Dr Reece Clothier

Biography

Dr Reece Clothier completed his Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Aerospace Avionics, with first class honours and the University Medal in 2004 at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. In 2006, Reece was one of only eight postgraduate students to be awarded a Queensland State Government Smart State PhD scholarship for his PhD research in the safe design and operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Reece initiated and is an active member of a number of industry forums for the development of safety regulations for civil UAS. He has chaired the Australian Aviation Industry Forum, Sub-Committee on UAS Certification and Regulation (AAIF) and is a member of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Standards Consultative Committee, Sub-Committee for the review of Regulations and Guidance Material for UAS (Project OS 11/20). Through these and other initiatives, Reece has been able to practically apply his research to ensure risk-informed decision making with high-impact outcomes of international significance. During 2008-2010, Reece took on the role of Project Manager for the multi award-winning Smart Skies Project. The three-year, AUD$10M, 15EFT international research project involving Boeing Research & Technology, achieved world firsts in the development and flight testing of automated safety technologies for aviation. In early 2011, Reece accepted a position as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA). His research areas of interest include: aviation safety risk modelling, modelling and analysis of autonomous systems, complex and socio-technical systems, accident modelling and analysis. He was recently awarded the inaugural George Apostolakis Fellowship, which recognises potential future leaders in the field of probabilistic safety assessment and management. Reece has consulted to industry on Australian airspace management and reform, has advised the Australian Department of Defence on matters relating to UAS airworthiness, and has developed quantitative risk assessment tools for the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Australian Department of Defence. Reece is a strong advocate for the civil unmanned aircraft systems industry. He is on the Steering and Technical Committees for the UAV Outback Rescue Challenge, and was a founding Board Member of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems – Australia. Reece welcomes opportunities to engage with the next generation of aviation enthusiasts and is available for talks to school and other community groups.