FLRP facilitator biographies
Professor Leon Mann
Professor Leon Mann is the Director of the Research Leadership Unit within the Melbourne Research Office at The University of Melbourne. Professor Mann's published research and development articles have addressed a broad range of topics including factors influencing innovation; models of leadership and trust in project teams; and factors in successful research collaboration between industry and universities. He chairs the Business and Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Awards Committee for excellence in research and development collaboration and is a member of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Association Awards Committee for research excellence.Professor Mann has held Australian Research Council (ARC) Spirit grants with BHP, Orica, DSTO, CSIRO, Motorola and Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria (SEAV) as industry partners.
Dr Paul Taylor
Dr Paul Taylor is responsible for the University research ethics and integrity programs and is based in the Melbourne Research Office. Paul has worked in research management for 6 years and enjoys the challenges that this area presents. Paul studied at the University and completed a PhD in Environmental Microbiology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where he still teaches to second year students.Dr John Bates
Dr John Bates is the Business Development Manager within University of Melbourne Commercial Ltd. John has a strong background in business development and in the commercial application of Science and Technology. He has extensive experience in the interface between universities and industry, combining his commercial career with undergraduate and post-graduate teaching in biological sciences. John has previously led global product development programs and worked with research institutions and consortia in the development of successful funding applications for major research and infrastructure initiatives.
Drawing on his experience with Ernst & Young, CSL Limited and the Australian Institute for Commercialisation, John has extensive experience in program design and development, consulting, strategic planning in the research environment and research management.
Dr Tania Bezzobs
Dr Tania Bezzobs is Manager, Research Development in the Melbourne Research Office where she has oversight of research grants and contracts administration and major research initiatives and collaborations. Tania has an Honours degree in Science from the University of Adelaide, a PhD in Science from Monash University, and a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters of Intellectual Property Law from Melbourne Business School and Melbourne Law School respectively at The University of Melbourne. She has worked at The University of Melbourne, Deakin University, the Department of Innovation and Industry Development, the Environment Protection Authority and Monash University.Cherry Birch (Birch Consulting Group)
Birch Consulting Group are experts in the delivery of financial management training to non-finance managers and executives. One of their distinctive features is that they believe that finance training can be enjoyable, even fun!Cherry is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She has over 25 years' international experience in the financial services sector and in consulting, including 4 years living and working in SE Asia.
Dr David Cookson
Dr David Cookson was appointed Executive Director, Research in November 2007. He joined the Melbourne Research Office in March 2000, managing a newly formed group with responsibility for the negotiation of the University’s research agreements. Since that time he hastaken on broader roles within the Research Office related to research policy development, intellectual property management, engagement of external organisations in research collaboration, and matters associated broadly with research integrity.
Dr Cookson has a PhD in Chemistry from Monash University and prior to joining Melbourne worked for BHP Research for 20 years. His research covered a broad range of areas including coal liquefaction, fuel science, polymer chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, catalyst technology, and exploration geochemistry.
Prior to joining the University, Dr Cookson managed a small company spun-out from BHP Research. The company was established to commercialise new geochemistry technologies for detecting buried mineralisation.
Dr Lewis Atkinson
Dr. Lewis Atkinson has 25 years experience in knowledge production & transfer through both
commercialisation and “free-to-air” innovation pathways to market. After starting his career in
operations, planning and research with Unifoods Australia, in 1993 he became Research and
Information Services Manager for Australian Meat Technology Pty Ltd, a CSIRO technology
start-up and management consulting company. In 1998 he was part of a team that started
a new industry owned company called Meat and Livestock Australia Ltd, where he has held
several positions over the past 12 years.