Biography
Dr David Cropley is an Associate Professor of Engineering Innovation at the University of South Australia.
Dr Cropley joined the School of Engineering at the South Australian Institute of Technology (SAIT) in 1990, after serving for four years in the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, including deployments to the Middle East. Following the establishment of the University in 1991, he completed a PhD in Measurement Systems Engineering in 1997, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2002.
From 2003 until 2007 Dr Cropley was Director of the Systems Engineering and Evaluation Centre (SEEC) at the University, leading a team of engineers specialising in research and education in the field of complex defence systems. In 2007, SEEC was transformed into the larger Defence and Systems Institute (DASI), where he was Deputy Director form 2007 - 2012.
Dr Cropley has taught a variety of courses on engineering, creativity and innovation and has facilitated creative problem-solving workshops for various organisations.
His research interests lie in the measurement of creativity and innovation in engineering processes and organisations, the role of creativity and innovation in terrorism and crime, and the nexus of creative problem-solving and engineering.
A recognised expert in creative problem-solving and innovation, Dr David Cropley was a scientific consultant and on-screen expert for the award winning Australian ABC Documentaries Redesign My Brain series 1 and 2 (2013 and 2015) and Life at 9 (2014). He is also an occasional actor, appearing in ANZAC Girls (ABC, 2014) and appeared as a zombie in series 2 of the SBS show Danger 5 in 2015.
Dr Cropley is also a keen rower and has set two world records in indoor rowing in his age group - in 2010 for a 24-hour tandem row, and in 2012 for a tandem 100km row.
Dr Cropley is recognised for his groundbreaking research to identify and measure factors within an organisation that foster innovation. David is Chief Scientific Office at i2p consulting, a company which uses a tool he developed with the University of South Australia to help organisations improve their innovation.
Testimonials
David’s innovation and problem solving presentation was insightful and spoke directly to the challenges we are currently facing in my organisation. The paper tower exercise really brought my team together and got them thinking about alternate solutions to seemingly simple problems. It was a very enjoyable experience and everyone learned something!
Director, Asset Strategy and Innovation
Renewal SA
We were very fortunate to be able to secure David’s time for our annual conference. The simple concept he used to help our staff generating and evaluating ideas was easy to understand and execute. The session was interactive and fun. David Cropley’s presentation style was both practical, relaxed and clear. Thank you for spending time at our conference! Having been exposed to his expertise from the engineering world was invaluable to us in the Finance industry – different but relevant.
Senior Manager, Retail Sales & Relationships
People's Choice Credit Union
Associate Professor Cropley delivered a professional and highly engaging talk at the University of South Australia’s Innovation & Collaboration Centre in May 2016. David was tasked with presenting to a diverse mix of industry sectors representing both large and small enterprises, on the topic of innovation, and how to identify and measure it in your organisation. The feedback received from the audience reflected his ability to deliver the right balance of information which was both informative and entertaining. David is a real pleasure to work and someone I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
Manager, Innovation and Collaboration Centre
Business School: University of South Australia
The documentary Redesign My Brain is an award-winning program and had over 1.25 million viewers in Australia, as well as airing in the United States and UK. David played a key role in the success of the program, with his expertise on creativity and innovation.
CEO & Executive Producer
Mindful Media
Professor David Cropley was engaged by Viterra as guest speaker on Innovation in Agriculture. Having seen David present at a previous function and viewed his work on the ABC’s, Redesign my Brain I was more than comfortable to request David for this particular role. As well as undertaking his own research, David was briefed on the operations of our business and the agricultural sector more broadly using this background to create a strong connection with the attendees. Witty references to David’s time in the military and his international experiences made for interesting listening. David embraced the topic and engaged the audience with his delivery. He worked with the MC to keep the function to time and held the attention of the participants throughout. David is an engaging speaker who is prepared to work closely with the client to ensure the content is relevant. His role as an academic, coupled with his life experiences make him an engaging presenter.
Group Commercial Manager
Viterra