Robert Speight is Director of the Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. A biotechnology and synthetic biology leader, his work focuses on advancing engineering biology, industrial biotechnology and biomanufacturing to address environmental, societal and economic challenges. Prior to joining CSIRO, he held academic leadership roles at Queensland University of Technology and was founder and Head of Biotechnology at Ingenza. He previously served as President of Synthetic Biology Australasia and is widely recognized for his contributions to the development of Australia’s engineering biology ecosystem. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a BSc from Imperial College London.