Professor Matt Bellgard

Professor Bellgard currently leads the evolving institutional Impact and Innovation Strategy at UEL, enhancing world-leading impact and preparing the University for a successful REF2028 and beyond. 

He holds extensive expertise in artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and digital innovation and has co-authored 165 articles, is co-inventor of 7 full patents, and was project director to design and commission a world’s top-100 supercomputer. Professor Matt Bellgard graduated with First Class Honours and PhD from the University of Western Australia in artificial intelligence before commencing as a lecturer in Computer Science at Murdoch University. Previously, he was Professor and Foundation Chair in Bioinformatics and the inaugural Director of a Western Australian State Government Centre of Excellence at Murdoch University. This Centre delivered to the needs of industry and government in the areas of health, drug development, agriculture, bio- and food- security, food nutrition, mining, radio astronomy, remote sensing and the environment. He led a project that changed Federal Government biosecurity policy. 

Professor Bellgard is project director of global and national digital health solutions. He co-created the Data Strategy Roadmap for the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service in Queensland and led a project to reform a Queensland Health policy. He Chaired the Asia–Pacific Economic Co-operation Rare Disease (RD) Network which oversaw the development of the APEC RD Action Plan. This Plan brings together governments, industry, academia, clinicians and patient-advocacy groups to support the estimated 200 million individuals living with a RD within the Asia–Pacific region.