Luisa Powell

Luisa Powell is the Director of the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC), providing strategic research leadership, engagement across academic and Defence, and oversight of publishing the Australian Army Journal, Occasional Papers, and Land Power Forum. Prior to 2025, she was Director Research at the AARC (2023-2024) working collaboratively in a diarchy to lead the AARC.

As Acting Director to the Office of Industry Innovation and Science Australia (OIISA), an independent statutory body providing strategic advice on industry innovation, science and research matters to the Australian Government, she managed appointments to the board, developed the Statement of Expectations, and had oversight of the governance arrangements of the IISA Board.

She has managed the Cooperative Research Centres Projects research grants at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources where she introduced a community of best practice across the cohort of industry based research grants. She had oversight of developing Grant Guidelines and responsibilities to deliver grant rounds and manage research contracts through the grants lifecycle.

At the Australian Research Council, she had oversight of over 100 Major Investments (research grants of $5 million to $35 million) totalling over $1.4 billion in commonwealth grants under the National Competitive Grants Program. She connected across the university sector including Research Office staff, senior researchers and Chief Operating Officers of major grants, setting new standards of best practice.

Luisa Powell has a Bachelor of Science Degree and Honours in Environmental Science from Flinders University, South Australia.