People

Kok-Leong Ong is a Professor of AI and Analytics and the Interim Dean, School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain in the College of Business & Law.  His research focuses on analytics and machine learning translation into practice within different business verticals, and the development of new techniques as required to meet individual business needs. As a result, Kok-Leong's research has had a strong focus on impact, where many of his works were ranked by Altmetric to be in the top 25% and 5% of research in their respective domains. He has received over $1.4m in research grants and serves in various conferences related to analytics, including the prestigious KDD and PAKDD. Kok-Leong is also well-known for his strategic leadership in programs. He was one of the members that started Australia's first degree in Business Analytics and led the development of La Trobe Business School's foray into Business Analytics from 2015 to 2019. From 2020, he contributed to the Business School's digital transformation program before joining RMIT in September 2021. He has won several teaching and service awards, including two VC's Teaching Award. In 2021, he was one of the four Australia-based academics to be named the Leading Data Academics by CDO Magazine. Check out Kok-Leong's research on Google Scholar, or connect with him on LinkedIn. My work focused on data and how it can be used to solve problems through the lens of using technology to translate data into actionable systems or workflows. Through data, I have worked on a range of vertical domains, including e-Commerce, public health, sports, urban studies, marketing and learning.

Gillian Vesty is a Professor and Deputy Dean L&T in the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.  She is a member of CPA Australia, a Board Member of the Institute of Management Accountants, Australia and New Zealand and teaches in the field of management accounting.  With a healthcare sector background and 20 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse, Gillian’s research interests seek to align accounting with social impact research that address health and wellbeing challenges, taking a value-based healthcare perspective. Gillian is on the editorial board of Accounting Auditing and Accountability Journal and is an active Board Member of Games for Change, Asia Pacific. Gillian’s work demonstrates that serious games are a powerful vehicle for addressing wicked problems and provide an important nexus between teaching and research.  Gillian has been involved in the design and development of a number of serious games, used across RMIT recently recognised by 2024 PieOneer Awards. 

Professor Babak Abbasi is an Operations Research and Operations Management scholar whose research focuses on quantitative modelling, AI, machine learning and data-driven decision-making under uncertainty. His work combines rigorous analytical methods with real-world applications across healthcare, supply chains, service operations, energy and resource allocation. He is the 2024 recipient of the ASOR Ren Potts Medal, recognising outstanding contributions to Operations Research in Australia. He has also received the RMIT Research Impact Award (Enterprise) and the RMIT Award for Excellence in Industry Engagement in Graduate Research. Professor Abbasi has published in leading international journals, including FT50 journals, and serves as an Associate Editor of Decision Sciences. His research develops optimisation, stochastic modelling and machine-learning approaches to address complex operational problems, including hospital resource allocation, blood inventory management, home healthcare, supply-chain coordination and emergency response. His research is strongly industry-oriented and data-driven, with collaborations involving organisations such as Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, KPMG, City of Melbourne, Geoscience Australia, Fonterra and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. His current research program focuses on advancing AI-enabled Operations Research and data-driven decision-making, with the aim of improving efficiency, resilience and sustainability in complex service and supply-chain systems.

Meredith is an Associate Professor and Head of the Accounting Department at RMIT University.  Meredith’s research is broadly concerned with behavioural issues within the field of accounting, and includes educational, cultural and accountability aspects. Her research interests include cultural diversity management, student satisfaction, graduate employability, transnational education and accountability. Meredith’s award-winning student-centred teaching approach, underpinned by her research surrounding cultural intelligence, is based around the generation of a supportive and inclusive learning environment. She is passionate about creating active, applied and authentic educational experiences for her students. Meredith's teaching has been recognised through the receipt of numerous awards including an RMIT University Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning and an Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.   Meredith is the Australian Chair of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ) Accounting Education Special Interest Group and was a previous convenor of the RMIT Accounting Educators’ Conference for six years. She holds editorial roles on several international accounting education journals. Meredith is an active member of accounting professional bodies CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ), and a fellow of CPA Australia.

Paul heads up the supply chain and logistics department at RMIT University. His current research focusses on supply chain network resilience and sustainability. Dr Childerhouse is best known for his research into demand chain management, supply chain uncertainty and integration. His empirical data collection and auditing approach has provided him with first-hand experience across a range of sectors, including construction, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, pulp and paper, health, 3PL and food processing. Supply chain sustainability has become a major area of focus with several studies into the transformation of food supply chains in Southeast Asian and Australian. Paul has published over 60 peer reviewed articles in leading journals.