Associate Professor Rod Watkins

Rod Watkins lectured in Applied Optics in Optometry at the University of Melbourne. Under a research contract for the Department of Civil Aviation he developed vision standards for pilots and air traffic controllers which were adopted by Australia and by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

In 1970 he joined the Adelaide optical company SOLA International Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses and medical, defence and commercial optical devices. He was a member of the Board of Directors and held a number of senior management positions including in research and development and the management of scientific and defence precision optical equipment production. During this time SOLA grew from a small base in Adelaide to become the largest manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses in the world with 4,500 employees in 15 countries.

In 1987 he founded Scan Optics Pty Ltd, a company which designs and manufactures optical equipment for ophthalmology in developing countries, and served as Chief Executive Officer until 2008. The company has supported prevention of blindness programmes in 120 countries and has been widely recognised internationally for its work. He has been involved in the governance and management of global blindness through the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and convened and chaired meetings in Adelaide, London, New York and in India to develop a global concensus on the challenges of, and responses to, the technology demands of global blindness prevention.

In 2011 he joined Flinders University, initially in a General Staff role assisting with the administration and planning of the new Optometry programme and then as a member of the Academic Staff, teaching optics in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of the course.