Allison Kealy & the Innovative Planet Research Institute
This week, AB talks Alison Kealy, the inaugural Director of the Innovative Planet Institute at Swinburne University in Victoria Australia. The discussion covers the institute’s goals, focus areas, and Alison’s background in geodesy, positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). Alison’s expertise lies in satellite positioning, quantum sensors for navigation, and the fusion of various technologies for accurate and trustworthy PNT solutions. We touch on the institute’s focus on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, harnessing innovation for real-world impact, and building partnerships within Swinburne and externally. AB also *finally* learns the right way to say the word “geodesists”. https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-kealy-7419804 We’re also publishing this episode on YouTube, if you’d like to watch along in full living colour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fBsbLGdN7M Transcript and Links ABWell, g’day and welcome to SPAITIAL. This is Episode 21. We are back after a minor hiatus. Yes, winter colds and perils did come our way, that kind of thing. That’s what happens in this part of the world in the Southern Hemisphere. I have with me though, a beaming smile. Alison Kealy, welcome to SPAITIAL – so glad to have you with us! AllisonThank you so much, Andrew. Lovely to be here. ABCheers. I’m going to say I had to look back – it was two months ago – I saw your LinkedIn profile saying, I have just been, you know, I’ve changed roles and I’m now the… I’ll give it a go, but you need to correct me: the Director for the… ABAnd here we go. Yes. The Institute. No, I got it wrong. The Innovative Planet Institute. Goodness me. Can we start there? Can you tell us what the Innovative Planet Institute is, what your role is, and what’s been on your plate the last little bit? AllisonI’m two months into the role at Swinburne University, where they’ve established a new institute called the Innovative Planet Institute, and I’m the inaugural director. And so it gives you the chance to build itself into what I’m calling sustainability at Swinburne. This is really where Swinburne wants to provide its people and technology solutions to addressing a wide range of sustainability challenges that the world is facing right now and framing it in the context of the UN SDGs: sustainable development goals to do that. ABWow, that’s phenomenal. It’s so you say it’s a brand new Institute within Swinburne University. As you know I do read LinkedIn quite a lot. Swinburne just got a lovely press release last week. They’ve climbed the worldwide in Australia and Victorian in Australia University ranks. They’re definitely top 50. Top three in Victoria, I think. So numbers are going up, which is a glorious sign. Joining the ranks of other institutes within Swinburne, is it a brand new facet/silo or is going to be cross-collaboration across the Swinburne ecosystem? AllisonThere’s three other institutes at Swinburne, and obviously to develop solutions that address sustainability problems, you can’t do that in one institute. So there’s obvious connections into things like the space and health and defense and all of these platforms, data, AI, all of these things coming together. And so it’s a real opportunity for Swinburne to leave Roof, which is what is really powerful capability for a small university into really making impact. ABBatting above its weight, love it. So what are the sort of the, uh, pillars within the Institute that you’re going to be driving? What are the, what are the focuses the foci? AllisonI’ve kind of set centered it around for four key pillars and those four key pillars are energy transitions. So looking at how we achieve zero emissions, Supply chain, decarbonization, Our