Aussie tech science and engineering innovators join the best of the best

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering’s (ATSE) new Fellows have been elected for their outstanding achievements in applied science and engineering across industry leadership, policymaking, research and commercialisation.

ATSE’s 2026 new Fellows include:

Robin Khuda FTSE
AirTrunk’s founder & CEO and an entrepreneur focused on building successful tech companies in the Asia-Pacific who opened his first data centre in 2017.

Kay Blades FTSE
A Mandandanji woman, Chair of the Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Interests and an advocate for equitable water access, cultural flows and the inclusion of First Nations voices in water governance and reform processes.

Katherine Richards AM CSC FTSE
Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia and retired Rear-Admiral who contributed to Australia’s engineering, nuclear‑safety and national‑security sectors over a 36‑year Royal Australian Navy career.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM FTSE (Honorary Fellow)
Beloved former scientist, engineer and paediatric emergency doctor, widely recognised for bringing science curiosity and scientific thinking to the public, including through 48 science books and a 2002 Ig Nobel Prize for demystifying belly button lint.

ATSE President Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FTSE FAA congratulated the 34 new Fellows.

“Fellowship is also a responsibility. Our Fellows are highly engaged and last year volunteered a combined 4,000 hours of critical and valuable input into national conversations, expert advice to government and support for educational and STEM workforce programs.”

ATSE Fellows for 2026

The new Fellows, listed A-Z, who will join the ATSE New Fellows Showcase on 28 October in Sydney, are:

1. Professor Nathaniel Bindoff FTSE - ARC Laureate Fellow, University of Tasmania, Ocean climate detective
2. Kay Blades FTSE - Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Water Interests, Water management knowledgeholder
3. Professor Alec Cameron FTSE - Vice-Chancellor, RMIT University, University transformation leader 
4. Distinguished Professor Fang Chen FTSE - Executive Director, Data Science Institute, University of Technology, Sydney, Intelligent infrastructure powerhouse
5. Professor Nanda Dasgupta FTSE FAA - Director, Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, Australian National University, Accelerating nuclear excellence
6. Tanya de Hoog FTSE - Chief Engineering, Eminence and Innovation Officer, Aurecon, Industry-shaping structural engineer
7. Professor Fariba Dehghani FTSE - Professor, University of Sydney, Bioengineering pathfinder
8. Dr Chris Downs FTSE - Director, Food and Beverage Accelerator, The University of Queensland, Food innovation leader
9. Professor Amanda Ellis FTSE - Professor of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Nanotechnology trailblazer
10. Michael Farrell FTSE - Chairman and CEO, Resmed, Connected care strategist
11. Professor Lan Fu FTSE - Head of Department, Electronic Materials Engineering, Australian National University, Cutting-edge materials scientist
12. Professor Rebecca Gravina FTSE - TMR Chair in Structural Engineering, The University of Queensland, Sustainable structures innovator
13. Professor Ben Hayes FTSE - Professorial Research Fellow, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Precision breeding pioneer
14. Hon Dr Parwinder Kaur FTSE MLC – Member of the Legislative Council, Parliament of Western Australia, Science and policy changemaker
15. Dr Melita Keywood FTSE - Climate and Atmosphere Climate Leader, CSIRO, Air quality authority
16. Robin Khuda FTSE - Founder and CEO, Air Trunk, Hyperscale data centre entrepreneur
17. Professor Glenn King FTSE FAA FAHMS - Chief Scientific Officer, Ifensa Bioscience, Venom drug trailblazer
18. Grant King FTSE – Chair of Transgrid, Energy policy shaper
19. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki NSW AM FTSE (Honorary Fellow), Beloved science communicator
20. Professor Simon Lucey FTSE - Australian Institute of Machine Learning, Adelaide University, Machine learning architect
21. Professor Graciela Metternicht FTSE - Dean of Science, Western Sydney University, Environmental and geospatial scientist
22. Dr Elisa Mokany FTSE - Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, SpeeDx, Diagnostics gamechanger
23. Professor Jian-Feng Nie FTSE - Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Novel alloy innovator
24. Professor Nick Opie FTSE - Founder, Director and CEO, Ultra Bionics Pty Ltd , Neurotechnology innovator 
25. Katherine Richards AM CSC FTSE - Chief Engineer, Engineers Australia, Engineering powerhouse
26. Professor Flora Salim FTSE - Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Driving human-centric AI
27. Professor Kate Smith-Miles AO FTSE FAA - Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Capability), The University of Melbourne, Game-changing applied mathematician
28. Mark Stickells AM FTSE - CEO, Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Supercomputing pathbreaker
29. Professor Rajeev Varshney FTSE FAA FRS - Director, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Murdoch University, Crop genomics champion
30. Honorary Professor Xingjin Wang FTSE - Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Denison Gas, Energy entrepreneur
31. Liz Westcott FTSE - CEO and Managing Director Woodside Energy, Global energy leader
32. Professor Graham Wren OBE FTSE FREng FRSE (Foreign Fellow) - Senior Executive, University of Strathclyde, Translational research builder
33. Professor Chunxia Zhao FTSE - Professor, Adelaide University, Bioinspired nanotechnology disruptor
34. Dr Liming Zhu FTSE - Research Director, CSIRO, Trustworthy AI innovator

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