Claudia Vickers

Professor, Queensland University of Technology

Professor Claudia Vickers is an internationally recognised leader in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, with over 25 years of experience spanning academia, government, and industry. She is Professor at the Queensland University of Technology and Founder and Director of BioBuilt Solutions.

Professor Vickers has played a central role in building the synthetic biology ecosystem in Australia and connecting it globally. She was founding President of Synthetic Biology Australasia, where she established and grew a regional community spanning academia, industry, and government, including major conferences and collaborative networks that have helped bring the field to critical mass in Australia. As inaugural Director of CSIRO’s Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, she grew a A$13M initiative into a A$60M national program involving over 200 researchers across more than 40 national and international partner organisations, establishing Australia’s first nationally accessible BioFoundry and creating enduring frameworks for cross-sector collaboration.

Professor Vickers is deeply engaged in international policy and strategy for engineering biology. She has represented Australia in global forums including the OECD (Synthetic Biology and Biofutures Working Groups), the World Economic Forum (Co-Chair, Global Future Council on Synthetic Biology), and the FAO. She contributed to Australia’s national synthetic biology roadmap and has advised federal and state governments through ministerial briefings and expert working groups. Her experience spans translation and industry engagement, including executive roles in biotechnology companies and advisory work with industry, investors, and government. Alongside this, she leads a research program focused on engineering biological systems for sustainable production, with over 100 publications and significant international impact.

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