ECIC PhD Students

• Mr Torky Althaqafi
• Mr Abdulaziz Altukhais
• Ms Eva Balan-Vnuk
• Mr Gregor Ferguson
• Mr Ronald Grill
• Mr Gary Hancock

• Ms Lois Hazelton
• Mr Anton Jordaan
• Ms Huanmei Li
• Mrs Wendy Lindsay
• Mr Owais Malick
• Mr Matthew McKinlay

• Mr Gerard Reed
• Mr Tian Soon Sim
• Mr Ting Xu
• Mr Zhiqiang Xia
• Ms Louise Moylan

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Torky Althaqafi

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Abdulaziz Altukhais

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mrs Eva Balan-Vnuk

Eva has commenced her PhD after receiving a First Class Honours for her research investigating the strategy driving social enterprise business models at the University of South Australia.  Eva is extending this research to explore an alternative method for identifying and developing strategies at an organisational level by studying the business model strategies of sustainable social enterprises.

Eva’s first experience with social enterprises was with AIESEC, an international students’ organisation for cultural exchange, as President at UniSA, and State Manager for South Australia.

After graduating, Eva gained an AIESEC internship with Microsoft in Vienna, Austria.  She was appointed to the MSN Austria team which lead to a nine year international career with Microsoft.  She was involved in establishing a new business model for online advertising revenue generation in central Europe, Middle East and Africa.  Having spent five years in Europe, Eva relocated to Microsoft Singapore to manage the global launch of Microsoft adCenter, the company's paid search platform, and was subsequently responsible for evaluating the business models and sales strategy for Microsoft's online division in the Asia region.  Eva also helped coordinate a group of Microsoft colleagues to build houses for poor families in Batam, Indonesia, with Habitat For Humanity, a global social enterprise. 

PhD
Innovation and Commercialisation

Mr Gregor Ferguson

Gregor Ferguson is Editor at Large of Australian Defence Magazine (ADM), Australia's leading monthly defence and industry title, Australian correspondent for the respected US weekly newspaper Defense News, and a regular contributor to The Australian, covering the high-technology defence and aerospace industry sectors. For ten years he was editor of ADM, directing and expanding its coverage of defence industry policy, acquisition and innovation.

In 1978, he took an Honours degree in Industrial Design (Transportation) at the University of Coventry (formerly Lanchester Polytechnic) in England. He worked in the British motor industry for two years as a trainee designer and project manager; this background has shaped his career in journalism and led him in 2004 to enrol at the University of Adelaide’s ECIC to undertake a Ph.D in Science & Technology Commercialisation, with a specific focus on defence-related innovation and commercialisation.

He first entered journalism in London in 1980 and made the defence and high-technology sectors his special area of interest. He spent three years as a public relations officer with British Aerospace Military Aircraft at Kingston upon Thames during the late-1980s and since then has worked as a communications consultant for a number of defence and IT companies in Australia as well as for branches of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO) and Department of Defence.

PhD

Mr Ronald Grill

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Gary Hancock

Gary is a lecturer and Undergraduate Coordinator for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the ECIC. From an academic perspective, he has taught and developed courses in the areas of small business management, business start up, consulting, and entrepreneurship (both face to face and on-line). He has expertise in a variety of areas including teaching, course development, administration, leadership, student supervision, and student mentoring.

From a hands-on business perspective, Gary has experience in starting, operating, and harvesting growth-oriented ventures in franchise and non-franchise environments. These businesses have been in the entertainment, telecommunications, business consulting, and child care industries. He has been asked to comment on education in the entrepreneurship area by BRW, and is has spoken at a number of international conferences.

Gary is carrying out PhD research in the field of early stage venture financing. He is interested in the cognitive psychology approach of investors and entrepreneurs who have an affiliation in the early stages of business creation.

PhD

Ms Lois Hazelton

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Anton Jordaan

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Ms Huanmei Li

Huanmei Li, also known as Mushui Li, began her undergraduate studies in 2003 and graduated with a Bachelor of International Economics and Trade from Tianjin Agriculture University, China in 2007. During this time Huanmei was also a study leader at the Department of Economics and Management and was awarded a scholarships from the Chinese government and the Tianjin Agriculture University.

From 2007 to 2010, Huanmei completed a Master of Regional Economics at North West Agriculture and Forestry University, China. She worked as a part-time teacher of international trade for the duration of her postgraduate studies.

Huanmei commenced her doctoral studies at the University of Adelaide in 2010. Her research interests are entrepreneurship, industrial clusters, public policy and international trade, wine industry and biotech industry in Australia.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mrs Wendy Lindsay

Wendy holds an MBA from Bond University, and a Master of Advanced Business Practice from the University of South Australia. Her PhD research – which is longitudinal - focuses on nascent entrepreneur values and entrepreneurial attitude as antecedents of the venture start-up decision.  In addition to values and attitude, Wendy’s research interests include opportunity identification, social entrepreneurship, Indigenous entrepreneurship, and well-being.  Wendy has co-authored a range of conference and journal papers in these areas.

Wendy’s academic experience extends to lecturing in the entrepreneurship area at both the undergraduate and MBA levels (face-to-face and online) at The University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, and Bond University. 

Wendy’s business experience in Australia and South Africa includes general management in the professional practice environment and, thereafter, through provision of consultancy services to a diverse range of clients.  She has founded/co-founded businesses in the areas of financial management, administration, tourism accommodation, e-learning streaming media, and most recently, a registered training organisation.  Giving air to her creative side, Wendy also founded a successful business offering courses in ceramics, pottery, and painting.  Wendy enjoys community outreach through her membership of Rotary.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Owais Malick

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Matthew McKinlay

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Ms Louise Moylan

Louise Moylan has a background in Defence and mining industry transport and logistics, as well as remote area small businesses. This background combined with a BA (Hons) degree provides the basis for researching small Aboriginal enterprises and mainstream small businesses in remote and regional Australia.

Louise is interested in the relationship between social, cultural and commercial aspects of enterprise; the influences of government and industry on small business; and how small enterprises can provide the strength behind remote and regional area community success. These ideas form part of her PhD research of which she is in the last stages.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Gerard Reed

Gerard Reed completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of New South Wales where he studied Theatre, History, Politics, Film, and Religion. Gerard holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of the Arts, London where he further developed his interest in the history and production of independent film and documentary.

Gerard Reed co - founded Remo Media with Vanna Morosini a film and digital production company based at Adelaide, South Australia. Remo Media has developed a range of documentary and drama projects over several years having commenced by producing NINE WOMEN OF NORTHFIELD - TALES FROM WITHIN and STRAIGHT TALK. These documentaries give a revealing insight into the conditions and lives of detainees in the South Australian correctional system.

Remo Media produced MISSING PRESUMED DEAD, a documentary that investigates two missing men of World War One filmed in Australia, England, Belgium, France and Germany. MISSING PRESUMED DEAD has screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Channels, ABC 1, ABC 2, and The History Channel for ANZAC and Remembrance Day commemorations in Australia and New Zealand.

Gerard received a scholarship from the University of Adelaide and completed a Master of Entrepreneurship degree with the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation, and Innovation Centre (ECIC). Gerard has continued his entrepreneurial research and study through a PhD scholarship at ECIC to investigate the ways in which film and digital production businesses from regional areas develop in the global market place.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Tian Soon Sim

Profile coming soon.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Zhiqiang Xia

Zhiqiang, on a scholarship, graduated with an MBA from Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He also completed a Master of Science in Real Estate from National University of Singapore. His academic achievements include recognition from the Chinese government in 1996 when he was awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award.

Zhiqiang has worked in both private and public sectors in Singapore and China for over ten years, with strong expertise in business development, corporate strategic planning and project management in a multiple-culture environment. In 2004, he returned to his alma-mater NTU to serve in the China Strategy Group (President’s Office).  Being responsible for strategy formulation and implementation of the China-related special projects and initiatives, he assisted the University in the successful setup and coordination of the two representative offices in Shanghai and Beijing. He received the NTU Nanyang Teamwork Award in 2006.

Currently a Senior Assistant Director at NTU Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, Singapore, he co-developed the highly regarded first of its kind Master of Science Technopreneurship and Innovation (Chinese) Program. In the meanwhile he has helped several scientists secure venture capital financing for their technology start-ups. His PhD research focuses on venture capital decision-making while he is also interested in entrepreneurial behaviour and entrepreneurship education.

PhD
Entrepreneurship

Mr Ting Xu

Xu Ting has a Bachelor in Landscape and a Master in Education. He is currently a PhD Candidate at the ECIC.

Xu Ting’s research interests include social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education and training, indigenous entrepreneurship and Chinese entrepreneurship. Recently Ting’s research has focused on entrepreneurial self-efficacy in a Chinese context.