Professor Deborah Sweeney is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research, Enterprise and International) at Western Sydney University. Her previous positions include Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Health and Science, Director of Research for the College of Health and Science, and Chief Executive Officer of Vision Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Deborah is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and continues to be active in national and international organisations, holding executive positions in the CRC Association and VisionCare NSW. Her major research area is corneal physiology, and her work has been instrumental in developing an understanding of the physiology of the human cornea and the effects of contact lens wear and refractive surgery on corneal function characteristics and the development of alternative forms of vision correction. Deborah has published over 100 refereed articles and several book chapters, and is a co-inventor on two patents. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Optometry and a Doctorate in Optometry from the University of NSW. She is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.