Research Working Group
Fostering collaborations and strategic research opportunities
The Research Working Group is responsible for advising the Defence Innovation Partnership Director about day-to-day research operations, participating in the evaluation of funding applications and advising and assisting the team on strategic research opportunities.
The Research Working Group comprises the Defence Innovation Partnership team plus representatives from South Australian universities, with the Associate Director, Defence Innovation Partnership as Chair.
Phil Temby (Chair) – Associate Director (DSTG Representative)
Phil Temby commenced as Associate Director Defence Innovation Partnership in July 2024; embedded as the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) representative.
Since joining DSTG in 2002, Phil has worked with various parts of Defence, including Army, Navy, and RAAF clients, and collaborated extensively with universities and industry on Defence projects. Phil has expertise and research interests spanning a broad range of areas including human-systems performance, decision-support tools, human-machine teaming, simulation-based training, team resilience, and translational research.
Throughout his DSTG career, Phil has held various research leadership positions, managed numerous collaborative research projects, and most recently worked as the Scientific Advisor to Headquarters Forces Command.
Phil holds a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide, a Masters in Psychology from the University of South Australia, and a Graduate Certificate in Scientific Leadership from the University of Melbourne.
Phil has served on several national and international research panels, published extensively, and received various awards in recognition of his contributions to Defence innovation, science and technology. Phil is excited to be part of the DIP team and is looking forward to fostering partnerships that can enhance Defence capability.
Tony Kyriacou – Defence Partnerships Director – Flinders University
As the Defence Partnerships Director at Flinders University, Tony leads the university’s engagement with Defence and defence industry. Tony has worked across the defence industry for over 15 years, having previously worked in business development and workforce development at Defence SA, where he played a vital role in the state’s Air Warfare Destroyer bid and Future Submarine campaign.
In addition to his work in the defence sector, Tony has also worked on investment attraction and industry development projects in the ICT, advanced manufacturing and financial services sectors in South Australia.
Sebastien Hebert – Senior Manager, Business Development, Defence & Space – University of South Australia
As the Senior Strategic Engagement Manager at the University of South Australia, Sebastien is accountable for the identification and the development of strategic collaborative research and education opportunities for the Defence and Space sectors. With more than 15 years of public-private engagement in different universities and an education background in Science, Engineering and Business, his core strength is in his ability to develop trust and framework of engagement with a wide range of organisations, alongside translating opportunities into real projects.
Sebastien is working across many disciplines and Defence/Space related themes requiring expertise in Engineering, Information sciences, Physics, Telecommunication, Health, Materials sciences, Environmental sciences, Aviation and Human sciences. Further to his track record in the Defence and Space sectors, Sebastien has broad experience in other sectors including Manufacturing, Information Technology, Mining and the Environment.
Sumen Rai – Director, Defence Innovation Partnership
Sumen is responsible for leading national and international R&D engagement and collaboration between researchers, industry and government, to deliver innovative solutions to Defence as well as supporting research, development and innovation activities for Defence SA and the South Australian Space Industry Centre.
Sumen has extensive government experience in developing and delivering major initiatives across investment attraction, trade, and industry development in the mining engineering, services and technologies, cleantech, space, and defence sectors.
Sumen has been involved in driving novel initiatives, such as the Convergence Series, which foster conversations about major defence and national security challenges through transdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration.
Sumen has previously worked as a teacher and lecturer in Arts and Design & Technology, a science communicator, and coordinator of outreach and engagement initiatives including several open government hackathons, including the NASA Space Apps Challenge.
Sumen holds a Master of Sustainability, Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Bachelor of Education (Hons), and Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Spatial Science.
