Professor Simon Biggs became senior deputy vice-chancellor of University of WA in March 2018 having been the executive dean of the Faculty of Engineeering, Architecture & IT at the University of Queensland. Prior to that, he was Professor of Particle Science and Engineering for 12 years at the University of Leeds where he led a number of large research activities, most notably in the area of nuclear waste management. Before Leeds, he spent 8 years at The University of Newcastle (NSW, Australia). He is a graduate of the University of Bristol from where he has a PhD in Colloid Science. Professor Biggs has been the chief investigator on numerous research projects and is an author of over 200 refereed publications. He received the 2005 Beilby Medal from the RSC/IMMM/SCI awarded for a substantial contribution towards fundamental research of practical significance. His work has led to a substantial number of research partnerships with a wide cross section of industrial partners covering diverse sectors such as pharmaceuticals, personal care, foods, minerals processing and water treatment. Whilst at Leeds, his group developed a strong partnership with the UK nuclear industry working on legacy waste clean-up problems. In partnership with the industry, he has been a member of research teams that won the 2011 & 2012 Core Chemical Engineering Prize of the IChemE.
