Emma SPARKS

UNSW Canberra • Rector and Dean

Professor Dr. Emma Sparks* is Rector and Dean at UNSW Canberra. She has over 20 years’ experience of working within Defence and Higher Education and is particularly passionate about innovation in educational practice. As a systems engineer focused particularly on systems thinking and human systems Prof Sparks has championed the development of non- traditional routes to higher education and the importance of STEM pipelines. Her early research in the UK at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), Fort Halstead, focused on human protection and performance, developing next generation soldier systems.

Her PhD research on future soldier capability led to a long-standing relationship with DSTG in Adelaide working on the Australian Soldier Modernization Program, part of a $35 million package to boost the Army’s combat capability. She is a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering, part of the BKCASE/SEBOK Governing Board and was a contributor to the INCOSE 2035 vision. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was recognized as one of the top 50 Women in engineering in the UK in 2018.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2025

29 September - 3 October 2025

Sydney, Australia

Participation: