Professor Kate Smith-Miles

Professor Kate Smith-Miles AO is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Capability), where she is responsible for supporting and developing research capability across the University of Melbourne, working closely with faculties, Chancellery and University Services. The position provides leadership and academic oversight of strategies to support researchers to deliver world-class research of the highest quality, integrity and impact.

Kate is a Melbourne Laureate Professor of Applied Mathematics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Melbourne, and a former ARC Laureate Fellow. She is also inaugural Director of the ARC Training Centre in Optimisation Technologies, Integrated Methodologies and Applications (OPTIMA), working with industry partners on industrial optimisation challenges such as transportation and logistics. She has published over 300 refereed articles in optimisation, machine learning, and applied mathematics, and has supervised over 35 PhD students. Her research has been recognised with the award of several medals.

In the King's Birthday Honours in 2024, Kate was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to tertiary education, applied mathematical research, and as a role model and advocate for women in STEM”. She has also previously served as President of the Australian Mathematical Society, a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts, and Associate Dean (Enterprise & Innovation) for the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Kate is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA), Institute of Engineers Australia (FIEAust) and the Australian Mathematical Society (FAustMS).