New Director of the Forrest Research Foundation, Professor James Arvanitakis has already become a well-known face around UWA’s Crawley campus, after stepping into the role in September.

“I feel like a child in an intellectual candy store,” he says. “Not just because I am surrounded by so many Forrest Scholars and Forrest Fellows researching everything from ‘swarm mathematics’ and ‘counting black holes’, but also because I have been welcomed into the vibrant intellectual environment of UWA.”

Image: Professor James Arvanitakis (middle) with Forrest Fellows

Professor Arvanitakis was the former Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement and Advancement) at Western Sydney University, Principal Consultant at the Astrolabe Group and Executive Director of Fulbright Australia. 

“From the ground-breaking agriculture research championed by Professor Kadambot Siddique to the policy debates organised by the UWA’s Public Policy Institute, I have been inspired to pursue the Foundation’s mission of assisting Western Australia to be a global knowledge hub,” he says.

After a successful career in finance and human rights, Professor Arvanitakis worked with universities for more than 15 years establishing innovative education and research programs and is an award-winning educator and researcher, taking home the Prime Minister’s University Teacher of the Year award in 2012, the Australia India Education Council’s Eminent Researcher award in 2015 and the Australian Financial Review’s Higher Education Learning Experience Award for Excellence in 2016. 

The Forrest Research Foundation was established in WA to support a community of exceptional scholars undertake ground-breaking doctoral and postdoctoral research, and provides scholarships and fellowships to outstanding intellects from around the world to conduct research at one of the State’s five universities — UWA, Murdoch University, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University and University of Notre Dame.

It’s been a busy year for the foundation, which also welcomed more than 50 Minderoo Foundation staff in June when they moved into the Forrest Research Precinct’s recently completed office space.

The move strengthens Minderoo Foundation’s joint research collaborations with UWA, including key projects such as deep-sea research, disaster resilience and technology and data regulation.