Michelle Searle joined UniSC as Director of the Office of Research in 2014.
Her aim is to help build UniSC’s research capacity and outcomes by providing highly skilled, professional support structures for the UniSC research community through her leadership of the Office of Research.
As Director, Michelle is part of the research portfolio’s leadership team which aims to enhance UniSC’s research profile by:
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assisting in the establishment and management of strategic partnerships;
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identifying and developing significant research opportunities;
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ensuring currency and compliance with relevant legislative, statutory and policy requirements; and
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informing strategic decisions through research opportunity, activity and performance analysis
Previous experience
Prior to joining UniSC, Michelle worked in the higher education sector for over 20 years, gaining considerable experience at research-intensive universities.
This began in the office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and International) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), followed by the role of Project Manager, International Projects at UNSW’s highly successful commercial arm, New South Global.
These roles provided Michelle with a strategic view of research policy and implementation at an organisational level, as well as an operational perspective of research delivery.
Michelle joined the Australian National University (ANU) in 2002 as the Executive Officer for the National Institute for Asia and the Pacific, then became the Finance and Development Manager at the Research School of Social Science.
She held increasingly strategic leadership roles at ANU including General Manager, College of Engineering and Computer Science then General Manager, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment and College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences – the combined Colleges of Science accounting for over half the research activity at the ANU.
These roles drew on Michelle’s proven ability to build robust support structures and create an environment that stimulates growth and opportunity.
Michelle is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.