Flinders University is delighted to welcome outstanding legal researcher Professor Melissa de Zwart to the position of Professor in Digital Technology, Security and Governance in the College of Business Government and Law.
Professor de Zwart will contribute to further building the impact and reputation of The Jeff Bleich Centre for the US Alliance in Digital Technology, Security and Governance (JBC).
Currently the Dean of Law at the University of Adelaide Law School, Professor de Zwart is a thought-leader in the area of law and technology and has a strong international profile in the fields of internet law and the regulation of access to and uses of outer space. She is the Chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans, Deputy Chair of the Space Industry Association of Australia, and a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy (Reserve), just some of her many roles.
College Vice-President and Executive Dean Professor Michael Gilding says this highly strategic appointment of such a respected and high calibre individual will elevate the JBC on the international stage.
“Melissa’s expertise in digital law and space law makes her an outstanding appointment for the Centre, encapsulating the two key technology fronts around international security and order,” Professor Gilding says.
“It also provides deep research leadership capability around technology and innovation for our law program, which delivers the most innovative law degree in Australia,” he says.
Professor de Zwart says she’s looking forward to joining Flinders University and the JBC team.
“I’ve been impressed by the calibre of the JBC – it is a Centre whose currency is now, perfectly positioned at the intersection of law, policy, security and international social order at a time when the world is in a state of enormous disruption and our digital security has never been more important,” Professor de Zwart says.
“This is an opportunity for me to apply my deep interest in fields such as the emerging realm of space law and who governs and defends space, to mitigate the emerging threat to democracy posed by technological changes that are outpacing government policy and planning,” she says.
Professor de Zwart will begin at Flinders on the 1st of September 2021.