value of networks that can move quickly when a country needs them.

18. Siouxsie Wiles

Associate Professor and microbiologist, The University of Auckland

Siouxsie Wiles is an Associate Professor and microbiologist at The University of Auckland, where she heads the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab.

Her research explores infectious diseases and the search for new antibiotics, while her public communication has helped more people understand microbiology. She shows that making science clear is part of doing science well.

19. Michael Baker

Professor of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington

Michael Baker is Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago Wellington and Director of the Health Protection Aotearoa Research Centre.

He also directs the Public Health Communication Centre. His work connects epidemiology, health protection and public explanation, showing how trust is built before the next crisis arrives.

20. Alan Duffy

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Flagship Initiatives, Swinburne University of Technology

Alan Duffy is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Flagship Initiatives at Swinburne University of Technology, where he connects astrophysics, space research and cross-disciplinary projects.

He is also a familiar science communicator who makes difficult ideas easier to grasp. His leadership shows how public understanding can strengthen the reach and value of research.

Conclusion

The best science leaders do more than know a great deal. They create the conditions for other people to learn, test, build and act. If you are leading a team, the practical question is simple: what would make the good work around you easier to see and easier to use?

About the Author

Jonno White is the founder of Consult Clarity. He helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at, with practical ideas they can use on Monday morning.

Next Read or Related Reading

If you are thinking about the human side of leadership, read how to build a leadership team that stays aligned and why culture change often fails.

Work with Jonno White

I help leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. My work is practical rather than motivational, designed to give people something they can use on Monday morning.

If you would like to explore a keynote, workshop or leadership conversation for your organisation, email jonno@consultclarity.org and tell me what you are working on.