Dr Alan Finkel AC is a neuroscientist, engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Career highlights include 23 years as CEO of US company Axon Instruments, 3 years as President of the Australian Academy of Engineering and 8 years as Chancellor of Monash University.

Alan was Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2016 to 2020, during which time he led the National Electricity Market Review, the development of the National Hydrogen Strategy, the panel that advised the Australian Government on the Low Emissions Technology Roadmap, chaired the National (Covid) Contact Tracing Review, was deputy chair of Innovation and Science Australia, and chaired the National Review of Industry and School Partnerships in STEM Education.

As Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Low Emissions Technologies in 2021 and 2022, he brokered bilateral low emissions technology partnerships between Australia and each of seven key countries, chaired the Australian Government-hosted Sydney Energy Forum and led a review of the US Inflation Reduction Act.  He was co-founder and Chair of Cosmos Magazine, and Chief Technology Officer of electric car charging company Better Place Australia.

He is currently Chair of Stile Education, Chair of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology and a corporate adviser on climate change technologies.  His book, Powering Up, was published in June 2023.