Dr Renu Sharma

Director Translation & Impact and Chief Operating Officer

Dr Renu Sharma has extensive leadership experience in advancing education, research, innovation, and inclusivity and she joined ICRAR in 2009 as a founding Executive team member. As the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Translation and Impact at ICRAR, along with her team she is contributing to building the cutting-edge Square Kilometre Array project in Western Australia. Dr Sharma is dedicated to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusivity through various roles, including the Vice Chancellor’s Equity and Diversity Committee at UWA and the Chair of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Working Group. Renu is a Fellow of Leadership WA, and a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Director.

Dr Sharma works with ICRAR Board, Joint Venture partners, State and Federal Governments and ICRAR national and international stakeholders. Her management responsibilities include creating a supportive, inclusive and enabling work environment at ICRAR, ethical strategic and operational planning, finance and human resource management, safety, health and risk management, marketing and promotion and supporting teaching, research and research training activities through a culture of continual improvement.

Outside of her work, Dr Sharma is passionate about writing poetry in Hindi, she is a Trustee of Hindi Samaj of WA (2023-25), a radio presenter at the 95.3 EBA and has been recognised by Indian Society of WA (ISWA) for her personal excellence in 2017, by Hindu Council of Australia in 2023 by National Gargi Award and by ISWA by Shakti Award in 2024 for her contributions. In 2024, she featured in a coffee table book featuring 50 inspiring Indo-Australian women who made a difference. In 2024 ICRAR UWA established a scholarship in her name, “The Renu Sharma Scholarship”.

In addition to her management experience in Australia, Renu has nearly two decades of experience working in the Science and Technology sector in India and has published one book, two national reports, eleven invited chapters in books, nine research articles in refereed journals and many presentations in seminars and symposia.