O’Kane heads science in NSW

Electrical and ICT engineer Professor Mary O’Kane has been named as the inaugural chief scientist and scientific engineer of NSW.

O’Kane is a former vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a former member of the Australian Research Council, the CRC Committee and the board of the CSIRO.

She also sat on the review panel of the national innovation system and was chair of the review panel of the CRC program.

Her PhD was in automated speech recognition.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees said he had asked her to focus on several areas in her new role, including lifting the NSW research effort, particularly in smart technologies, energy and clinical research; recruitment of more maths and science, particularly physics, teachers in public schools; and advise on major policy issues such as climate change, genetically modified foods and nanotechnology.

She is the third woman appointed to a high-profile science position recently, joining engineer Dr Megan Clark’s appointment as the new CEO of the CSIRO and physicist Professor Penny Sackett’s appointment as national chief scientist.

O'Kane runs her own consulting business that advises governments, universities and the private sector on innovation, research and education.