INTHEBLACK May 2025 - Magazine - Page 18
“Our annual State of the Climate report
is a crucial tool, helping us forecast the
future and guiding our research priorities.
This data allows us to plan for the long-term,
identifying where to focus efforts to ensure
the most impactful outcomes for Australia
in 2030, 2040 and beyond.”
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
Balancing costs with long-term viability
is key when making decisions about
infrastructure, says Munyard. It’s about
ensuring strong financial management and
operational efficiency while also making sure
the facilities are modern and fit for purpose.
“A key challenge is striking the right
balance between strategic planning for
research programs and adapting to changing
technology and emerging research needs,”
Munyard adds.
It is a team effort, he says. There are not
only high-performance computing facilities,
such as the energy-efficient ‘Virga’ cluster,
vital for AI-driven research and data analysis,
but also an extensive national infrastructure.
This includes over 40 sites across Australia,
with specialised laboratories like the
Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness
(a biocontainment facility in Geelong
where research into viruses such as Hendra
takes place), and energy research hubs in
Newcastle, focused on solar power and
battery technologies.
“There’s a lot that makes the organisation run
effectively. My teams do an amazing job — and
without that, quite clearly, there’s no research
impact or innovation for the wider community.
“It’s an organisation where some of the
brightest minds in the country come together
to solve critical challenges facing Australia
and the world. Hearing about them working
in a collaborative way with partners nationally
and internationally is really, really inspiring.
And it’s really as simple as that.” ■
INTHEBLACK, Tom Munyard: Leadership Lessons
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18 INTHEBLACK May 2025
