Prof Todd Mansell
Foundation Director, Australian Defence Technologies Academy
Organisation unit
Research and Innovation
Space and Defence and National Security
ADTA
Location
Adelaide University, Tech Central, Level 1
Contact
About me
Professor Todd Mansell
Foundation Director
Australian Defence Technologies Academy
Prof Mansell is former senior Defence executive with
experience building high-performing leadership teams and delivering capability
to government, industry and academia. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence
from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Harvard Business
School, Advanced Management Program (AMP188). With over 36 years of experience
in Defence research, development, acquisition and innovation, Prof Mansell’s
contribution to submarine capability has been recognised with the Minister for
Defence, Award for Scientific Achievement.
Prof Mansell is the Foundation Director of the Australian
Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA), led by Adelaide University. ADTA is an important new State and Federal
government-funded initiative that captures government, industry and university
strengths to deliver defence capability through sovereign workforce development
and accelerated innovation partnerships. Prof Mansell is also the Australian
Lead for the UK-AUS Advanced Skills Alliance – comprising eight UK and Aus
universities.
From 2021 to 2025, Prof Mansell was the Australian
Submarine Agency’s First Assistant Director General, Technical, responsible and
accountable for establishing the programs that would build the national
technical workforce, growing the nuclear-powered submarine engineering system,
and building a sovereign technical base within Australia that partners with US
and UK industry.
Prior to joining ASA, Prof Mansell was posted at The Boeing
Company (USA), where he worked alongside the Chief Engineer and his leadership
team on engineering realignment and R&D transformation as the company
responded to the concurrent crises of 737 Max8 disasters and the COVID-19. He
also assisted Boeing orchestrate disruption from within the company through its
portfolio of start-up and scale-up companies managed by HorizonX and NeXT.
Prof Mansell has also held SES Band 2 leadership roles in
the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), including serving as Chief of
four Divisions and as the Acting Chief Defence Scientist (6 months). While at
DSTG, he has been responsible for transdisciplinary research supporting the
Navy, Air Force, Army, joint operations and intelligence, as well as high-stakes
multi-government negotiations. He has also been a member of the Defence
Capability Investment Committee, led a Defence White Paper team (responsible
for Defence Innovation reform in 2016), and led Defence Science and Technology
programs in the Air, Maritime, Joint and National Security domains.
Prof Mansell has also
held numerous other roles across Defence and the public service, including a
leadership role in the national innovation and science taskforce for the
Turnbull government (responsible for producing the nation’s 2030 Innovation,
Science and Research Strategy titled Australia 2030: Prosperity through
Innovation).
Professor Todd Mansell Foundation Director Australian Defence Technologies Academy Prof Mansell is former senior Defence executive with experience building high-performing leadership teams and delivering capability to government, industry and academia. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Advanced Management Program (AMP188). With over 36 years of experience in Defence research, development, acquisition and innovation, Prof Mansell’s contribution to submarine capability has been recognised with the Minister for Defence, Award for Scientific Achievement. Prof Mansell is the Foundation Director of the Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA), led by Adelaide University. ADTA is an important new State and Federal government-funded initiative that captures government, industry and university strengths to deliver defence capability through sovereign workforce development and accelerated innovation partnerships. Prof Mansell is also the Australian Lead for the UK-AUS Advanced Skills Alliance – comprising eight UK and Aus universities. From 2021 to 2025, Prof Mansell was the Australian Submarine Agency’s First Assistant Director General, Technical, responsible and accountable for establishing the programs that would build the national technical workforce, growing the nuclear-powered submarine engineering system, and building a sovereign technical base within Australia that partners with ...
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Last updated
on 10/08/2026
by Todd Mansell