Curriculum Vitae
Professor Don Watts, Chairman
AM, FTSE, PhD, HonDTech(Curtin), HonDEd(UWA)
Professor Don Watts is Chairman of the Woodside Valley Foundation. He has lead a long and varied career in the fields of science and technology, having held such esteemed positions as Personal Chair in Chemistry at the University of Western Australia, Director of the former Western Australian Institute of Technology which was granted university status as Curtin University of Technology with Professor Don Watts as Foundation Vice-Chancellor, Foundation President and Vice-Chancellor of Bond University and Executive Chairman of the Northern Territory Employment and Training Authority.
From 1984 - 1990 he served as a member of the Australian Science and Technology Council which advises the Prime Minister and Cabinet on all aspects of science and technology policy, and was Chairman of the Australian Space Council from 1993 - 1996. He has also served as a member of a number of other government advisory bodies, both for the Commonwealth Government and the Government of Western Australia.
Professor Don Watts has been recognised for his contributions to science, technology, education and management through election to Fellowships of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the Australian College of Education and the Australian Institute of Management, and by the award of an Honorary Doctor of Technology Degree from Curtin University of Technology and an Honorary Doctor of Education degree from the University of Western Australia. He was 1967 Rennie Medallist and 1987 Leighton Medallist of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, and in 1988 was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Marketing Institute of Singapore. He remains a member of the American Chemical Society. In 1998, he was awarded the ANZAAS Medal for his contributions to science.
Don was appointed a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 1998, and in 2003 his work for tertiary education in Australia was recognised by the award of a Centenary Medal.
Don also acts as a Consultant within the public and private sectors both in Australia and overseas, and was Chairman of a high technology public company, Advanced Energy Systems Limited, until April 2003.