| Election of | 2 academic staff |
| Term | 2 years: 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028 |
| Electorate | all continuing and fixed-term members of the academic staff of the university can vote in this election (UTS By-law, clause 6(1)(a)) |
| Ballot | opens Thursday 10 September 2026 closes at 3pm Thursday 24 September 2026 |
| Voting | vote now or see how to vote |
Candidates in ballot paper order
Candidates’ statements
Daoyi Dong
I am pleased to run the election to the UTS Council as a staff representative. I am committed to strong, transparent and effective university governance, and to ensuring that staff perspectives are well represented in strategic decision-making.
As a full professor at UTS, I bring experience in research leadership, international collaboration, industry engagement, and financial governance. If elected, I would contribute constructively to Council discussions on UTS’s strategy, financial sustainability, research and teaching quality, staff development, student experience, equity and inclusion, and responsible innovation. I will make extensive contributions to helping shape the future of UTS and making UTS colleagues a better career. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to provide high-quality service for our university, staff and students.
Robert Czernkowski
I joined UTS Council in 2024 believing that UTS’s integrity as a degree-granting institution was at risk. After two years on Council, that concern has deepened. I have engaged with staff, regulators, politicians, parliamentary inquiries, and Councillors at other universities to raise concerns about governance, decision-making, financial strategy, and academic integrity. I also contributed to the Group of Six financial analysis and the UTS Governance Project.
My experience has convinced me that Council too often accepts executive advice without sufficient scrutiny and that major initiatives such as OSI have caused significant damage to staff morale, institutional capability, and reputation. I am particularly concerned about threats to academic standards and the lack of robust responses to integrity challenges.
While individual Councillors have limited direct power, the role provides opportunities to advocate for change. If re-elected, I will continue to fight for integrity in our degrees, governance, hiring practices, and managerial decision-making.
Philip Birch
I am seeking election to UTS Council because I believe our university is at its best when academic excellence is matched by innovation, collaboration and real-world impact. As Professor of Criminology, a former member of Academic Board and current member of the HREC, I bring experience in university governance and external experience with government, industry and the community.
As higher education continues to evolve, I believe UTS should remain at the forefront of innovation, preparing graduates for an increasingly complex world while ensuring our research and engagement continues to shape policy, practice and society.
If elected, I will bring an evidence-based approach to Council, championing outstanding teaching, impactful research, responsible governance and opportunities that strengthen our students, staff and external partnerships. My commitment is to represent colleagues thoughtfully while supporting decisions that build on UTS's reputation as an innovative, globally connected and socially engaged university.
Shui Yu
Professor Shui Yu has been in tertiary education more than 30 years. He has served different academic committees and boards in Australian universities, including the Deputy Chair of UTS Research Committee, a member of the UTS Executive Committee, UTS Academic Board, and UTS GRS Board. Professionally, he is the Vice President of IEEE Communications Society, and served the Board of Governors of IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Vehicular Technology Society, overseeing the governance, policy, budget, vision, research transformation, and so on.
Professor Yu is passionate about tertiary education, research, and services. If elected, I shall work tirelessly under the UTS 2030 framework to: listen the voices of our members, assist university leaders, help junior and middle career colleagues to foster their career development, and promote transparency, diversity, fairness, and inclusiveness for each and every individual of the UTS family.
Thalia Anthony
Professor, Faculty of Law, advocate for fair working conditions, First Nations rights and social justice. As a serving Council member, over the past two years I have stood up for staff interests, especially during the development of the Operational Sustainability Initiative. I have spoken out when decisions by UTS management have not been accountable to staff and have defended my colleagues, including in the NSW parliamentary inquiry into university governance and the Town Hall on the operating model. I will continue to do this on Council by representing the needs of staff, especially in relation to workloads and fair conditions, engaging with staff on an ongoing basis, and working with students. I am a fearless advocate who is committed to upholding a culture at UTS where people are valued, education quality is prioritised, academic freedom is respected, and staff and students have a proper stake in UTS governance arrangements.
Daichao Sheng
I am seeking election to the University Council to bring an experienced, independent and strongly grounded academic perspective to the governance of the University.
Over nearly 30 years in Australian universities, I have served across teaching, research, research leadership, academic management and university service. This breadth of experience enables me to understand both the strategic responsibilities of institutional leadership and the practical realities faced by academics at the coalface.
If elected, I will provide a considered and constructive voice for academic staff, ensuring that their experience and perspectives are properly heard in major University decisions. At the same time, I recognise that Council members must act in the best interests of the University as a whole.
I would bring to Council sound judgement, integrity, collegiality and a strong commitment to academic excellence, institutional strength and the long-term success of our University.
Behzad Fatahi
I am Professor Behzad Fatahi, inaugural Head of the School of Civil, Environmental and Sociotechnical Engineering and a long-standing UTS academic. Since joining UTS in 2008, I have contributed across education, research, industry engagement and academic leadership, bringing both university and professional engineering experience to complex decisions.
If elected to UTS Council, I will bring an informed, independent and constructive academic perspective to University governance. My research and professional expertise in risk assessment, reliability and decision-making will also enable me to contribute to the careful evaluation of strategic, operational and institutional risks facing the University.
I will advocate for academic quality, research impact, staff capability and student success, while promoting rigorous scrutiny, transparency and sound governance. I will listen carefully to colleagues across UTS and work to ensure academic perspectives are effectively represented in Council deliberations and decisions.
Anthony Dooley
In this turbulent time in tertiary education, strong academic representation on Council is imperative. I was on Council 2016-2024, as staff representative, then chair of Academic Board.
I continue research and teaching as a professor of mathematical analysis, convening one of our largest subjects (1600 EFTSL), PhD students. As Chair of AB, I introduced to Council the Student Charter, Academic Risk Register, Course Loop simplification program and revisions to the PhD program. I held Forums on Climate Change, Internationalisation, the Role of a University, and AI in Teaching and Assessment.
I have longstanding interest in academic governance, at UNSW, UTS, the University of Bath (UK). I chaired the NSW Committee of Chairs of Academic Boards, convened national meetings, made submissions to the Accord, to TEQSA on Academic Governance, to the NSW government on HSC and was invited by AICD to evaluate their course for members of University Councils.
Irina Kabakova
Irina Kabakova is a Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Science, the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Irina has been working at UTS for 9 years, serving UTS community in varies roles: 2019-2021 Lead of Academic Women in Science, 2019-2021 Faculty of Science Board member, 2021-2024 Associate Head of School in Education and Students. Starting from a balanced academic position in 2017, Irina progressed to a research-focused role and currently leads an extensive portfolio as a Chief Investigator in the two ARC Centres of Excellence QUBIC and COMBS. The current composition of UTS Council is missing representation from the Faculty of Science, which Irina is hoping to fill in, offering her expert understanding of science teaching curriculum, challenges in STEM education and hands-on skills of classroom and lab teaching, as well as her depth of experience in leading world-class research.
Paul Brown
Paul is a multinational and international award winning and longstanding member of UTS, joining the Business School (Accounting) in 2005. His is an Associate Professor and Course Director in Transdisciplinary School, and has training and experience in good governance, holding a PhD specializing in financial economics and governance, an MBA(UTS), and is a member of CPA Australia. He has board level experience, holding the role of Non-Executive Director and Treasure (Environmental Defenders Office Limited, 2016 to 2019).
He was recently appointed Acting President of NTEU, NSW Branch (Aug 2026). Paul appreciates the challenges of teaching, research and operations, served in a variety of committees and roles, including as founding member of the FTDI Faculty Board, which transitioned to Transdisciplinary School Board of Studies (2017 to 2021; Deputy Chair 2019 to 2021), UTS Sustainability Steering Committee (June 2015 - present), UTS Utilities Steering Committee (2013 – present) and many more.
Aaron Coutts
I am seeking election to UTS Council to contribute my experience as an educator, researcher, research leader and academic leader to university governance at a time of significant change in higher education.
Over more than two decades at UTS, I have worked across teaching, research, industry engagement and academic leadership. As Head of School, I have led through major organisational and sector-wide change, balancing strategic priorities with the needs of staff, students, and industry and community partners.
I have contributed to university governance through Academic Board, research and strategic advisory groups, and institutional initiatives. Together with external board and advisory roles and formal governance and leadership development, these experiences have strengthened my understanding of strategy, risk and institutional decision-making.
If elected, I would bring a practical, evidence-informed and collegiate approach to Council, representing the broader academic community and supporting UTS’s future success.
How to vote in an online ballot
- Note your candidate choices and preference order
- Log in to UTS: Elections Online Polling Booth
- Choose the election you wish to vote in
- Select the candidates you wish to vote for
- Check your vote
- When you are ready, choose 'submit' to record your vote.
Conduct
Participants in elections (candidates, their representatives and voters) are expected to follow the same high standard of conduct and behaviour during the campaign process as is expected on campus generally. The behaviour of election candidates and their representatives should meet expected standards of conduct. See Code of Conduct for UTS Elections.
Concerns about security due to election-related conduct should be reported to UTS Security and Emergency Management. Phone 02 9514 1192 or dial ‘6’ on any UTS phone.
Further information
The schedule for this election has information about the election rules, Returning Officer and UTS Council.
See Voting for information about votes, confidentiality, appointing a scrutineer and results.