Director's Message

Dear Colleagues,

I hope the week has gone well for you.

July has been a great month for stories about our impact. My thanks as always to Dr Phil Dooley (Physics Comms), CoS and ANU Media for their efforts to get our impact into public circulation. Have a look at our news site for current articles. One that continues to get a lot of attention is the research on laser cleaning of the Sydney Habour Bridge (ANU Reporter article). As a consequence of Phil’s article Prof Steve Madden (QST) has represented the team on some brilliantly accessible radio interviews (eg. ABC Drive - go to 1:17:17). Phil produced an excellent video (5min/20min) to celebrate the massive team effort this project has been. (Photo credit above: dinozzaver/stock.adobe.com)

If you want to get the most out of your discoveries and developments please check the guide on our website. Phil is only too happy to meet and discuss how to get your work out there.

The Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) has officially launched with the first round of grants creating a pathway for $180M worth of funding. Two streams of grants are available with $500,000 available for proof-of-concept Ignite grants and up to $5 million for proof-of-scale Innovate grants. Don’t have an industry partner I hear you say? Momentum, our School industry partnership space may help you to find one. We have many affiliated companies and I’m happy to make introductions. If you’d like to know more about how to engage with the AEA, Dr Victor Pantano (OreAI CEO, MP) and I will be hosting a drop in session in the Level 4 conference room, 1-2pm Friday 26th July.

Have a great weekend,
Tim

College of Science Brooke Bushfire Research Fund Support 2024 - Call For Applications

In memory of Peter Brabazon Brooke, who died in the 2003 Canberra bushfires, and all the victims of bushfires in Australia, the ANU College of Science Brooke Bushfire Research Fund is generously offering a number of research grants to support bushfire research.

The purpose of this fund is to provide a broad scope of support to grow and broaden the impact of bushfire research at the University. This includes but is not limited to any related activities which support or enable bushfire research.

Applications from all areas of the University are encouraged.

For further information, please refer to the Brooke Bushfire Research Fund found here.

Applications close:  Sunday, 11 August 2024

For any enquiries, please contact Kylie Barnes at eo.cos@anu.edu.au 

The inventors of nano-isolators – the optical equivalent of a diode – say the device could start a technology revolution.

In the 1950s, a technological revolution in electronics began, spurred by the miniaturization of diodes and transistors. The first electronic devices, simple radios and TVs, soon evolved into today’s smartphones, tablets and laptops, containing billions of diodes and transistors.

» read more

Launch of The ANU Industry PhD Framework & Q&A Session On Industry PhDs

Join for an information and Q&A session where you can learn about the three different options of linking PhD projects with a research end-user. 

Date: Thursday 18 July 2024
Time: 10-11:30am 
Location: RSSS Auditorium, 146 Ellery Crescent

» read more

The team from Nonlinear Physics Center (FTP), with collaborators from China,  suggested and realized asymmetric silicon metasurface for a giant strong coupling of quasi-bound states in the continuum with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) guided modes. Strong coupling leads to greatly enhanced effective nonlinear refractive index. The project is being driven by a vising PhD student from the Sichuan University in China Mr. Peng Xie, and the paper has been published in Nano Letters.

» read more

2024 Women in Physics NSW Lecture Tour coming to Wollongong in National Science Week! | 12 Aug | Science Space, 60 Squires Way North Wollongong

Presentation by Prof Susan Coppersmith, Chair UNSW and Fellow Australian Academy Science on “What do theoretical physicists do?” 

Register here

Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) 2025 - Applications Now Open

The ANU has been invited to participate in the prestigious Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) 2025 to being held in Singapore, January 6-10 2025.

Applications are now open for HDR students, Early Career Researchers and exceptional coursework students* to apply.

Closing date for applications to be sent to GRO is 2 August 2024. 

The GYSS is aimed mainly at scientists but some cross-disciplinary applications have been successful in the past. 

» read more

Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Workshop

The Research School of Physics Equity and Diversity Committee are excited to announce an enriching event! 

We are offering free Aboriginal Cultural Awareness workshop with Dave Widders, a proud Anaiwan man from Armidale NSW. Dave is driven by a passion to make a difference for Aboriginal people and towards a positive reconciliation across the wider community.

Date: Tuesday 30th July 2024
Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM 
Location: Physics Auditorium (B160, Research School of Physics, R3.56)

Space is limited, so please remember to register early.

Registration here

HIAF Open Day - 10 August

As part of the National Science Week, Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) will open its doors again this year on Saturday 10 August. Come along and bring your family and friends to taste a liquid nitrogen ice-cream, hear about a natural radioactivity and take part in other demonstrations, as well as get on a tour to hear about a unique facility which enables world-leading research for over 50 years!

Get a free ticket now to guarantee your place.

2024 AIP Einstein Lecture in National Science Week! | 13 Aug | Roundhouse, UNSW Kensington

From the celestial ballet of exploding supernovae to the cosmic whispers of gravitational waves, acclaimed astrophysicist Prof Tamara Davis’ journey through the cosmos promises to captivate and inspire.

Register here

Westpac Research Fellowship 2025 - EoI

Please be advised that the Westpac Research Fellowships for 2025 will soon be open for applications. The application period is from 4 July to 28 August 2024 5:00pm AEST. 

If you are interested in applying please let the Research Management office know as soon as possible. 

The Westpac Research Fellowship is an exciting opportunity for Early Career Researchers, providing a minimum of $400,000 of flexible funding over five years. For more information, please see Westpac Research Fellowship - ANU.  

» read more

Staff Movements

Andrew Stuchbery will be away 19/7/24 - 26/7/24
^{A/Prof Steve Tims will be Acting HoD in this period}

College Hot Desking In Physics

Finance, HR & RM Teams
Thursday Mornings
^{Lv2 Tearoom, Bldg 160}

EVENTS

Departmental seminars

Professor Rafael Nepomechie - 25 July
Preparing exact eigenstates on a quantum computer
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