The COMBS Summer Internship Program is now open! This is a six-week paid internship for Australian and New Zealand second or third year Undergraduate students in physics, engineering, science or other relevant disciplines.

• Students have the opportunity to work in the labs of our researchers for six weeks for AUD$750 per week
• The internship will end with a fully paid, two-day program for all the interns in Sydney at the end of the summer
• Applications close: Friday 22nd August 2025

Watch our video from our 2024/2025 interns here.

Article written by Gabrielle Green, UNSW.

At every stop on Prof Donna Strickland’s quantum tour around Australia, students lined up with questions, excitement, and selfie requests, eager to connect with her research and inspiring story.

Highlights in Queensland included a poster session – a collaboration between Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, and The University of Queensland, held at the impressive digital venue ‘The Cube’ at QUT. Congratulations to our winner Dr Luis Villegas Aguilar (Griffith) and runners-up Ashlee Caddell and Maarten Christenhusz (UQ). Thank you to our judging panel which included Prof Strickland, Prof Erik Streed (Griffith), A/Prof Dongchen Qi (QUT), Prof Andrew White (UQ), and A/Prof Jacquiline Romero (UQ).

Victorian university students attended a Q&A session, led by Prof Arnan Mitchell and hosted by RMIT University and ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS).

The Australian National University’s (ANU) early career researcher network NECTAR treated us to a guided discussion and questions, hosted by Dr Laura Dawes with Prof Rebekah Brown, Provost and Senior Vice-President, ANU, as MC.

We completed our tour with two days at University of Sydney’s Prof Harry Messel International Science School. Prof Strickland gave two lectures for students and alumni, including a Gala Dinner and discussion sessions for high school students to ask their best questions.

This tour was made possible by the support of our National Tour Partner, Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and the dedication of our organising partners in each state, the Australian Academy of Science, RMIT University, UNSW, ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS), ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC), and networking partner Quantum Australia.

The enthusiasm we’ve seen from everyone involved reminds us of the ongoing importance of creating opportunities that spark curiosity, foster connection, and celebrate physics in this International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Congratulations to the following members who have been recognised with AIP Awards for outstanding accomplishments in research.

Prof Yuerui Lu (The Australian National University) has been awarded the Walter Boas Medal for making remarkable contributions to the development of novel optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices based on two-dimensional quantum materials.

Dr Claudia Reyes (UNSW) has been awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics, recognising the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics or its applications by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled:  “Asteroseismology of Giant Stars”.

Dr Sam Scholten (The University of Melbourne) has been awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for Excellence in Physics, recognising the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics or its applications by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Development of Widefield Defect Microscopy with Electron Spins in Diamond and Hexagon Boron Nitride”.

Josh Green (The University of Western Australia) has been awarded the Thomas H Laby Medal, recognising the most outstanding Honours or Master’s thesis in physics by a student from an Australian University, for the thesis titled: “Efficient Quantum State Preparation”.

These awards will be presented at the AIP Summer Meeting in Wollongong in December.

Open until filled.

The second call for applications for the Enrico Fermi Fellowships (EFF), managed by the Center for SpaceTime and the Quantum (CSTQ), is now open!

• Application Deadline: October 19, 2025, at 23:59 Marseille (CET) time

• Start date: Flexible timing between end of April 2026 and January 2027

• Length: 1-2 years

• Amount: up to EUR 105,000 per year

• Purpose: Theory & Experiment Cross-Training in Fundamental Science

• Website: cstq.org/eff

About the Enrico Fermi Fellowships: The EFF program, managed by the Center for SpaceTime and the Quantum (CSTQ) and funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF), supports exceptional graduate students worldwide who are interested in fundamental scientific questions and eager to work across both theoretical and experimental approaches. Fellows receive competitive funding (up to EUR 105,000 per year) for 1-2 years, including salary support, travel allowances, and research funds for supervisors, along with mentoring and networking opportunities.

The AIP has been informed of the passing of Em/Prof Ronald Gardiner in June. Gardiner began his academic journey in the United Kingdom, where he excelled as a pilot in the University Air Squadron.

His career led him to The University of Queensland, as a senior lecturer in physics. Gardiner worked his way up to Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) at QUT, where he pioneered Peer Assisted Study Sessions and lead the Academic Staff Development Unit.

His long and distinguished service to higher education was acknowledged with Emeritus Professor Status by the QUT board in 1996, and Fellowship of the AIP.

Read more about Gardiner’s life on page 4 of the Inside QUT newspaper.

The Gardiner family have invited the AIP community to attend Ronald’s memorial service:
11 am Friday 11 July
QUT Garden Theatre, Brisbane.
Web link for service: https://qut.zoom.us/j/82259872596?pwd=PG6TDSCojsexQeVCMHbTCFcNi6chhg.1
Password: 331 718

AIP members toured ANSTO’s Low-Level Radiation labs in Sydney, where A/Prof Tony Hooker gave a presentation on low-dose radiation exposure.

Tony also talked about two of the quietest places on Earth: the 1 km deep Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) in Victoria, and Canada’s 2 km deep SNOLAB. These labs are so isolated that the smallest signals can be measured as scientists search for the secrets of dark matter, develop quantum technologies, and study life in extreme environments.

The ACT Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics is once again inviting photographers of all levels (and all branches across Australia) to participate in our photography competition celebrating the awe-inspiring beauty of physics.

Closing date is 30 September 2025. Details of how to enter are here.

Winners of the 2024 competition and descriptions of the physics behind each image are here.

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition is an educational astronomy competition open to students from around the world. In three rounds, students use their problem-solving skills and expand their knowledge through diverse astronomy and astrophysics problems. Since its launch in 2019, IAAC has reached over 28,000 students and involved 1,400 educators from more than 120 countries.

This year's prizes include telescopes signed by the astronaut Frank De Winne and Nobel Prize laureates François Englert, Michel Mayor, Gerard 't Hooft and Didier Queloz.

The submission deadline for this year's Qualification Round is Friday, 4 July 2025

More information

Abstract submission is open and registration will open 7 June.

The AIP has a stellar line up of plenary speakers for its Summer Meeting.

Distinguished Professor Chennupati Jagadish is the President of the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and was recently elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Prof Jagadish will speak on "Semiconductor Nanostructures for Optoelectronics Applications".

Professor Elizabeth Angstmann won the Universities Australia Award for University Teaching and the Australian Institute of Physics Education Medal. This year, she has an ACDS fellowship with the project “Beyond Grades: Embracing Competency-Based Assessment for Enhanced Learning”. Prof Angstmann will present on Physics Education.

View the full list of Plenary speakers here.

Join a conversation at the teachers’ breakfast on 4 December on how collaboration between schools, universities, and the broader physics community can support and sustain student engagement in physics.

The Panellists are:

Russ Taunton, STEM Project Officer, Corrimal HS & Lake Illawarra HS & Warrawong HS. A local teacher shares insights into curriculum delivery and student engagement.

A/Prof Helen Georgiou, School of Education, University of Wollongong. An academic discusses transition challenges and outreach successes.

Georgia Watson, Coordinator of The LIFT Project, iAccelerate, University of Wollongong. A representative highlights how industry supports physics education beyond the classroom.

Read more about the AIP Summer Meeting here.