Dr Robert Speight

Pronouns: he,him,his

Director, Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform

https://people.csiro.au/s/r/robert-speight

Biography

Dr Robert Speight is Director of the Advanced Engineering Biology (AEB) Future Science Platform (FSP) at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.

An experienced leader in engineering biology, Robert is recognised in Australia and internationally for his contribution towards the development of industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology industries. As Director of the AEB FSP, Robert is passionate about fostering a collaborative science and technology ecosystem to unlock opportunities for the environment, society, and the economy. The AEB FSP is delivering new innovative tools to fast track the development of biotechnological solutions and new industries in Australia.

Robert joined CSIRO in 2022 and has extensive networks across industry, government, and the Australian engineering biology ecosystem. He has held a number of leadership roles in industry and academia, most recently as Acting Head of the School of Biology and Environmental Science at QUT. Robert received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and BSc from Imperial College London and undertook postdoctoral training at the University of Edinburgh.

Academic Qualifications

1996

BSc Hons (Chemistry)
Imperial College London
2000

PhD
University of Cambridge

Current Roles

Director, Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform
CSIRO

Professional Experiences

2021-2022

Acting Head of School, Biology and Environmental Science
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
2019-2022

Professor, Microbial Biotechnology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
2014-2019

Associate Professor, Microbial Biotechnology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
2011-2014

Business Manager, Systems and Synthetic Biology
The University of Queensland
2003-2010

Founder/Operations Director/Head of Biotechnology
Ingenza Ltd
2002-2003

Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow
University of Edinburgh
2000-2002

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Edinburgh

Community and Corporate Citizenship