Last week, Professor Rosemary Stockdale, Dean Engagement, welcomed alumni and industry partners to the Griffith Business School Showcase. This event brought together members of the vibrant Gold Coast business community, fostering an environment of connection, collaboration, and the development of fruitful partnerships.

Highlighting the event’s significance, Professor Caitlin Byrne, Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), emphasised that the showcase truly encapsulates the value proposition of the School and said;

“Through deep engagement with our key partners in government, industry, and business, we strive to make a significant impact in the communities we serve.”

The guests heard from two exceptional Griffith Business School graduates who shared their transformative experiences during internships. Dr. Melodie Ruwet, whose internship at CSIRO provided invaluable insights into the contributions that PhD candidates can make to organisations. She provided crucial skills such as project management, critical thinking, research, and conducting interviews and surveys.

Another alumnus, Rob Rollington, recounted his own internship journey at Griffith, which led him to welcome interns into his company as part of the Work Integrated Learning program. He conveyed the immeasurable benefits of sharing knowledge and mentoring students and shared an example of how an intern’s current property management studies greatly contributed to a development project by providing insights on relevant new legislation.

Dr. Anna Kralj, from the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT), provided an enthralling glimpse into the ground-breaking business applications of the cutting-edge tools available in the GIFT Biosensor Lab. Attendees learned about state-of-the-art technologies, including virtual reality eye-tracking, screen-based eye tracking, mobile eye-tracking glasses, facial expression analysis, and electro-dermal hardware, which enable the real-time analysis of participants’ physiological and emotional reactions.

In her closing remarks, Professor Stockdale reiterated the significance of these inspiring stories and highlighted the countless possibilities that lie in collaborating with the school. She also highlighted that PhD candidates bring a lot to the table and that the School is welcoming companies to engage one of our PhD candidates on a scholarship.

For those interested in exploring partnership opportunities, please reach out to the Dean of Engagement at [email protected] or visit griffith.edu.au/business-engagement.

View more photos from the event on the Griffith Business School LinkedIn page.