The Australian Academy of Science

Dr Jim Peacock, Chief Scientist and President of the Australian Academy of Science, is a Research Fellow of CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra Australia , one of the world’s leading plant research institutes. His laboratory is recognised internationally in the field of plant molecular biology and its applications in agriculture.

 

He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia , Australia ’s highest honour, for his contribution to the nation. Dr Peacock is a Fellow of The Royal Society of London, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy . In 2000 he was a co-recipient of the Inaugural Prime Minister’s Science Prize.

 

He is Executive Officer of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.

 

Jim Peacock is prominent in the interfacing of plant science with modern agribusiness. He drives innovative communication efforts to extend research results and educate key decision-makers and the general public as to the outcomes and value of modern science, particularly gene technology. He has brought the excitement of biological research to a broad cross-section of the community and to a large population of Australian school students.

The University of Melbourne

Frank Caruso is a Professor and Federation Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Melbourne. He previously led an international research group at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany. He has been awarded numerous prizes for his scientific achievements: Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (1997); Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces award for research excellence (1998); German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology bioscience research award (1999); Royal Australian Chemical Institute Rennie Memorial Medal/Royal Society of Chemistry – Royal Australian Chemical Institute Exchange Medal (2000/2001); ARC Federation Fellowship (2001).

He serves on the International Advisory Boards of the journals Advanced Functional Materials and Chemistry of Materials. His main interests are in combining recent new developments in bioscience with those in nanotechnology, in order to produce novel biofunctional materials for potential applications in medicaldiagnostics, pharmaceutics and catalysis.

The University of Queensland

Professor Lu is Chair of Nanotechnology and Director of the ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials. Dr Lu has co-authored over 230 scientific papers published in international refereed journals and conference proceedings, and 5 patents. He received the Young Researcher Award by the International Union of Materials Research Societies in 1997. He was awarded the University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor's Research Excellence Award in 1999.

For his continuing and distinguished contribution to Chemical Engineering, he was awarded the Prestigious Orica Award in 2001 by IEAust, IChemE, and RACI. Recently he was named the winner of the Le Fevre Prize for 2002 by Australian Academy of Science for outstanding contribution in physical chemistry. He has been invited to give keynote and plenary talks to many conferences and meetings and been invited speaker to many universities & companies around the world. He is on editorial boards of several international journals including Carbon, J. Porous Materials, J. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and as guest editors for Gas Separation and Purification, Energy and Fuels, Colloid and Surfaces, and Catalysis Today. In 2002, he was appointed by the Australia Research Council as an expert advisory committee member for Engineering and Environmental Sciences.

Dr Lu conducts consultancies for industries in the fields of porous materials, energy and environment. He is a Fellow of IChemE, UK and member of RACI and AIChE. His research interests and expertise includes molecular engineering of nanoparticles for photocatalysis, nanofilms and membranes for gas separation and solar cells and fuel cells, nanoporous materials such as activated carbons, mesoporous molecular sieves and clays for separation and catalysis applications in the energy and environmental areas.

The Australian National University

Professor Jagadish was born and educated in India and worked in India and Canada, prior to moving to Australia in 1990. He is currently a Federation Fellow, Professor and Head of Semiconductor Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology Group (15-20 people including 10 Ph.D. students) in the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, ANU. His research interests include quantum dots, nanowires, quantum dot lasers, quantum dot photodetectors, quantum dot photonic integrated circuits and photonic crystals. He won the 2000 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc (IEEE) Millennium Medal and received Distinguished Lecturer awards from both IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society and IEEE Electron Devices Society. He has published more than 450 research papers (300 journal papers), 5 US patents filed, co-authored a book, co-edited a book and edited seven conference proceedings. He is a Fellow of the AAS, ATSE, IEEE, APS, OSA, IoP, AIP, IoN. He chaired many international conferences and served on many professional society committees. Prof. Jagadish is serving on editorial boards of 8 international journals in addition to being an Associate Editor of the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology. He advises many high tech companies in Australia and overseas and collaborated with scientists from 20 countries.

The University of Sydney

Professor Yiu Wing Mai is an ARC Federation Fellow, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Centre for Advanced Materials Technology at the University of Sydney . Professor Mai obtained his undergraduate education and PhD (1972) from Hong Kong University . He also holds a DSc form the University of Hong Kong (1999) and a DEng from the University of Sydney (1999).

Professor Mai is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (since 2003), a Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation (since 2003), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (since 2001), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (since 1992), and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (since 1999).

Professor Mai's research interests include material science and the development of new materials; nanomaterials and nano-composite materials, engineering materials consisting of nanometer-scale inorganic particles or fillers dispersed in an organic polymer matrix; improving the mechanical strength of materials and changing the properties (toughness, brittleness, stiffness, strength) of materials.

The University of Sydney

Professor Thomas Maschmeyer (born 1966, Hamburg) received his BSc (Hons I) (1991) and PhD (1995) from the University of Sydney. In 1994 he went as Australian Bicentennial Fellow to the Royal Institution (R.I.), London, to work with Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas. Subsequent positions include the Assistant Directorship of the Davy Faraday Laboratories, R.I. (1995–1998), and an Associate Lecturership at the University of Cambridge in combination with an affiliate Fellowship at Peterhouse (1996–1998). In 1998 Professor Maschmeyer succeeded Professor Herman van Bekkum as Chair of Industrial Organic Chemistry at the Delft University of Technology (T.U.D.), where he also became Vice-Chairman of the Delft Institute of Chemical Technology in 2000. In late 2003 he commenced his new position as Federation Fellow in connection with a Personal Chair as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

His current interests lie in the areas of Catalysis, Renewable Feedstocks (Hydrogen, Biomass), Sustainable Processes (‘Green’ Chemistry), High Throughput Experimentation (Robots, Automation), Micro- and Mesoporous Nano-sized Materials, Computational Chemistry and Enantioselective Reactions.

The underlying principle of Professor Maschmeyer’s work is that only via a solid molecular understanding, real progress in the development of new concepts and, subsequently, applications can be achieved.

The research activities pursued by him and the various teams he worked with have led, on the fundamental side, to novel, deep insights into hitherto unexplained chemical phenomena strongly controlling catalyst performance (selectivity, activity and life time), to the development of many syntheses of nanostructured materials as well as instrumental techniques to study catalysts under reaction conditions (high pressures, temperatures, on-line analysis, etc.). On the applied side, the research has led to a number of significant commercial process improvements as well as the start-up of two spin-off companies (the largest being ‘Avantium’ with, in 2001, 100+ workers).

In the area of ‘Metals in Medicine’, he has been involved in the design and synthesis of molecular targeting agents with the aim to develop specificity towards certain cancer cells as well as the development of more efficient MRI contrast agents.

The University of New South Wales

Professor Michelle Simmons is the Director of the Atomic Fabrication Facility and a Federation Fellow at the University of New South Wales . She completed a double degree in Physics and Chemistry at Durham University , UK and conducted her PhD research in the study of high efficiency solar cells. She then worked for 6 years in quantum electronics at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge before coming to Australia in 1999 as a QEII Fellow and a Program Manager in the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology. She has published over 250 papers, and given over 30 invited talks at conference in the past 5 years. She was a member of DEST’s National Research Priorities Committee and the ARC Expert Advisory Committee for Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience for four years serving as Chair in 2005. In 2005 she was awarded the Pawsey Medal and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2006 At 38, she is one of the youngest ever to receive this Honour. Her research interests are to develop the technology to build electronic devices at the atomic-scale – and understand their quantum properties.

CRC Australian Photonics

Current Research Activities
Specialty optical fibre
- Fabrication, characterisation and applications
- Novel dopants and materials, eg enhanced nonlinearity
Novel structures, eg microstrucured
- Fibre devices and systems
- Active and passive components, eg poled fibre devices
- Fibre lasers and amplifiers
- Sensor systems

Existing Linkages
-Australian Photonics CRC involves numerous collaborations and linkages
-Linkage Grants with numerous partners including Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Nextrom and Redfern Photonics group
-Industry contracts with several companies including DSTO, ABB and Transgrid
-Research supply of fibre to groups across Australia and around the world
-LEIFs in Fibre Fabrication Equipment with various partners
-Strong international links including Korea Australia Photonics Association

Contributions to the Network
The research infrastructure and expertise of OFTC are of significant potential benefit. We have state-of-the art facilities for fabricating specialty optical fibre. In most types of silica fibre our facilities and capabilities are at world best level and in more than a few are the best. OFTC leads the world in microstructured polymer fibre. We have extensive facilities and experience in post-processing fibre, particularly in writing grating structures and in inducing enhanced non-linear behaviour. We also have substantial experience and facilities in the design and application of more advanced photonic systems, including high power fibre lasers and sensor systems.

Expected Outcomes
We are especially interesting in linking with groups with need for specialty fibre. As well as identifying new applications for existing types of fibre we are keen that research needs drive the development of the fabrication technology. Past applications of fibre have been mainly in telecommunications. We are keen to explore areas including quantum optics, astronomy, sensors and biomedical. It seems clear that quantum optics will play a growing role in the development of photonics, so are keen to link with experts in this field.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

George Collins is Chief of Research for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Although no longer an active researcher, he is committed to ensuring the success and relevance of the multidisciplinary research activities he facilitates.

George obtained a PhD in plasma physics from the University of Sydney and spent 4 years in fusion-related plasma physics at the Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas within the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. He joined ANSTO in 1986 where he played the lead role in the development of Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PI³) as a high energy ion nitriding technique for enhancing the wear resistance of a wide range of metal alloys. His research influenced the general understanding of plasma nitriding and the mechanisms that occur in other plasma-assisted surface treatment and deposition techniques. ANSTO PI³ equipment can be found in laboratories in the UK, Germany, Hungary, Singapore, Australia and Thailand.
In addition to leading ANSTO's activities in plasma surface engineering, George also led a multidisciplinary team in one of ANSTO's strategic research projects on new applications for thin oxide films. The intellectual property created in this project is currently being developed for applications as diverse as abrasion resistance coatings on spectacle lenses to nano-sized inorganic matrices for delivery and controlled release of chemotherapy drugs.

George was appointed Director, ANSTO Materials & Engineering Science in December 2001, leading a team of 90 scientists, engineers and technicians involved in a wide-range of materials-based and engineering research projects. He has been in his current role since February 2005.