Welcoming Two New Directors to the ARDC Board

The ARDC is pleased to announce the appointment of two new leaders to its Board of Directors following the Annual General Meeting on 21 November 2025: Distinguished Professor Fang Chen and Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO.

Distinguished Professor Fang Chen is a globally recognised and award-winning leader in artificial intelligence, data science and innovation. As Executive Director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Fang drives transformative research and innovation at the intersection of academia, government and industry. Her career spans senior leadership roles at Intel, Motorola and CSIRO, and she previously served as Dean of Faculty at Beijing Jiaotong University. Fang is also a Board Member of Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA). Her deep knowledge of AI and data science will be invaluable in guiding ARDC’s mission to enable data-driven research and innovation across Australia.

Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO brings extensive experience in research and innovation management, advanced materials and physical chemistry. He is Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation and Vice President at RMIT University, where he leads the development of discovery and practice-based research and strengthens research capability. Calum’s previous roles include Group Executive for Manufacturing, Materials and Minerals at CSIRO, Chief of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, and inaugural Vice President Research at CAP-XX. His passion for translating research into real-world impact aligns strongly with ARDC’s vision to accelerate research through data.

Thanking Our Outgoing Directors

We extend our sincere thanks to Toni Moate, Professor Joe Shapter and Dr Ian Oppermann for their significant contributions during their tenure on the ARDC Board. Their leadership and commitment have helped shape ARDC’s strategic direction and strengthen Australia’s research ecosystem.

The ARDC Board plays a critical role in guiding our work to deliver national digital research infrastructure that supports world-class research. We look forward to the insights and leadership that Professors Chen and Drummond will bring as we continue to advance data-driven innovation for the benefit of Australian research and society.

Meet the ARDC’s Board of Directors.

The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.