Steve Whitford, a former director of Cocks Carmichael Whitford Architects in Australia from 1970 to 2000, gained recognition for award-winning architectural and urban design projects. He also taught at RMIT and UoM while pursuing a Master of Planning and Urban Design in 1996. Steve later held visiting professorships at universities in China, France, and Japan. He became a partner at BAU in 2010, contributing to acclaimed urban design and architectural projects. He may one day complete his PhD at the University of Melbourne, focusing on the intersections between Deleuze, the complexity sciences, the sublime, and urbanism.

James Brearley is the founder of Brearley Architects + Urbanists (BAU) and serves as an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University. He completed his studies in building and architecture at the University of Melbourne and RMIT University in 1989. Before establishing his private practice in 1992, he gained experience in London under Will Alsop. James holds a Master of Planning and Urban Design from UoM (1998) and oversaw BAU's expansion into China, focusing on large-scale projects. He co-authored Networks Cities in 2010, exploring contemporary Chinese urbanism, and has led award-winning projects in urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture.