About Us

Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FRS FREng is Senior Vice President for Research and Special Initiatives at King’s College London and has held the title of Arm Professor of Computer Engineering since 2007. His research in hardware-software co-design and energy-efficient computing has influenced modern digital technologies, with innovations embedded in billions of smartphones worldwide. He is co-Director of the King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and previously served as Executive Dean at King’s and the University of Southampton.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and Academia Europaea, with nearly 400 publications, eight books, and 52 successfully supervised PhD students. His honours include the IET Faraday Medal, the IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni Outstanding Technical Achievement and Excellence Award, a CBE in 2018, and a knighthood in 2025 for exceptional leadership in engineering and education. Beyond academia, he co-founded the Arm-Southampton Research Centre and has helped shape national engineering policy through roles including chair of the Engineers 2030 Working Group and chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s International Committee.

Michael M. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University in 2002 and has spearheaded its rapid and transformative evolution into one of the world’s best public research universities. As the model “New American University,” ASU simultaneously demonstrates comprehensive excellence, broad inclusivity, and consequential societal impact. Lauded as the ”#1 most innovative” school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for eight straight years, ASU is a student-centric, technology-enabled university focused on global challenges. Under Crow’s leadership, ASU has established more than twenty-five new transdisciplinary schools, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration; the School for the Future of Innovation in Society; and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. It has also launched trailblazing multidisciplinary initiatives including the Biodesign Institute, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and important programs in the humanities and social sciences.

Mark Searle is Provost Emeritus and University Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Community Resources and Development in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions. Until July 1, 2021, he served as ASU’s executive vice president and university provost, leading the university’s academic enterprise and overseeing its colleges, schools, departments, degrees, student success initiatives, admissions, financial aid, and other university-wide efforts. Before that appointment, he held several academic leadership roles at ASU, including interim provost, deputy provost, vice president for academic personnel, founding dean, and vice president and provost of ASU’s West campus. Before joining ASU, Professor Searle served at the University of Manitoba and held management positions in municipal and provincial government. He is widely published on the relationship between leisure behavior and the psychological well-being of older adults, has been honored by several organizations, and has been elected a fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences and the Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.

Casey Evans is the Chief Operating Officer at EdPlus at ASU. She leads teams that are focused on providing access to quality academic programs and student experiences online at ASU. Together with teams of strong leaders in multiple disciplines including portfolio management, outreach, student coaching services, and operational project and process management, she builds strategies and solutions powered by cutting-edge technologies centered on access, inclusion, and excellence. She holds an undergraduate degree in English, and master's degrees in organizational management and digital audience strategy.

Professor Shitij Kapur is the President & Principal of King’s College London. He returned to lead King’s in June 2021, following more than four years at the University of Melbourne, where he was Dean and Assistant Vice Chancellor (Health) for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and interim Deputy Vice Chancellor (International). Professor Kapur previously served at King’s between 2007 to 2016 as Assistant Principal (Academic Performance), Dean and Head of School for the Institute of Psychiatry and the founding Executive Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). Professor Kapur is recognised worldwide for his own research on understanding psychosis and antipsychotic treatment – with over 300 papers, numerous presentations and an H-index of over a hundred. He has received many awards and honorary fellowships including Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) and Fellow of the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (Australia).

Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FRS FREng is Senior Vice President for Research and Special Initiatives at King’s College London and has held the title of Arm Professor of Computer Engineering since 2007. His research in hardware-software co-design and energy-efficient computing has influenced modern digital technologies, with innovations embedded in billions of smartphones worldwide. He is co-Director of the King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and previously served as Executive Dean at King’s and the University of Southampton.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and Academia Europaea, with nearly 400 publications, eight books, and 52 successfully supervised PhD students. His honours include the IET Faraday Medal, the IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni Outstanding Technical Achievement and Excellence Award, a CBE in 2018, and a knighthood in 2025 for exceptional leadership in engineering and education. Beyond academia, he co-founded the Arm-Southampton Research Centre and has helped shape national engineering policy through roles including chair of the Engineers 2030 Working Group and chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s International Committee.

Vanessa is Senior Director New Projects KCL and responsible for many of King’s strategic and cross-disciplinary projects. Vanessa draws on her extensive commercial and legal background from 15 years as a solicitor at leading US law firms to advise and support the commercialisation of King’s innovations and a wide range of significant national and international partnerships, amongst them the PLuS Alliance, for which Vanessa is King’s Lead. She is also a member of the PLuS Alliance Management Team. Vanessa holds a Masters in Dutch law from Leiden University and qualified to practice in the UK.

Professor Brungs is a distinguished academic and higher education leader with extensive experience in the government and corporate sectors. He has held senior roles with CSIRO and McKinsey & Company, and leadership roles and appointments including Chair of the Australian Technology Network of Universities, the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee; and member of the Universities Australia Board. Professor Brungs’ esteemed academic career commenced with a Bachelor of Science, and he was awarded a University Medal in Industrial Chemistry from UNSW. He then went as a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford, attaining a Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry. In 2018, Professor Brungs was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering for his research into heterogeneous catalysis and for his leadership in the higher education sector. Professor Brungs’ fundamental belief that universities exist as a public good for the benefit of all drives his passion for higher education and research. He is a dedicated innovator who believes universities have the responsibility to prepare their students for the jobs of the future as well as to be instrumental in creating those opportunities. Professor Brungs is keen to build on UNSW’s strong collaboration and research commercialisation credentials, finding more opportunities to partner with government, industry, and other academic institutions to create real benefits for Australia and for communities around the world.

Professor Emma Sparks is the Rector and Dean at UNSW Canberra. She has 20 years’ experience of working within Defence and Higher Education and is particularly passionate about innovation in educational practice. As a systems engineer focused particularly on systems thinking and human systems Emma has championed the development of non- traditional routes to higher education and the importance of STEM pipelines. Her early research in the UK at the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Laboratory, Fort Halstead, focused on human protection and performance, developing next generation soldier systems. PhD research on future soldier capability led to a long-standing relationship with DSTG in Adelaide working on the Australian Soldier Modernisation Program, part of a $35 million package to boost the Army’s combat capability. She is a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering in the UK in 2018.

Vinita Chanan is Executive Director, Strategy at UNSW Sydney, leading the development and implementation of the University’s institutional strategy. She works closely with senior leadership to drive strategic planning, prioritisation, and enterprise-wide delivery across faculties and divisions.

With over 25 years’ experience in higher education, Vinita brings deep expertise in strategy, partnerships, and organisational leadership. She previously led Strategic Alliances and Initiatives at UNSW, delivering major global partnerships across climate, digital education, health, and technology.  She is the UNSW Lead for the PLuS Alliance and a member of the PLuS Alliance Management Team.

A trusted advisor to senior leaders, Vinita is known for aligning stakeholders, navigating complexity, and translating strategy into impactful outcomes.