It is with sadness that we are saying goodbye to our long-standing Research Director, Dr Michael Rumsewicz who is leaving the CRC on 27 October. Michael has been instrumental in the successes of the CRC since he joined four years ago, overseeing the development and implementation of the research program, and more recently the refresh process. Michael’s energy, dedication, insight and advice will be missed around the CRC, and we all wish him well in his new endeavours. There will be many opportunities to wish him well during the upcoming conference and the Research Advisory Forum in Melbourne in October.
Happily though, we have appointed Dr John Bates to the position of Research Director, to take over the role from Michael. John will start with the CRC on 18 September, enabling an effective hand-over with Michael. Many people will know John from his role of Director of the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience (AIDR). Prior to joining AIDR, John had an extensive career in business development and research utilisation in academic organisations, and will be a good fit for the CRC. John is an active SES volunteer and has been involved with the broader emergency management sector during his time at AIDR.
We hope you will all welcome John into his new role at the CRC.