Melbourne, 30 June 2009: Clayton Utz partner Robyn Baker has been appointed to the Australian government's Australian Research Council (ARC) Advisory Council.
A partner in the Corporate group in the Melbourne office of Clayton Utz, Ms Baker has many years' experience in legal practice with a focus on the health, aged care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology sectors.
Ms Baker currently sits on the Board of the BioMelbourne Network and has also served on the Salvation Army Aged Care Advisory Board (Southern Territory), the Inner South Community Health Service Board, and the Board of Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited. She is a former Ministerial Adviser to a State Health Minister.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Baker said: "I am pleased to be able to make a contribution to Australia's research policy through the Advisory Council and look forward to working with my fellow Council members, who are each distinguished in their fields."
Announcing the appointment on Friday 26 June, Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr said Ms Baker's experience in life sciences and commercial law would make her a strong addition to the Council.
The ARC Advisory Council was established in January 2008 to advise the ARC's Chief Executive Officer on strategic planning and policy issues as well as matters concerning the evaluation of the quality and outcomes of research and research training in an international context. It has six members in addition to the CEO.
The ARC provides advice advice to the Government on research matters and manages the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), a significant component of Australia's investment in research.
Ms Baker replaces Dr Elizabeth Jazwinska, who has been appointed ARC Executive Director of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology.