Macnaughton, who has over 15 years of experience designing and running research and innovation programs in government and industry, joins the Australian university's European hub after a successful career in Europe for US multinationals including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and CISCO Systems.
His appointment at RMIT Europe will act as a bridge between industry, government and academia to drive expansion of the University's urban futures agenda.
Drawing on his European Commission and the Cabinet Office UK experience, he will leverage his expertise to assist RMIT's global researchers participate in European research projects.
RMIT Europe's Executive Director Marta Fernandez said Macnaughton's experience covers topics critical to the urban futures research agenda.
"Gareth's experience falls across the role of public participation in urban planning, energy efficiency in buildings, as well as transport and infrastructure solutions for safer and smarter cities.
“He is skilled at bringing together industry and academia, which is demonstrated through his leadership of the Cisco Systems, University College London and Imperial College London agreement – a collaboration that enabled the development of shared solutions across technology through to organisational development.
“It connected early career researchers with industry within a diverse range of disciplines.”
Macnaughton's undergraduate studies in the US, UK and France provided a strong grounding in European political economy and law, and he is also a postgraduate alumnus of both the University of Glasgow, Urban Studies Department, and the University of Edinburgh, Department of Sociology.
Macnaughton, who has a strong interest in applied ICT for secure, sustainable and resilient cities, said he looks forward to exploring the opportunities for collaboration between Australia and Europe across the urban futures landscape .
“My initial focus is to connect the expertise of global RMIT researchers with European researchers preparing for upcoming funding calls in late 2017 and 2018 in urban futures.
“I'll also be exploring the opportunities for RMIT student experiences in Europe, through internships and study tours."
Story: Karen Matthews
