Our People

Professor Vishaal Kishore is a strategist, political economist, academic and commentator.  He is a leading thinker at the boundary of the public and private, the human and the technological.

Vishaal is Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at RMIT University, where he founded and leads the Health Transformation Lab and is architect of a number of applied innovation initiatives.  He co-founded The MedTech Actuator – Australia’s National MedTech Catalyst, sits on the Investment Committee of Artesian Venture Partner’s medtech venture capital fund, and holds a number of board and advisory positions across the Australian and regional innovation and impact ecosystems.

He has previously been Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services; director for government strategy in EY’s management consulting practice; a mergers and acquisitions lawyer; and an Associate at the Federal Court of Australia. Vishaal has held academic/research fellowships at Harvard and Brown Universities in the United States, and the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia.

Vishaal holds a doctorate from Harvard University, where his work focused on the intersection of law, political economy and socio-political theory.

Nithya Solomon is an innovation executive, strategist and versatile business leader renowned for her creativity in shaping unique ventures in philanthropy, social innovation and public health. She has held  senior leadership roles at Nike, Ernst & Young, VicHealth and Accenture, and has wide expertise in private and public sectors in Australia, USA and Latin America. Nithya is sought after for her ability to convert insights and abstract ideas into action and results. She is also a professional perfomring artist who produces and performs classical and contemporary works. 

As Executive Lead of Innovation at VicHealth, Nithya curated wide-reaching programs that made global thought leadership, citizens’ juries and digital innovation accessible for corporations and community organisations alike. Nithya was Nike Foundation’s Director of Operations, Finance & Strategy through their defining years of shaping a game-changing investment portfolio for adolescent girls’ economic empowerment. She was instrumental in delivering Nike’s unprecedented ‘Designed to Move’ collaboration; a shared commitment between 70+ multi-sector organisations to increase worldwide physical activity. 

Nithya holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management and Bachelor degrees in Engineering (Chemical) & Arts (Performing Arts) from Monash University 

Brad is a public health law and equity statistician. He has a long history of cross-disciplinary study and research with post-grad degrees in law, public health and biostatistics and research publications across public health law, policy, equity and social theory.

Brad has most recently worked in an infectious disease modelling team at the University of Melbourne and as a research biostatistician for the IMAGINE (Innovative Measurement of Gender (In) Equality in Australia) project.

He is now the new Impact Fellow in the Health Transformation Lab at RMIT.

Sai Ram is a data enthusiast with a recent master’s degree in data science from Monash University, Australia. He is skilled in analyzing natural language, numerical, image, and video data, leveraging advanced AI/ML techniques to generate business insights product(s). He has always been keen on learning new technologies and updating himself on the go.

Sai has been a part of multiple inter-disciplinary teams throughout his career, in environments that include consulting, HR, gender equity and diversity, and software development. He recently worked on developing a website that incorporated a deep learning NLP model that gauges the stress/mental status of young adults in Australia with poor mental health.

He is now a Specialist at the Health Transformation Lab.

Mondo is a self-driven solution developer with a master’s degree in Mechatronics and Engineering Management. He has shown an aptitude for Embedded software development, IoT Applications, and idea proofing. He is eager to transform ideas into viable products, developing problem-solving techniques and skills by engaging with different stakeholders.

Mondo has worked in one of Geelong’s innovation businesses as a project coordinator where he assisted in innovation initiatives inclusive of projects supporting user experience, research & development, and services.

He is now a Specialist at Health Transformation Lab.

Juan Sanin is lecturer in the School of Design at RMIT University. His design practice is situated in the field of co-design, and is focused on the creation and implementation of probes that facilitate the participation of non-designers in design processes. Another aspect of his practice combines design research and cultural studies to examine the role of material culture in the configuration of the everyday life, in particular, the role of things in the mediation of a wide variety of everyday experiences such as the sense of home, national identity, wellbeing, or ‘the analogue’.

Gobind is a questioner and storyteller that uses lateral thinking to figure things out. With qualifications in data science, business, and electronic & computer engineering, he has a wide body of knowledge to draw from. 

Outside academia, Gobind has a keen interest in the arts, he studies composition & perspective in photography, sometimes busks with the sitar, and often plays percussion with others on the tabla. 

Gobind once ran his own photography business, helped start-up an ethnic design based t-shirt company, and has always been involved in community service with various Sikh youth organisations across South East Asia.

Dr Brendan Lovelock PhD is an Honorary Professor of RMIT University. His interests are centred around the role of information technology in social wellbeing and how communities can best use these technologies to create healthier, open and more cohesive societies. He is particularly interested in how to bring communities, care providers, and the commercial ecosystems that support them, together in new models that create improved community outcomes.

Prior to his RMIT role, Brendan was the Health Practice Lead for Cisco Systems and led the organisation’s efforts around understanding the role of information infrastructure in improving healthcare process and patient experience. This work included the creation of an internationally accepted framework for assessing information systems maturity in acute healthcare. As part of his work at Cisco, Brendan led a series of international study tours over 7 years, looking at innovation and the role of information technology in improving care at a number of the world’s leading healthcare providers. For 6 years he chaired the Health Informatics Society of Australia’s (HISA) Digital Healthcare Design Special Interest Group and led their annual seminars.

Prior to Cisco, Brendan was the CEO of the Health Informatics Society of Australia. In addition to his work in healthcare, Brendan has an extensive background in business management and technology commercialisation, having held senior executive positions with Telstra and Eastman Kodak, both in Australia and internationally. He has been on the Board of the Health Informatics Society of Australia and on the advisory board of Melbourne University’s Centre for Global Innovation Management.

Daniel is a partnerships & engagement professional with experience in a broad range of industries including higher education, recreation, government, and the built environment. Daniel enjoys creating partnerships that foster innovation and positive social change, and his long-term goals are to create a better future for society through shared resources, knowledge, and ideas.

Daniel has completed a Bachelor of Business at La Trobe University and is currently completing a Master of Business Administration at RMIT University. His areas of interest are reflected in his electives undertaken; social marketing, accounting for sustainable management, digital entrepreneurship, and business project management.

Daniel is responsible for developing activities and relationships that advance RMIT’s social innovation goals, through stakeholder management, project delivery, and coordination of RMIT’s Social Innovation Hub. His role also involves taking part in engagement activities and partnerships designed to further RMIT’s growing agenda for social innovation in education, policy, partnerships, and precinct development.