Milica Symul

Milica is a highly accomplished executive with over 18 years of experience spanning strategic leadership, research governance, innovation, and partnership development across the space, defence, and higher education sectors. She currently holds the Executive Director role at Flinders University, contributing to institutional research strategy, governance, and the development of robust frameworks for major research initiatives and infrastructure.

Most recently, Milica served as Chief Operating Officer of the iLAuNCH Trailblazer Program at the University of Southern Queensland—one of Australia’s flagship research commercialisation initiatives—overseeing a $200 million public–private partnership involving three universities and more than 30 industry partners. In this role, she secured an additional $26 million in industry co-investment, negotiated Australia’s largest space mission collaboration, and led national-scale programs accelerating research translation, advanced manufacturing, and sovereign capability.

Her previous leadership roles include Deputy Director of RMIT’s Victorian Industry Hub, Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Canberra and senior positions at the Australian National University, overseeing major space infrastructure, research commercialisation, and industry engagement initiatives.

Milica holds a PhD in Physics, is a graduate of the International Space University and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has served as a director and advisor to several venture-backed technology companies. She was awarded the Global COO Excellence Award (2025)  and is a two-time finalist for the Female Space Leader Award, recognising her sustained impact in research translation, innovation, and executive leadership.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milica-symul/