Skip to main content
Corporate buildings

Karen Hapgood

Non-Executive Director—Universities

Karen Hapgood

Professor Karen Hapgood is an experienced and respected executive leader, who leads the development and implementation of Swinburne's Research strategy and builds impactful research partnerships to further Swinburne’s research nationally and globally. Her career has included over 7 years of industry experience in Australian and US, followed by 15 years of leadership roles in the higher education sector, all based around a common thread of manufacturing and STEM.


Prior to joining Swinburne, Karen was the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science Engineering and Built Environment at Deakin University and before that the Dean of Engineering. Karen is a renowned researcher in the fields of chemical engineering and pharmaceutical manufacturing, a Fellow of ATSE, IChemE, RACI and Engineers Australia, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion in research, engineering and STEM.