Dear {Contact_First_Name},
Over 16-17 February, the AIP held its annual council meeting, which saw branch chairs, topical group chairs, cognate societies and the executive meet at UNSW to discuss and report on the year behind us and set a direction for the year ahead.
This meeting included the AGM, which was held in hybrid format, and elected the office bearers for 2026. - President: Stuart Midgley
- Vice President: Susan Coppersmith
- Honorary Treasurer: Dongchen Qi
- Honorary Registrar: Stephen Collins
- Honorary Secretary: Michael Schmidt
- Immediate past president: Nicole Bell
- Awards Officer: Muhammad Usman
I would like to thank two members of the exec who are standing down, Prof. Stephan Rachel and Prof. Michael Schmidt, for their service and support of the AIP. I call on any members who wish to nominate for the Honorary Secretary role to contact me as soon as possible. We are also seeking nominations for the DEGAP Committee Chair and other topical group roles. Please get in contact if you are interested.
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It was announced at the council meeting that the AIP Policy Committee will be rebooted, with the AIP taking a more active role in policy affecting the Australian physics community. The council also agreed to undertake an accreditation of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. It is fantastic to support our neighbours, and I look forward to the outcome.
The 2026 Congress Organising Committee Chair, Prof. John Bartholomew, provided the council with an excellent update and led a tour of the University of Sydney hosting facility - it looks FANTASTIC. I look forward to seeing everyone in December!
Early February saw the Asia-Pacific Condensed Matter conference join forces with the AIP Annual Condensed Matter & Materials Meeting (Wagga2026) held in Wagga, with around 110 delegates, including trade exhibitors from 12 countries participating. The program included 70 talks, 30 posters and a number of other activities. Thanks to the organising committee for a great event.
The Nuclear and Particle Physics Summer School ran in mid January and saw over 50 postgraduate students attend a full week of lectures, workshops and an immersive day at ANSTO to see Australia’s world-class nuclear technology.
The 2026 AIP Awards nominations are now open and close on 1 April. This year we have the Walter Boas Medal, Harrie Massey Medal and Prize, Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry, Ruby Payne-Scott Award for Excellence in Early-Career Research, Bragg Gold Medal, TH Laby Medal, AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia, Women in Leadership Medal, AIP Women in Physics Lecturer, Physics Communication Award and AIP Education Medal to be awarded. For more information, please see the awards webpage.
Additionally, I draw your attention to several important opportunities, including the David Syme Research Prize, IUPAP prizes and medals, and the Australian Academy of Science Pawsey Medal. I also congratulate Emma Paterson, the recipient of the 2026 CSIRO Alumni Scholarship in Physics, whose work on advanced superconducting resonators exemplifies the next generation of quantum and dark matter research.
It is also encouraging to see Australian physicists recognised globally, with five named in the international Quantum 100. Their achievements underline Australia’s growing influence across quantum research, innovation and commercialisation.
It has been a busy start to 2026, and it is shaping up to be a fantastic year.
Stu Midgley
President, Australian Institute of Physics
president@aip.org.au |
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2026 AIP Awards - nominations close 1 April Nominations are open for the 2026 AIP Awards, celebrating excellence across research, leadership, education, communication and service to physics in Australia. Senior Research Awards
- Walter Boas Medal
- Harrie Massey Medal and Prize (biennial)
- Alan Walsh Medal for Service to Industry (biennial)
Early Career & Student Awards - Ruby Payne-Scott Award for Excellence in Early-Career Research
- Bragg Gold Medal
- TH Laby Medal
Service, Leadership, Communication & Education Awards - AIP Award for Outstanding Service to Physics in Australia
- Women in Leadership Medal (biennial)
- AIP Women in Physics Lecturer
- Physics Communication Award (biennial)
- AIP Education Medal (biennial)
Help recognise the researchers, educators, communicators and leaders shaping Australia’s physics community. Nominations close 1 April 2026 and must be submitted online. |
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Physics Awards & Prizes2025 David Syme Research Prize
Nominations are invited for the 2025 David Syme Research Prize. The prize recognises the best original research in Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Geology produced in Australia during the past two years (1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025). Managed by the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne. Find out more. IUPAP prizes and medals Nominations are open for the following awards by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics: - 2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Computational Physics
- 2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
- 2026 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in the field of Symbols, Units, Nomenclature, Atomic Masses and Fundamental Constants
- ICPE Medal – C14 for contributions to physics education should have extended over a considerable number of years
- Sunamco Medal – C2 to recognise senior persons or laboratories for outstanding contributions in physics
- 2027 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Mathematical Physics
Find out more at IUPAP Calls for Nominations. Australian Academy of Science Pawsey Medal The Pawsey Medal recognises outstanding contributions to research in physics. Its purpose is to recognise outstanding research in physics by scientists up to 10 years post-PhD in the calendar year of nomination. Nominations close 1 May 2026. Other physical science medals include the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture for women in science and the Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal for outstanding contributions to research by a scientist in Australia for research in mathematics or physics. Find out more. |
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Summer Meeting wrap up
The 48th Annual Condensed Matter and Materials Conference, held jointly with the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Condensed Matter Physics, brought 110 delegates to Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga (9–13 February).
With 70 talks, five plenaries and 30 posters, the program spanned superconductivity, magnetism, 2D and nano-materials, devices and spectroscopy.
International researchers from 12 countries joined Australian scientists from across the nation, alongside strong early-career participation supported by ARC and Academy initiatives.
A detailed report will appear in Australian Physics and the DCMP Newsletter. Read more. |
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Image: Dr Lachlan Rogers speaking to a sell-out crowd during National Science Week 2025 (Newcastle, NSW).
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Australians named in the Quantum 100
New ARC Centres of Excellence are being established, underpinned by physics. These new centres will strengthen Australia’s leadership in research, capability and innovation.
Five Australians have been recognised in the global Quantum 100, celebrating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025
Congratulations to Professor Jacquiline Romero, Dr Lachlan Rogers, Dr Kerstin Beer, Professor Michael Biercuk and Professor Andrew Dzurak for their outstanding contributions across research, innovation, education and commercialisation.
Their recognition highlights Australia’s growing impact in the global quantum ecosystem. Read more about the Quantum 100. |
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Did you renew your AIP Membership?
AIP membership renewals were due on 1 Jan, but it’s not too late to renew your membership to continue receiving the benefits of a financial AIP member!
Financial members of the AIP have access to numerous benefits including financial support for students, our quarterly magazine Australian Physics, and discounts to AIP events. If you do not renew your membership by 31 March, your membership will become unfinancial, as per the constitution. |
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Australian Physics Magazine
The editorial team is keen to receive submissions of technical articles from those that attended the ECR summer meeting, or from PhD students and ECRs keen to update the physics community on their current work. We're also looking for an additional editor to join our team. If you are interested in article submissions or joining our editorial team, please contact us at editors@aip.org.au.
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From particle physics to cancer genomics #PhysicsGotMeHere
Nadia Davidson leads a bioinformatics research group at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, analysing genomic sequencing data to better understand cancer and disease progression. Originally trained in high-energy particle physics, with a PhD from the University of Melbourne and a track record in research at CERN’s ATLAS experiment, Nadia now applies physics-driven data analysis and computational expertise to uncover patterns in complex biological systems. Her journey highlights how the analytical skills developed in physics can open unexpected pathways, including at the forefront of medical research.
Read Nadia’s journey, which is also featured in the latest edition of Australian Physics Magazine. If you would like to be featured, or nominate a colleague for an upcoming #PhysicsGotMeHere profile, please contact our newsletter editors. |
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News and opportunities
The AIP’s Marie Curie Lecture Tour is expanding digitally in 2026, breaking barriers to reach audiences nationwide, thanks to a National Science Week grant. Meet astrophysicist Dr Karelle Siellez, a leading expert in explosive cosmic events that forge the Universe’s gold. Livestreamed and recorded events will connect students and communities in regional and remote Australia with inspiring physics and world-class science communication. Read the announcement.
The 2026 CSIRO Alumni Scholarship in Physics has been awarded to Emma Paterson for her project, “The Twisted Anyon Cavity Resonator as a Potential Dark Matter Detector and Sensing Device”, which aims to develop high-Q twisted superconducting resonators for the detection of ultra-light dark matter. Read more.
Members are invited to support an open letter to UK ministers and funding bodies calling for reconsideration of anticipated funding cuts to particle physics, astrophysics and nuclear physics. View and sign the open letter.
Become a STEMpal. Inspire the next generation by connecting with Year 5–6 students through a simple pen pal exchange each term. Share your STEM journey and help spark curiosity, confidence and possibility. Get involved.
Access 300+ free, browser-based 3D physics simulations designed for undergraduate teaching. Created by Thomas Nguyen, this open-access resource requires no login or installation. Ideal for lectures, labs, tutorials and independent study. Explore the platform and enhance conceptual understanding today. Explore 3JCN Physics Simulations.
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Physics in the news
The Unseen Engine explores how sustained, bipartisan Federal investment in research and infrastructure, including support through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), has positioned Australia as a global leader in quantum science, transforming foundational theory into sovereign commercial capability. Read more.
$12.7 million to support life-changing quantum technology projects under the Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP).
Latest research from ANUs Department of Quantum Sciences and Technology, Quantum Information Group defining the quality of quantum measurements: how do you calibrate a quantum ruler?
The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) is taking a $20 million equity stake in Diraq, a Sydney-based quantum technology startup.
Dr Michaela Froehlich looks for radioactive isotopes in coral, seawater or deer antlers, and the weird and wonderful things that you can test at the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility. Megavolts Episode 15 from Physics and ANU.
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Thank you to our supporters
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Our mailing address is: Australian Institute of Physics, PO Box 73, Parkville 3052, VIC Australia. Thank you for supporting the AIP. If you have retired, or require financial assistance, please contact, aip@aip.org.au. Sent by Science in Public, on behalf of the Australian Institute of Physics, aip.org.au. Send enquiries and contributions by the 20th of each month to physics@scienceinpublic.com.au. |
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