Following his passion for maths, science and technology, Derek graduated from UniSQ with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic Engineering) and a Doctor of Philosophy. After completing his undergraduate degree, Derek extended his studies into a PhD in an industry-funded research project applying automation and machine vision to agriculture. He now works full-time as a research engineer with UniSQ’s Centre for Agricultural Engineering.
'My journey has been guided by focusing on industry needs and letting that take me to amazing places.'
Derek has spoken to state, federal and foreign government officials about how machine vision can be used in agriculture. Derek has also conducted machine vision workshops with school students in the local community, and aims to increase his school outreach to help bring automation technologies into STEM education.
Derek is currently preparing to launch a smartphone app to improve pest management practices in Australian cotton. He also hopes to apply his other research into commercial products that benefit
Australian farmers.
'My goal is to help shape the future of agriculture by applying new technologies in the sector.'
