• Science policy
• Simulation, modelling and systems thinking
• Industrial innovation policy 

Dr Liz Killen PhD MSc BEng currently serves as Assistant Manager in the science policy team of the Office of Australia's Chief Scientist. Starting her career in engineering, she has since worked a diverse range of sectors spanning across consulting, non-profit, and government. Her academic journey has included a PhD earned from the University of Cambridge, UK, an MSc from Imperial College London, UK, and a BEng(Hons) attained at the University of New South Wales, Australia. 

Dr Killen’s doctoral research focused on the links between income and educational outcomes, with an emphasis on quantitative techniques, including modelling. Her more recent research pursuits include including innovation ecosystems, science and technology policy, systems modeling for policy design, and the functioning and structure of government science advisory systems.

Before joining the Australian Government, Dr. Killen worked in industrial innovation policy as part of the Policy Links Unit, connected to the University of Cambridge. Prior to this, she worked in the UK Government Office for Science in the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology secretariat and futures and foresight teams. Liz started her career as a chemical engineer in the nuclear medicine production facility at ANSTO in Australia.

Current, ongoing areas of interest - open to collaboration 

• Innovation policy function, failures and policy interventions - a typology 
• The role of international research collaboration policy in addressing innovation system failures
• Industrial innovation ecosystems and multi-layer networks - a framework for identifying gaps, framing policy interventions and integrating interdisicplinary insights
• The role of increased choice of HSC subjects in the declining participation in core STEM disciplines - a review of enrollment trends in New South Wales 
• Applicaiton of the PICAA microsimulation model to assessing the potential magnitude of interventions addressing educational achievement and inequality 

Doctoral thesis work

• Developing a systems map of the key causal pathways between socioeconomic status and educational outcomes in interdisciplinary literature using a novel targeted review method. Under review. 
• The development of the Parental Income and Child Academic Achievement (PICAA) microsimulation model. In draft. See also https://picaamicrosimulationmodel.wordpress.com/ 
• The importance of the early years in maximising the value of income-based interventions to improve equality in educational outcomes - insights from the PICAA microsimulation model. In draft. 

Past

• Liz Killen, David Leal-Ayala, Jennifer Castañeda-Navarrete, Michele Palladino, Carlos López- Gómez (2023). Life sciences beyond human health: modern industrial biotechnology in the UK. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Mateus Labrunie, Jennifer Castañeda-Navarrete, Carlos López- Gómez, Liz Killen (2023). National Reports: Industrial Innovation Policy - United Kingdom Country Study. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Jennifer Castañeda-Navarrete, David Leal-Ayala, Carlos López-Gómez, Michele Palladino and Liz Killen (2022). The UK Innovation Report 2022. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.
• Jennifer Castañeda-Navarrete, Mateus Labrunie, Carlos López- Gómez, Liz Killen, Michele Palladino and David Leal-Ayala (2021). The Fourth Industrial Revolution and its adoption in the Asia and Pacific Region. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
• Liz Killen, Jennifer Castaneda Navarrete, Michele Palladino, David Leal-Ayala, Carlos López-Gómez, Victor Aramburu Cano (2021). STEM professionals in the UK civil service - an international comparative study. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
• Elizabeth Killen, Michele Palladino, Franco Gonzales (2021). Singapore's Biomedical Cluster: Lessons from two decades of innovation and manufacturing policy. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge. 
• Elizabeth Killen, Orla Woodward, Cecila Castro, Ian Manning (2020). Leadership at the science policy interface: a case study. Cambridge Journal of Science & Policy.
• Government Office for Science (2020) Chapter 10 Case Study: COVID-19 and citizen data, in The future of citizen data systems. Government Office for Science 
• Elizabeth Killen (2019). Editorial. Cambridge Open Review Educational Research Journal, 6(1), 11.
• Adi Paterson, Michael Druce, Elizabeth Killen (2015). Six problems with the 6-day Curie and a solution. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 305 (1), 13-22. 
• Sanly Liu, Elizabeth Killen, May Lim, Cindy Gunawana and Rose Amal (2014). The effect of common bacterial growth media on zinc oxide thin films: identification of reaction products and implications for the toxicology of ZnO. RSC Advances, 4, 4363-4370.