Rate My Professor Paulo de Souza

Professor Paulo de Souza serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Edith Cowan University, having assumed the position in January 2026. Previously, he joined ECU in early 2024 as the Executive Dean of the School of Engineering. A distinguished physicist, de Souza earned his BSc and MSc in Physics, along with a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Brazil. He obtained his Doctoral degree (Dr. rer. nat., cum laude) from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany. His career trajectory includes early roles in the mining and steel-making industries across Brazil and Europe. In 2008, he moved to Australia to take up a position at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), where he progressed to Chief Research Scientist and Science Director of the Digital Productivity Flagship. Before ECU, he was Dean of Research and Head of the School of Information and Communication Technology at Griffith University.

Professor de Souza's academic interests encompass spectroscopy and instrumentation for space and environmental science applications, including urban air quality, pollinator decline, bushfire detection, digital innovation, and inclusive science practices. He participated as a scientist in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, co-authoring publications recognized as the 2004 Breakthrough of the Year by Science magazine, which significantly influenced understandings of the Solar System. For his contributions, he received three NASA Group Achievement Awards. Among his honors are Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), Fellow Australian Computer Society (FACS), Fellow Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA), and Fellow Institution of Engineers Australia (FIEAust). Additionally, he serves on the Australian Research Council College of Experts. At ECU, de Souza has cultivated key partnerships, such as with NASA on the IGNIS project investigating lightning, fire, and space phenomena, and with Fraunhofer, enhancing research translation, industry collaborations, student internships, work-integrated learning, and curriculum innovation. He champions real-world research impacts and inclusive engagement with schools, Indigenous communities, and industry sectors.