February 17, 2023

New UOW appointments to transform computational statistics and marine industries

Professor Sumeetpal Singh begins as the Tibra Foundation Chair in Mathematical Sciences and Associate Professor Michelle Voyer as the Keira Endowed Professor in Energy Futures

On Thursday 16 February, the University of Wollongong (UOW) hosted its inaugural Chair Installation Ceremony to formally welcome Professor Sumeetpal Singh as the Tibra Foundation Chair in Mathematical Sciences and Associate Professor Michelle Voyer as the Keira Endowed Professor in Energy Futures.

These prestigious appointments were made possible thanks to the generosity of donors who recognised the transformational impact the academics would have on the University and community. Their work will elevate academic research and outreach in the fields of computational statistics and its applications and equitable marine industries in the Blue Economy.

“I am honoured to celebrate these two outstanding scholars who are leaders in their fields. An academic Chair and Professorship are prestigious appointments; they have a major role in attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty staff, enriching our academic environment and attracting talented students,” UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia Davidson said.

UOW has a proud history of excellence in Engineering and Information Sciences research and teaching that continues to strengthen. These fields have never been more important as the challenges facing the world become more urgent and complex.

Professor Sumeetpal Singh, who has started as the Tibra Foundation Chair in Mathematical Sciences, moved to UOW from the University of Cambridge. His area of expertise is statistical signal processing and computational statistics. He is well known for his contributions to some of the most effective computational techniques for contemporary data science.

At UOW, Professor Singh will continue to develop an internationally renowned research program in Computational Methodology for Statistics and Machine Learning, hoping to collaborate with other applied sciences within the University, such as life sciences and engineering.

“One area of potential synergy I see lies with Molecular Horizons, where advances in Computational Statistics have the potential to significantly enhance the analysis of single molecule dynamics in complex biological systems,” Professor Singh said.

Professor Singh added that he was thankful for the warm welcome he received from the UOW staff.

“The School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics and Tibra organised many introductions while many colleagues offered their personal time and assistance to help my family settle into their new life in Wollongong. Having never visited UOW before, I am deeply impressed with the campus and neighbouring landscapes, which are areas of outstanding natural beauty,” Professor Singh said.

Another new appointment within UOW sees Associate Professor Michelle Voyer from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources(ANCORS) appointed into the inaugural Keira Endowed Professorship in Energy Futures. Associate Professor Voyer has a background in public policy development for marine protected areas and marine conservation management with the Australian Government.

The Keira Endowed Professorship provides a kickstart for the newly formed Blue Futures Translational Research Initiative, a collaboration within ANCORS and partners from the Illawarra and South Coast (among them the Joonga Aboriginal Land and Water Corporation, the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries and a number of aquaculture businesses). Their work will focus on the role of the oceans in energy transitions and a decarbonised future.

“We will be exploring how communities respond to emerging offshore industries, such as wind energy and seaweed farming. These new industries have enormous potential to assist the Illawarra in transitioning to a more sustainable future. Still, this transition may involve some significant changes to how we interact with, view and relate to our ocean environments.  I am hopeful we will discover the ways in which we can collectively navigate these shifts,” Associate Professor Voyer said. 

UOW exists thanks to the generosity of donors. To learn more about how you can support the University, visit uow.edu.au/giving.