Prof Edwina Cornish

Professor Edwina Cornish has provided inspirational leadership throughout her multi-faceted career, first as a pioneer in the bio technology industry and subsequently as a transformational leader at Monash University. Her remarkable business acumen, scientific leadership and dedicated service to her fields have been characterised by vision, integrity, generosity and a clear focus on the public good.

As Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy ViceChancellor Research (2004-2012) and now as Provost, Edwina has taken Monash University to the forefront of research performance in the country. She is one of the most respected research leaders in the sector, and has overseen a growth rate in both research income and higher degree research numbers at Monash.

Edwina has forged groundbreaking partnerships between the university research sector, industry and the broader community. One such partnership is the establishment of the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery research - a joint venture between Worksafe, TAC and Monash University, which won the 2012 Ashley Goldsworthy prize for sustained collaboration between higher education and industry.

Edwina has also developed the New Horizons Initiative at Monash's Clayton campus. Scheduled to open in 2013, New Horizons aims to transform manufacturing in areas such as biomedicine, transport, aerospace and mineral processing. The initiative will co-locate and integrate around 400 staff from Monash and CSIRO, supported by platforms for global research and teaching collaboration and will facilitate greater linkages with business and the community.

Edwina is a strong advocate for the type of innovation that will ensure Australia remains prosperous and internationally connected as seen through her key role in building one of Australia's first biotechnology companies, Florigene Limited.