Professor Michael Brear is an outstanding strategic leader and as such was appointed the Director of the Melbourne Energy Institute (MEI) at the University of Melbourne in late 2016. He leads the Institute's research on the technical, economic, environmental and social impacts of energy. Professor Brear will be a strong advocate for industrially focused and impactful research in energy and transport, facilitating collaboration between industry, government agencies and researchers, consistent with the Technology Challenges of the Academy: Energy and Industry Innovation.