Professor Rachel Parker's research focuses on the business and social dimensions of uptake and diffusion of science and engineering research across the economy and the creation of new economic opportunities from new technologies.
Rachel is Leader of the Industry Translation Capability and Chief Investigator in the recently awarded ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. She was formerly Director Centre for Mining Equipment Technology and Services (METS) Business Innovation, funded by Queensland Government, Mining 3 and with major projects funded by CRCOre.
During the past decade, Rachel has held leadership positions within the university sector, as Associate Dean Research, Business School and Dean Research Development in the Division of Research and Commercialisation QUT.
In these roles she has coordinated major research investments aimed at delivering impact of university research beyond academic communities and facilitating industrial translation activities to maximise the benefit of science and technology to the economy and society.
Rachel was a member of the social sciences panel for the ARC Research Engagement and Impact assessment exercise in 2018. In 2015 she was invited to appear as an expert witness before the Senate Economic References Committee inquiry into Australia’s innovation system. She has worked as an advisor on knowledge transfer activities for several public organisations.
She has led large-scale multi-disciplinary partnerships across multiple research funding categories including ARC, CRC and commercial research. She has been a Lead Chief Investigator on three ARC Discovery Projects and a Chief Investigator on four ARC Linkage Projects and the Centre of Excellence in Creative Industries and Innovation.
Her publications appear in leading international journals in the field including Economic Geography, Sociology, Regional Studies, Industrial and Corporate Change, Environment and Planning A, Organization Studies, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and Work, Employment and Society.
Rachel’s top ten publications are in the top ten per cent most influential journals in the field (SCOPUS). In addition to academic publications, her research on industrial innovation has been published in the Australian Higher Education Supplement and The Conversation.
Rachel’s leadership roles have involved the development of impact pathways including the coordination, design and delivery of workshops with industry and government to maximise industry awareness of emerging industrial opportunities as well as the barriers to adoption and industry development within particular sectors, sub-sectors and niches.
Drawing on her links with government, industry associations and Growth Centres, Rachel develops collaborations to design policy solutions to overcome barriers to industry transformation as well as strategies for collaboration and coordination to support future industry growth opportunities.