Jo Hawkins

Dr Jo Hawkins is a member of the Innovation and Industry Engagement team at UWA.

As manager of the UWA Innovation Quarter (UWA IQ), Jo works to empower researchers, students and staff to release the value of new ideas and technologies:

• Building capability in innovation and entrepreneurship
• Providing access to mentors, networks, funding and investment
• Prototyping new products and services

Jo works across the university on strategic initiatives designed to unlock value within research and higher education. She is skilled in strategic planning and partnerships, project and stakeholder management, communication and engagement.

Jo spent a decade working in advertising and marketing for global companies including TBWA/ Worldwide and Sony BMG Records. Fascinated by the ability of stories to inform, influence and connect people, she returned to Perth to undertake a PhD in history and consumer culture. During her candidature, she worked to share her industry experience within academia, and research insights with industry though writing, workshops, talks, and collabroative events such as hackathons.

She was approached to join the Innovation Quarter team shortly after its launch in 2015 and has played an important role in its development. Achievements include identifying and supporting 150+ enterprising UWA projects, facilitating 750+ training placements for researchers and students, and overseeing the launch of UWA’s first innovation and coworking space, UWA IQX. In 2018, she was selected to attend CSIRO’s prestigious national ON Innovation Accelerator with biotech startup Oximetic. 

Jo is also an award-winning writer and lecturer. Her first book “Consuming Anzac: The History of Australia’s Most Powerful Brand” was published in 2017.