The Australian Research Council has recently announced (24 March) that Society Fellow Professor Steven Weller FRSN of the University of Newcastle has been appointed as the new Executive Director for the Engineering and Information Sciences.  The Executive Directors oversee the grant allocation panels in their discipline portfolio, have operational and oversight roles in other granting programs, and provide strategic policy advice within the ARC.

To date, Steven Weller has been a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Newcastle, with research interests in control theory and its applications in energy systems.  Over the past decade, he has served in a range of management roles including Head of School, Associate Dean (Research), and Deputy Head of Faculty.  Most recently, he has been the Director of the Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC) outreach program, the goal of which is to inspire young people to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in senior high school. The SEC is a cooperative venture between the University of Newcastle, 120 Rotary clubs, local communities and local businesses, governments, professional groups, and some 30 universities.

Steven has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW since 2020, a member of the Committee of the Hunter Branch of the Society since its inception, and has been active in the work of the Society’s Program Committee, representing the Hunter Branch and moderating the Student Awards Presentations in recent years.

The Council of the Society congratulates Steven Weller on his appointment and wishes him well in this new phase of his career.