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  • Professor Paulo de Souza

    Professor Paulo de Souza

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Professor Paulo de Souza

Dr rer. nat., MSc, BSc (Physics), GAICD, FACS, FGIA, FIEAust

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Paulo de Souza oversees the university’s research operations and strategy. His portfolio spans grant development, contract management, research performance, research-driven strategic engagement, research ethics and integrity, compliance, and governance.

A disrupter and transformational advocate for impactful research outcomes and real-world educational delivery, Paulo has spent the last two decades bridging science, industry and society, with the application of research to solve unique problems: spanning the critical struggle of our fragile ecosystems, improving industrial processes to the discovery of habitable environments on the surface of Mars. Paulo transformed industrial, research and academic portfolios under his leadership while accelerating performance across all aspects of the business.

Professor de Souza joined ECU in early 2024, bringing a distinguished career in research, innovation, and academic leadership. Since joining ECU, Professor de Souza has forged strategic partnerships with world-leading organisations including Fraunhofer and NASA, positioning ECU as a hub for cutting-edge research and industry collaboration. His leadership has deepened engagement with Western Australian and national industry partners creating new pathways for student internships, research translation, and curriculum innovation.

Prior to joining ECU, he served as Dean of Research and Head of the School of ICT at Griffith University, where he led transformative initiatives that elevated research performance, industry engagement, and student outcomes. His professional journey began in the mining and steel-making sectors in Brazil and Europe, before moving to Australia in 2008 to join CSIRO, where he held senior roles including Chief Research Scientist and Science Director of the Digital Productivity Flagship.

Professor de Souza is internationally recognised for his research in spectroscopy and instrumentation applied to space and environmental science. As a participating scientist in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, he contributed to landmark discoveries that reshaped our understanding of the Solar System. He co-authored a series of papers named Breakthrough of the Year by Science magazine in 2004 and received three NASA Group Achievement Awards for his contributions.

His career is characterised by interdisciplinary impact across space science, environmental sustainability, and digital innovation. His pioneering work has addressed global challenges, including urban air quality, pollinator decline and bushfire detection, while advancing technologies that combine scientific excellence with societal relevance. He is also a passionate advocate for inclusive science, actively engaging with schools, Indigenous communities, and industry to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

Paulo is a physicist with a master's in mechanical engineering from UFES (Brazil) and has a Doctoral degree (Dr rer. nat., cum laude) from Johannes Gutenberg Universität in Mainz, Germany.

Executive Officer
Sonia Joseph
Telephone: +61 8 6304 2143
Email: s.joseph@ecu.edu.au

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