Tom is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the Australian National University, where he teaches the design of web sites, e-commerce and professional ethics. Tom has been an expert witness in several court cases involving international patent, computer, web and Internet issues, as well as advising governments and companies on ICT problems.
Tom has 23 years experience in the ICT industry in Australia. He is an internationally recognized leader of the ICT profession and an acknowledged expert on large scale systems for government. His expertise is based on a solid early technical training in programming and database design for large government administrative and financial systems. His later work was on ICT policy for the highest levels of executive government and in formulating national policy on the use of the Internet.
Tom has experience in reviews of software development and deployments at the Department of Defence, including for the Supply Systems Redevelopment Project (SSRP) and the Manpower Support Redevelopment Project (MSRP). As a member of the staff of Headquarters Australian Defence Force (QHADF), he has worked in the most sensitive areas of government. Tom's consulting experience includes assessing e-commerce patents, reviewing new project proposals and advising companies on web strategies. Tom is an acknowledged expert on accessible web system design, having lectured on e-commerce and web design at the Australian National University and advised on the web strategy for the next Olympics. His skills cover the range of current technologies, practical experience of what works and an independent viewpoint to provide advice.
Tom has decades of experience in assessing technology for revitalizing the way business works. In addition he is a leader in the profession, having been President of the Australian Computer Society, a Fellow, Honorary Life Member and also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and voting member the Association for Computing Machinery. Tom combines technical experience with the ability to communicate complex topics to concepts to a non-technical audience, being an author, broadcaster and educator.
In addition, Tom has an interest in architecture, environmental design, energy and water saving technology. He is the founding chair of the ACS Green ICT Group, and has been invited as a guest lecturer on the effects of ICT on urban design for the Bauhaus Dessau and on smart apartment design at the University of Canberra.
Professional and Community Activities
- Australian Computer
Society:
- Member since 1988
- Honorary Life Member (2002-)
- Fellow (1999-)
- Director of the Professional Development Board (2007-).
- Director of the Communications Technologies Board (2005-2006).
- Managing Editor of the ACS Digital Library (2006-).
- Chair of the Scholarly Publishing Committee (2005-).
- Director of the Publications Board (1999-2004).
- Director of the Community Affairs Board (1993-1995).
- President (1996-1997)
- Co-ordinator of the ACS's ATM Multimedia Project (1995-1998).
- Chair of publicity for the 14th World Computer Congress,International Federation for Information Processing (1993-1995).
- Chairman of the ACS Canberra Branch (1992) & Executive committee member for technology (1986), programs (1987), professional development (1988), special projects (1989), Practising Computer Professionals scheme (1991)
- Presented with the ACS Canberra Merit award for contribution to the development of ACS Internet service (1994).
- Chair of the Multinet'95 Internet Multimedia Conference (1995)
- Task force leader for Senate Pay TV inquiry, Telecommunications in the ACS Territory Plan and Chief Censor's Enquiry on the Regulation of Computer Games.
- Chairman of the ACS Working Party on Electronic Publishing (1991).
- Member of the ACS National Council (1987-1989, 1992-2004)
- Member of the ACS working party on electronic mail (1991).
- Project Management Committee Member for the Sahana Open Source Disaster Management System (2008-)
- Honorary web-master for the One Voice Campaign, in support of the release of Steve Pratt, Branko Jelan and Peter Wallace, CARE Australia workers imprisoned in Yugoslavia (1999).
- Director of the Internet Society of Australia, (1998-99)
- Defence Working Party Member for FEDLINK: the Australian Federal Government Network & Applications Project (Whole of Government Secure Intranet). (1997-98).
- Member of the Council of Standards Australia (1997-)
- Member of the Steering Committee of the Strategy for Information Technology Research in Australia (1996-98)
- Voting member of the Association for Computing Machinery and member of various special interest groups.
- Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2002).
- Member of the IEEE Computer Society (1984-99); expert reviewer for the IEEE CS Technical Committee on Software Engineering Standards (1987-93); IEEE Standards Association (1997-99).
- Founding Web Master (honorary) for the ACT Government (1995), Special Broadcasting Service (1995-1996), Australian Information Industry Association (1995-1997), National Press Club (1996-1997) and Australian-American Chamber of Commerce (San Francisco) (1995-1997), Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Australia - ACT Division (1996-).
- Member of ACT government and ACS accreditation committees for IT courses at ACT tertiary institutions.
- Member of the Internet Society
- Member of the Standards Australia committee IT/15 on Software Engineering (1991-1995).