Alexander ‘Alex’ Zelinsky (born 5 March 1960) is an Australian computer scientist, systems engineer and roboticist. His career spans innovation, science and technology, research and development, commercial start-ups and education. Professor Zelinsky is Vice-chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle joining the university on 19 November 2018. He was the Chief Defence Scientist of Australia from March 2012 until November 2018. As Chief Defence Scientist he led defence science and technology for Australia's Department of Defence.

Career

While studying at the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public university, public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately south of Sydney. , the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 s ...

(UoW), Professor Zelinsky started his career in 1978 as a cadet systems engineer at The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP). In 1984 he joined UoW's academic staff where he taught computer science while completing a PhD in robotics. He worked as a research scientist at the

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology The , or AIST, is a Japanese research facility headquartered in Tokyo, and most of the workforce is located in Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, and in several cities throughout Japan. The institute is managed to integrate scientific and enginee ...

(AIST), Japan, developing computer vision and robotics technologies (1991–1994). He was appointed professor of systems engineering at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

in 1996, holding that position until 2004. In 2000 as

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO), he co-founded, and was a non-executive director of,Board of Directors
, Seeing Machines Limited.

Seeing Machines Seeing may refer to: * Visual perception * Astronomical seeing, the blurring effects of air turbulence in the atmosphere * In the occult seeing refers to "the sight" or the ability to see auras or to predict the future; see fortune-telling * ''Se ...

Limited, a company listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

(2000–2014). He was a senior executive at

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

(2004–2012), where he served as the Director of the ICT Centre (2004–2009), and Group Executive of Information Sciences (2007–2012). Professor Zelinsky was Chief Defence Scientist and head of the

Defence Science and Technology Group The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is a part of the Australian Department of Defence, which provides science and technology support to Defence and defence industry. The agency's name was changed from Defence Science and Technolog ...

from March 2012 until November 2018. On 20 June 2018, Professor Zelinsky was announced as the next Vice-chancellor and President of the University of Newcastle following the retirement of

Caroline McMillen Isabella Caroline McMillen (born 23 September 1954) is an Australian medical and health academic and was Chief Scientist of South Australia from October 2018 to August 2023. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science ...

. He assumed the role 19 November 2018.

Qualifications and awards

Professor Zelinsky has a Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Honours), a Doctor of Philosophy, and in 2010 was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science,Alex Zelinsky
, UoW Council Member Profile, www.uow.edu.au all from the University of Wollongong. He also served as a member of the University of Wollongong Council (2012–2015). Professor Zelinsky is a Fellow of: *the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

(FAA); *the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...

(FIEEE); *the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is an independent learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. History The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences was foun ...

(FTSE); *the Institute of

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA), known formally as the Institution of Engineers, Australia, is an Australian professional body and Non-profit organization, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineerin ...

(Hon FIEAust); *the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

(FAICD); and *the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. It is the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere. The Society traces its ...

(FRSN). Professor Zelinsky’s awards and appointments include: *in 2002, the

Australian Computer Society The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is an association for information and communications technology professionals with 40,000+ members Australia-wide. According to its Constitution, its objectives are "to advance professional excellence in ...

- Eureka Prize for ICT Innovation. *In 2003, 2004, and 2005, the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

selected him as a Technology Pioneer in recognition of his commercialisation of technology with Seeing Machines. *In May 2005 he was awarded the

ATSE The emperor of Ethiopia (, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse (, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolition of the monarchy in 1975. The emperor was the head of state ...

Clunies-Ross Award "for successful innovation involving the application of science and technology for the benefit of Australia". *Since 2008 he has been named as one of Australia's 100 most influential engineers. *In 2011 he led the CSIRO team named as a Global Supplier of the Year by

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

. *In 2012 he was named as an Innovation Hero by The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering. *In 2013 he was awarded the Trevor Pearcey Medal by the

Pearcey Foundation The Pearcey Foundation is an Australian organisation dedicated to raising the profile of the Australian information technology and telecommunications industry. The foundation was formed in 1998 and is named after Trevor Pearcey, an Australian eng ...

for "distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the ICT professions, research and industry in Australia". *In 2015 he was awarded the

M A Sargent Medal The M. A. Sargent Medal is awarded by Engineers Australia for longstanding eminence in science or the practice of electrical engineering. It is named in honour of Michael Anthony (Mike) Sargent, an outstanding Australian electrical engineer. The med ...

for outstanding professional contributions to engineering. *In 2017 he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AO) in the

2017 Queen's birthday honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by c ...

. Dr Zelinsky was recognised "for distinguished service to defence science and technology, to systems engineering, and to education as an academic and researcher".Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia
, 12 June 2017, Media Notes pg.55, 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours list, www.gg.gov.au *In 2019 he was inducted by the

Royal Institution of Australia The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation based in Adelaide, South Australia, whose mission is science communication. It opened in October 2009 and is housed in the historic Stock Exchange bu ...

as a Bragg Fellow

Lists of publications

* *
Robotics Systems Laboratory
(Australian National University)

References

External links

Lessons learned about science and innovation
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zelinsky, Alex 1960 births Academic staff of the Australian National University Chief Defence Scientists CSIRO people Fellows of the IEEE Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Living people Officers of the Order of Australia University of Wollongong alumni Academic staff of the University of Wollongong Fellows of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales Vice-chancellors of the University of Newcastle (Australia) Australian roboticists