Professor Paul Bonnington
Biography
Professor Paul Bonnington is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure) at The University of Queensland, a role he has held since 2022. He has been a leader in the Australasian eResearch community for more than two decades, including 15 years as Director of eResearch at Monash University.
Paul has played a role in the development of national eResearch infrastructure on both sides of the Tasman. He helped establish New Zealand’s first university eResearch program at the University of Auckland in
2005 and served on the advisory committee for KAREN, now REANNZ. In Australia, he chaired the establishment of the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) in 2009, an NCRIS-funded precursor to the Australian Research Data Commons.
Paul has served on numerous national research infrastructure boards and advisory bodies, including the National Imaging Facility, TERN and Microscopy Australia. His research interests are in artificial intelligence, particularly its application to medical imaging and advanced computational problems.
Abstract
Over more than two decades, eResearch has evolved from a specialist domain into an essential foundation of modern research. Drawing on experience across Australia and New Zealand, Paul Bonnington reflects on some of the defining moments, achievements, and lessons that have shaped the Australasian eResearch community. We will explore what the community has contributed, how it has evolved, and the challenges and opportunities now emerging as AI, data, HPC, and research equipment and infrastructure increasingly converge. We ask what we should carry with us into the AI-driven era of eResearch, and what role our community should play in shaping the future of research.
