Dr Julie Jupp is Associate Professor of Digital Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in the Faculty of Engineering and IT. Julie’s research, teaching and professional interests lie in the creation of a smart, resilient and sustainable built environment.

As an interdisciplinary academic, Julie works in the cross-cutting fields of digital engineering that link model-based design and construction with intelligent operations and maintenance, resulting in smart built environments. Research impacts originate from innovative contributions to the theory and praxis of sustainability, with the goal being to advance data-driven processes, and inform the policy and practice of smart property development, construction and operations. As the co-founder and Director of Research for the not-for-profit International Intelligent Building Organisation (IIBO), Julie aims to make a difference and help industry push the frontiers of digital building capabilities. In this role Julie is leading the development of the Intelligent Building (IB) Index, a multi-criteria performance assessment method for measuring the intelligence of smart buildings and precincts. Julie is also an active member of a number of academic and industry committees, including the Technical Education Committee in the Australasian BIM Advisory Board (ABAB), a core member of the BIM Excellence (BIMe) Initiative, SYDBIM Consortium, and Intl. Federation for Information Processing’s PLM Working Group (WG 5.1). In the Faculty of Engineering and IT, Julie is teaching studio-based and industry-engaged courses on Digital Engineering and BIM, including under- and postgraduate subjects in 3D modelling, model-based co-ordination, 4D construction scheduling and simulation, and BIM management. Julie has published in the fields of design science, engineering design, BIM, through-life knowledge and information management, multidisciplinary design optimisation, and artificial intelligence.

Dion has more than 15 years of experience working in open source software and software development. In the past he has been involved with the following open source software projects: Blender, KDE, Gentoo Linux, Radiance, OpenStreetMaps, OpenStreetCam, and FreeCAD. 

He has a M. Arch and has worked in large architectural and construction firms.  Since August 2019, Dion has had the opportunity to develop the BlenderBIM Add-on. The objective of the BlenderBIM Add-on project is to provide a complete, Native IFC, free software pipeline to replace proprietary software in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Dion is also one of the founders of the Open Source Architecture (OSArch) community. This active community, with more than 1000 members, has a forum, chat group, wiki knowledge base, news site, monthly presentations and training resources, to support an ecosystem of 100+ open source software developed for the AECO industries.

Jon Mirtschin received his Bachelor of Engineering/Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He worked for Connell Wagner and Expedition Engineering (London) before starting Geometry Gym in 2009. Geometry Gym provides consultancy, training and develops BIM software tools specifically for Model Exchange using OpenBIM standards such as IFC. These are primarily in the form of plugins for applications such as Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, Civil 3D and various Structural Analysis applications.  Jon has been a director on the board of buildingSMART Australasia since 2019.

Robin Drogemuller has been involved with buildingSMART since 1996 when he joined the bSI Research Advisory Committee. In his current role as an academic at QUT he promotes BIM in his undergraduate teaching. BIM also motivates or underlies most of his research over the last 25 years while employed at QUT and previously at CSIRO. He also undertook a wide range of BIM-based projects in the CRC for Construction Innovation, CIEAM and the Building 4.0 CRC. Robin has also maintained his involvement in BIM internationally through bSI.

Holger de Groot is the CEO and Founding Director of Modmation, having more than 20 years of experience within the AEC industry. As a certified BIM Manager, he has accrued invaluable experience in (building) information management and digital project delivery in Australasia and Europe.

Holger is also the Vice Chairperson at buildingSMART Australasia, registered with the German Chamber of Architects of Lower Saxony (#020262), associate member of the Australian Institute of Architects (#69913) and a sought-after author and regular speaker at high level industry conferences.

Before Holger founded Modmation in 2020, he has led the BIM implementation while employed at HDR as their National Director of BIM for the Australian region, and at Grimshaw Architects as their Office BIM Manager for the Sydney studio, advising on BIM matters at all levels.

Today, Holger’s professional experience in digital project delivery and his technical competence and comprehensive knowledge of BIM allow him to provide advice, support, guidance and resources to clients who need strong information management capabilities.

Aaron is a highly experienced Enterprise Solutions Consultant with over 18 years of global experience across diverse sectors. He specialises in the strategy, design, and implementation of enterprise technology solutions, supporting organisations in planning future infrastructure and delivering operational digital ecosystems. A key area of his expertise is assisting projects, clients, and organisations in planning and achieving their Digital Twin applications, enabling real-time, data-driven insights to enhance decision-making and operational performance.

Aaron’s work focuses on aligning digital strategies with organisational objectives, bridging the gap between innovation and practical delivery. He has successfully guided numerous organisations through the adoption of transformative technologies, ensuring seamless integration of solutions that drive scalability, efficiency, and long-term value. With a strong track record of delivering tailored and future-ready digital frameworks, Aaron remains a trusted leader in helping organisations harness technology to unlock their full potential in an increasingly digital world.

Dr Lee Gregory is the CEO at 12D Solutions. He has been involved with IFCs since working on a joint project in 2005 between Queensland Transport and Main Roads and Queensland Project Services, tasked with looking at applying IFC’s to infrastructure work. Since then, he's been committed to extending IFCs to cover Civil Infrastructure (Civil/ Horizontal BIM). He's attended the buildingSMART International biannual IFC Summits since Singapore in October 2015 (except Barcelona), and in particular, has been active in the Infrastructure Room where the IFCs for Civil BIM are being defined. In this capacity, he was one of the authors of the buildingSMART International paper Model Setup Information Delivery Manual “How to Setup Geo-referencing in a Building or Linear Infrastructure Model”, and has given talks in Australia on this subject.

Lee has been an active member of the IFC Software Implementers Group starting in 2017 with IFC Alignment and IFC Triangulated Irregular Network in IFC 4.1 (in a project with TMR), and continues to this day with IFC 4.3 (currently at RC stage), which will be the first IFC Civil BIM. During this time, he's a founding and active member of Open BIM Alliance, a non-profit Australian organisation dedicated to showing that BIM can work, particularly for transferring data between different software packages. Although BIM and IFCs are well established in the Vertical Building space, there has been a lack of entities, and hence, very little take up for linear infrastructure. Lee is passionate about ensuring that IFC 4.3 is approved and released, and working to ensure that it is taken up by the Civil Industry in Australia and New Zealand.

Sandra is a highly experienced professional with over 30 years of expertise in CAD/BIM and Digital Engineering within the international construction industry. Her expertise spans a wide spectrum of projects, from transportation infrastructure like rail and airports to diverse commercial, public, and private developments such as office buildings, government complexes, and residential structures.

Throughout her career, Sandra has played a pivotal role in numerous Digital Transformation programs, consistently demonstrating her commitment to advancing technological solutions within the industry. Notably, she has contributed her expertise to several major global transport projects, including the Sydney Metro in Australia, the High-Speed Rail in the UK, and the Doha Metro in Qatar.

Currently, Sandra holds dual leadership positions within SYSTRA, serving as the Director for Digital Engineering for SYSTRA in Australia and also as the innovation lead for Digital Twins for the broader SYSTRA group. In these roles, she plays a pivotal role in driving technological advancements and spearheading innovative initiatives, both at the regional level in Australia and on a global scale within the SYSTRA organization.

Sandra's dedication to advancing industry standards is further evidenced by her role on the board of Directors for BuildingSmart Australia.

As a thought leader and influencer in the realm of BIM management, she continues to shape the future of digital construction practices.

Sandra holds a Master of International BIM Management from the Zigurat Global Institute of Technology, underscoring her commitment to ongoing education and professional development.

With her wealth of experience, leadership acumen, and passion for innovation, Sandra remains a driving force in shaping the future landscape of digital engineering within the construction industry.

Eric has been at the forefront in the application of technology to improve efficiency. His early engineering career was in the development of leading edge automation of manufacturing processes, applying technology to improve quality and speed of manufacturing processes. He was also an early adopter of 3D design and BIM (Building Information Modelling). Following this, Eric worked with a start-up company to transition out of R&D into large scale manufacturing. In the last ten years Eric has transitioned his skills from Manufacturing and applied this knowledge to transport infrastructure engineering and construction. Eric has a passion for technology and driving industry change. Working on the implementation and standardisation of Digital Engineering in Infrastructure, he is currently EIC’s Principal for Digital Integration and Capability supporting the CIMIC Operating companies which include: CPB Contractors, UGL, Leighton Asia, Thiess, Sedgman and Broad.

An active member of buildingSMART Australasia for many years and a partner of the working group that drove the development of the current National BIM Initiative, Jim has had a career-long interest in BIM. Starting with a Research Masters during the late 1970s that demonstrated the concept of 3D building modeling technology, Jim’s research in the area saw him offered an academic post at UNSW from 1981-2012. Whilst retired from university teaching, Jim remains an active member of the industry as a current member of the Australian Standards Mirror Committee appointed to a number of ISO Working Groups delivering continual improvement on BIM standards, and the buildingSMART International Infrastructure Committee currently focused on coordinating new work to extend the IFC data schema into the infrastructure space. Jim’s BIM vision is to engage the industry in greater and more effective use of BIM across both public and private procurement in Australia and New Zealand.

After completing a Bachelor or Architecture at the University of Sydney Scott has over 35 years of experience practicing in Architecture and 28 years in CAD-BIM teaching at university and technical colleges. For the past 6 years, as well as his university commitments Scott has worked as a digital technology manager for a leading quantity surveyor helping with validation of models for quantification to derive costs.