About Advanced Welding Alliance
Michael Sharpe
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Michael Sharpe operates at the intersection of industry, government, and allied supply chains around the world. His work spans engineering, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environmental sustainability, the space sector, academia, and the nuclear industry—focused on turning capability into coordinated industrial outcomes across border
Michael Sharpe operates at the intersection of industry, government, and allied supply chains around the world. His work spans engineering, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environmental sustainability, the space sector, academia, and the nuclear industry—focused on turning capability into coordinated industrial outcomes across borders.
He is extremely well connected with international manufacturing, industrial and political leaders, as well as the world's top universities, including activities in the nuclear and AUKUS spheres.
As the Chief Executive Officer of the AUKUS Forum, Michael leads an organisation that operates across industry, government, and academia in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He has a personal contact base of over 100,000 people across Australian industry, including more than 48,000 members of the AUKUS Forum and 41,000 LinkedIn connections, with many more built over his time on projects for infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and research activities. His extensive range of industry networks has been assembled over the last three decades.
Widely regarded as one of the most connected people in Australian industry, with a strong focus on business transactions, Michael is focused on transformation and leadership – helping countless businesses access new export opportunities and enter adjacent markets, such as traditional engineering firms stepping into the space and defence industries.
This gives him an unrivaled ability to connect with key decision makers, facilitate contacts between Australian and overseas manufacturers, establish joint ventures, and create supply chains. His network is actively leveraged by global companies, including major U.S. corporations seeking trusted Australian industry partners.
Michael has vast experience in politics, industry, and manufacturing, having served as the National Director for Industry at the Australian Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre and as Chairman of the HunterNet Co-operative, a very successful industry cluster based in the Newcastle area of New South Wales.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders; a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce; and has completed courses in Leadership at the Harvard Business School.
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Scientia Professor VeenaSahajwalla AM
FAA FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng
- 2022 NSW Australian of the Year
- ARC LAUREATE FELLOW
DIRECTOR, ARC Microrecycling Research Hub - HUB LEADER, Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, National Environmental Science Program
- DIRECTOR, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology
Australian Research Council (ARC
Scientia Professor VeenaSahajwalla AM
FAA FTSE HonFIEAust CPEng
- 2022 NSW Australian of the Year
- ARC LAUREATE FELLOW
DIRECTOR, ARC Microrecycling Research Hub - HUB LEADER, Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, National Environmental Science Program
- DIRECTOR, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology
Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials.’
As the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, she is producing a new generation of green materials and products made entirely, or primarily, from waste. Veena also heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘green manufacturing’, a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new recycling science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits.
Chad Causey
Veena Sahajwalla AM
Chad Causey
Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance.
- Collaboration on dual-use aerospace and defence R&D projects
- Facilitation of industry and academic efforts across our network of aerospace and defence organizations
- Knowledge transfer, training, and technical guidance to enhance workforce capabilities
- Joint initiatives leveraging international collaborat
Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance.
- Collaboration on dual-use aerospace and defence R&D projects
- Facilitation of industry and academic efforts across our network of aerospace and defence organizations
- Knowledge transfer, training, and technical guidance to enhance workforce capabilities
- Joint initiatives leveraging international collaborations in advanced manufacturing, dual-use technology, and ordnance capabilities
- Support for demonstration and testing of advanced industrial technologies in Central Queensland and Arkansas
Chad Causey
Executive Director
Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance
Reza Ghodssi, Ph.D.
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Reza Ghodssi is a Distinguished University Professor, the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering, and a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland (UMD). Dr. Ghodssi is the Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Institute for S
Reza Ghodssi is a Distinguished University Professor, the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering, and a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the University of Maryland (UMD). Dr. Ghodssi is the Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the UMD. He is the Inaugural Executive Director of Research and Innovation for the Clark School of Engineering at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM), MATRIX Lab (MATRIX).
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret.), Associate Vice President for the Defence Sector at Rhode Island Commerce, outlines the unique strengths of Rhode Island’s concentrated maritime ecosystem.
With Electric Boat, Raytheon, NUWC, the Naval War College, and a vibrant SME community all located within close proximity, Rhode Island offers powerful oppor
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret.), Associate Vice President for the Defence Sector at Rhode Island Commerce, outlines the unique strengths of Rhode Island’s concentrated maritime ecosystem.
With Electric Boat, Raytheon, NUWC, the Naval War College, and a vibrant SME community all located within close proximity, Rhode Island offers powerful opportunities for supplier qualification, prototyping, testing, and workforce mobility across the alliance. Col. Berlanga provides a practical roadmap for accelerating U.S.–Australian industrial collaboration.
Dr Jason Held
Col. Gloria Berlanga (Ret)
Dr Jason Held
Dr. Jason Held is the CEO and founder of Saber Astronautics.
With over 25 years of experience in space, Dr. Held has worked in both civil and military programs. Before founding Saber Astronautics, he served with U.S. Army Space Command and deployed internationally during wartime.
He also served as an engineer at the Army Space and Missile
Dr. Jason Held is the CEO and founder of Saber Astronautics.
With over 25 years of experience in space, Dr. Held has worked in both civil and military programs. Before founding Saber Astronautics, he served with U.S. Army Space Command and deployed internationally during wartime.
He also served as an engineer at the Army Space and Missile Command Battle Lab. As a civilian, he wrote flight software for the Hubble Space Telescope and conducted testing for the International Space Station.
Dr. Held has also lectured for the IRS Space Station Design Workshop, the University of New South Wales, and the International Space University. He led a research expedition in the high Canadian Arctic and founded the Wolfpack Space Hub, Delta-V Startup Accelerator, and the University of Sydney’s Space Engineering Laboratory.
In 2016, Dr. Held played a pivotal role in advocating for the establishment of an Australian space agency. He was part of the government-appointed Expert Reference Group that helped design the Australian Space Agency, which was founded in 2019.