Iven Mareels is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation and Executive Dean, Institute of Innovation, Science and Sustainability, at Federation University Australia. He is also a non-executive director of Rubicon Water (ASX listed).

Previously, he was a director of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (2018–2024), a partner in IBM Consulting and Director of the Centre for Applied Research at IBM Australia (April 2021–August 2022), Director of IBM Research in Australia (February 2018–March 2021) and Dean of Engineering at the University of Melbourne (2007–2018).

Iven received a PhD in Systems Engineering from the Australian National University (1987) and a Master of Engineering (Electromechanical, ir) from Gent University (1982).

He has co-authored over 500 refereed publications, including five monographs. He is a co-inventor of a suite of patents related to the automation of large-scale, gravity-fed irrigation systems (with Rubicon Water, and underpinning Rubicon Water’s technology).

Iven has received a number of awards, including the IBM Research Achievement Award (bronze level) (2021), the Harold Chestnut Control Engineering Textbook Prize (2017), the IEEE Control Systems Society Technology Award (2014), the Asian Control Association Wook Hyun Kwon Education Award (2013), the Clunies Ross Medal (2008) and the Vice-Chancellor's Award For Excellence in Teaching, Australian National University (1994).

He is the recipient of two civil awards. He was made Commander in the Order of the Crown of Belgium (2013) and received the Centenary Medal of Australia (2003), both for contributions to engineering education and research.  

He is a life fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the International Federation of Automatic Control, the International Artificial Intelligence Industry Alliance and Engineers Australia, a foreign fellow of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, and an inaugural fellow of the Asian Control Association.