Swinburne Innovation Studio

Zahra Shahbazian is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional and GAICD graduate serving as Expert in Residence at Swinburne University of Technology. She has led the commercialisation and strategic management of intellectual property portfolios spanning cancer treatments, battery technologies, and hydrogen generation, with experience in technology spin-outs, deal negotiation, and partnership development across industry, SME, and government sectors. Her work integrates visual thinking, graphic facilitation, and design thinking methodologies in commercialisation strategy and business development.

Directs commercial innovation at Swinburne and oversees the Luminate program.

Heath Evans is Associate Director at Climate 4.0 Hub at Swinburne University of Technology and Co-Founder and CMO of Wilderlands, a startup focused on biodiversity protection in Australia. His career spans 17 years across sport, not-for-profit, startup, and education sectors, including roles at Melbourne Connect, the Melbourne Accelerator Program, World Vision Australia, and the AFL Players' Association. He is a 2021 Scholar of The Marketing Academy and a coach for Seth Godin's altMBA, and has co-founded multiple ventures including Future Talent Sports Cards and co-created projects such as Run India, which generated global reach exceeding 50 million people.

Rob Scott is Associate Director of Commercialisation for Health & Medtech at Swinburne University of Technology. With over 25 years in cross-border medtech and life sciences commercialisation, he has advised on more than $500 million in investments, grants, and transactions across Australian, UK, and Asian markets. He founded Australia's first cross-border medtech accelerator program targeting key Asian healthcare markets and has contributed to major policy initiatives including Queensland's Smart State venture capital policy, Austrade's China outward investment policy, and industry guides for Australian medical technology companies entering Chinese markets.

Shane Kilcullen is an Associate Director of Commercialisation at Innovative Planet, Swinburne University of Technology, where he works on bringing early-stage technologies from STEM disciplines to market. With an engineering background, he has held roles across multiple sectors including medical technology, research and development, energy, and mining, in organizations ranging from startups and multinational corporations to government and academia.

Tom Forbes holds an Associate Director role in Commercialisation at Swinburne University of Technology, focusing on space, aerospace, and student ventures. He brings over 15 years of executive and CEO experience in SaaS businesses across rail, logistics, and terminals sectors, including a recent position as VP of Rail and Head of Strategic Business Development at Navis, where he expanded the rail sales pipeline and advanced the company's freight rail technology positioning. His background encompasses P&L management, high-growth strategy, talent development, and stakeholder relations.

Leads commercial programs and operations at Swinburne Innovation Studio, running the Luminate accelerator.

Jamshaid Akbar is Head of Innovation Consulting at T5 Digital, with over 20 years of experience in product management and innovation across Singapore, ASEAN, the Middle East, Australia, and the UK. His work has included managing product portfolios, launching digital MVNOs, and advising executives across the telecom, banking, and government sectors. He is a Certified Scrum Product Owner and holds an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship as well as a certificate in high-tech innovation.

Masha Pelipas serves as Non-Executive Director at Melbourne BioInnovation Student Initiative and brings 12 years of experience across startup ecosystems in three countries. Her background includes accelerating medtech startups, managing portfolio initiatives for fund-of-funds structures, consulting for biotech companies, and leading programs involving space agencies and government bodies. She has worked on partnership development, startup recruitment, investment processes, and initiatives ranging from engineering competitions to international business missions, with a focus on deeptech and health-related ventures.

Sarah Barter is Senior Coordinator of Innovation Programs at Swinburne University of Technology, where she manages the planning and delivery of startup programs, workshops, and pitch events while supporting staff, students, and alumni in developing their ventures. She established the Sustainability Action Group at Swinburne, which contributed to the university's 2019 commitment to sourcing 100% of electricity from renewable sources and achieving carbon neutrality by 2025. Her background includes event coordination across research seminars and international conferences, a first-class degree in languages, a master's degree in translation, and fluency in French, Japanese, and British Sign Language.

Tathagath Mariswamy is a Commercialisation Manager for Space and Aerospace at Swinburne University of Technology with over a decade of consulting experience. He has worked across strategy development, business modeling, and operational efficiency for Fortune 500 companies and startups, with project experience across the United States, South Korea, India, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, and Brunei. His competencies include startup evaluation and acceleration, cost optimization, and leadership in multicultural environments.