Systems Engineering for Emerging Domains (SEED) Training Centre

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Systems Engineering for Emerging Domains (SEED) Training Centre

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We are Australia’s collaborative research and training centre for Systems Engineering. The initiative is designed to build a skilled, future-ready workforce to tackle Australia’s most complex challenges in the defence, space and resources sectors.

The Industrial Transformation Training Centre (ITTC) will bring together academic and industry partners with a shared interest in Systems Engineering excellence to collaboratively address complex, real-world challenges.

Higher Degree Research (HDR) students and postdoctoral researchers will work closely with industry, driving targeted innovation and talent development.

Why it is important?

Systems Engineering is a multidisciplinary approach that integrates various engineering domains to design, manage and sustain complex systems throughout their entire lifecycle. It provides a structured framework that ensures technical, operational and human components function cohesively: delivering reliable, high-performance solutions in challenging and dynamic environments.From initial concept and design through to launch, operation and decommissioning, Systems Engineering manages complexity, mitigates risk and enhances mission success, making it not just a technical discipline but a strategic capability.Australia’s growing ambitions in space exploration and its evolving defence landscape underscore an urgent need for advanced Systems Engineering expertise. As the nation invests in sovereign space capabilities and modern defence technologies, the ability to integrate diverse systems seamlessly becomes critical. Systems Engineering is essential to ensure these initiatives are robust, interoperable and future-ready, positioning Australia as a leader in innovation and resilience across both sectors.

In high-stakes environments, success depends on precise coordination across technologies, teams and timelines. Systems Engineers provide the tools and methodologies to manage this

complexity. Australia is currently facing a critical shortage of Systems Engineering expertise, which limits our ability to deliver large scale, strategic projects. ECU’s Training Centre is designed to bridge this gap by developing industry-ready Systems Engineers who are equipped to lead complex initiatives and drive transformation across vital sectors.

What it will deliver?

A platform for knowledge exchange and innovation.
HDR students and postdoctoral researchers embedded with industry partners.
A collaborative ecosystem of academic and industry partners.
Research and training focused on solving real-world, multi.
An internationally recognised Systems Engineering postgraduate curriculum to continue to equip Australia’s workforce.
Skilled, future-ready Systems Engineers, trained to tackle Australia’s most complex engineering challenges.

What are the Partnership Benefits?

Embedded researcher placements tailored to your technical needs.
Gain early access to cutting-edge research and emerging technologies that can accelerate innovation and deliver a competitive edge.
Build a reliable pipeline of highly skilled, industry-ready talent equipped to tackle complex, real-world challenges.
Elevate your organisation’s profile as a forward-thinking leader in engineering innovation and national capability development.
Establish long-term value, strategic partnerships and networks with leading academic institutions, industry peers and global collaborators that enable shared problem-solving and continuous knowledge exchange.
Demonstrate corporate responsibility by investing in education, research and the development of Australia’s future workforce.
Enrich your organisation with fresh perspectives by mentoring emerging researchers and engaging with the next generation of leaders

What are the Industry commitments?

Host HDR student(s) and/or postdoctoral researcher(s) within your organisation.
Engage in a sustained, strategic partnership (up to 5 years).
Provide cash and/or in-kind contributions (such as staff time, equipment, facilities).
Participate in the Centre’s Executive Committee to guide strategy and provide oversight.
Co-design workshops and placements for researchers.

Ready to collaborate? Contact-

Professor Helge Janicke

Professor Helge Janicke is an internationally recognised cybersecurity researcher and research leader with extensive experience connecting academia, industry and government. As former CEO and Research Director of the Cyber Security CRC, he led large-scale multidisciplinary research collaborations and capability development.

Helge's international industry networks and experience in research translation, community building and professional technology training support SEED’s focus on industry-embedded research, knowledge exchange and developing a future-ready systems engineering workforce.

h.janicke@ecu.edu.au

Michele Clement

Michele Clement is an experienced Director, skilled in international relations, research, public sector, policy analysis, and analytical skills and currently performs the role of Director Defence Engagement at Edith Cowan University.

Michele has a demonstrated history of supporting research and innovation and promoting science and technology as major drivers of Western Australian economic, social and environmental growth. Throughout her career, Michele has consistently demonstrated her ability to build partnerships with a strong client focus and develop innovative programs.

Michele successfully led the establishment of the Western Australia Defence Science Centre (DSC) within the Department of Jobs Tourism Science and Innovation where she demonstrated her ability to manage complex negotiations between the Commonwealth and State Governments, established strategic partnerships with WA’s public universities, senior government officials, Defence, and Defence industry.

m.clement@ecu.edu.au

Professor Wei Ni

Professor Wei Ni is the Associate Dean (Research) in the School of Engineering at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Perth, Australia, and serves as a Technical Committee member of Standards Australia, contributing to international standardisation in AI.

Wei has more than two decades of research and leadership experience across leading industrial and research organisations. He served as Deputy Project Manager at Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent, Senior Research Engineer at Nokia, and Senior Principal Research Scientist and Group Leader at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). He was a co-recipient of the prestigious ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS) 2025 Distinguished Paper Award.

Wei also serves as an Editor for many leading IEEE journals, including IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering, and IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing.

w.ni@ecu.edu.au

School of Engineering