School of Physics

Dr Tristram Alexander is a Professor in the School of Physics. He is trained as a theoretical physicist, completing his PhD under Professor Yuri Kivshar at the Nonlinear Physics Centre (ANU) in the area of nonlinear wave dynamics in optics and Bose-Einstein condensations. He currently works in the fields of nonlinear dynamics and complex systems.

Dr. Bailey obtained his PhD in Physics at the University of Southampton in 2019 as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in New and Sustainable Photovoltaics (CDT-PV). Following this, he became a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) as part of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, where he worked on electron spin resonance and magneto-optical characterisation of novel materials. He is now a Research Fellow at the School of Physics in the University of Sydney, and his main research interest lies in the characterisation of next-generation optoelectronic materials.

Dr. Stefania Barsanti is an astrophysicist specialising in galaxy evolution. She has published extensively on the impact of the local and large-scale cosmic environments on galaxy properties, using optical photometric, spectroscopic and spatially-resolved spectroscopic data. Her most significant discovery is the detection of preferential directions for the spin of galaxies in cosmic filaments according to the stellar mass in their central regions, revealing different galaxy formation pathways.

Since November 2024, she is a Messel Research Fellow (independent fellowship) at the University of Sydney, working at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy. Previously, she was an ASTRO 3D Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National University. She received her PhD from Macquarie University in June 2021. Before Australia, she studied physics, astronomy and cosmology in Italy.

Associate Professor John Bartholomew is developing technologies to create a quantum internet. Currently he is focusing on using crystals containing the rare-earth element erbium to integrate optical photons, microwave photons, and solid-state spins in a single quantum system.

John received his PhD in physics from the Australian National University in 2014 working with Associate Professor Matthew Sellars in the Solid State Spectroscopy Group. The focus of John's thesis was advancing the miniaturisation and scalability of rare-earth ion systems for quantum information science. In 2015 he took up a research position with the Crystal and Quantum State Dynamics Group (Chimie Paristech, France) to study the quantum optical properties of rare-earth ions in nanoparticles. The following year John received the American Australian Association Northrop Grumman Fellowship to join the Nanoscale and Quantum Optics Group at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Following three and a half years in Pasadena, John returned to Australia commencing as the Director of the Quantum Integration Laboratory in the second half of 2019.

Stephen Bartlett is an advocate and leader of the burgeoning quantum technology ecosystem, in Sydney and globally. A theoretical quantum physicist and Professor in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, he leads a team pursuing both fundamental and applied research in the design of quantum computers. 

Stephen is Director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute, the Director of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Future Leaders in Quantum Computing (FLiQC), and led the establishment of the national growth centre for quantum industry, Quantum Australia. He is the inaugural Lead Editor of the premier international research journal PRX Quantum.

He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Australian Institute of Physics, and the Royal Society of NSW.

Stephen completed his Ph.D. in mathematical physics at the University of Toronto in 2000. Moving to Australia, he directed his research to the theory of quantum computing, first as a Macquarie University Research Fellow and then as an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Since 2005, he has led a research program in theoretical quantum physics at University of Sydney, with interests spanning quantum computing, quantum measurement and control, quantum many-body systems, and the foundations of quantum theory.

Professor Tim Bedding was a student at this university, where he obtained a BSc (Hons) in physics and a PhD in astrophysics. He then took up a fellowship at the European Southern Observatory in Germany, where he first started working on stellar oscillations. He came back to this university as a lecturer in the School of Physics in 1995 and he has been here ever since. He was promoted to Professor in 2007. His main research interest is in stellar oscillations and how they can be used to learn about stars. He is also a passionate teacher and is a recipient of the University of Sydney's Excellence in Teaching Award. He was the Head of the School of Physics from mid-2012 until February 2018.

My research focuses on the development (design, construction, characterisation, and implementation) of cutting-edge compact optical instruments that harness the latest photonic technologies, originally for astronomical applications. More recently, I have been using techniques and methods I developed for astronomy to tackle a broader range of problems in academia and industry, specifically in remote earth observation and agriculture.

Prof. Michael J. Biercuk is a quantum physicist, innovator, and Director of the Quantum Control Laboratory at the University of Sydney. His group is working to develop a new generation of advanced technologies powered by the strangest phenomena in quantum physics - Quantum Tech.

As an expert in quantum physics and quantum technology Michael is also the founder and CEO of Q-CTRL, a quantum technology company. Q-CTRL is supported entirely by venture capital and operates from the campus of the University of Sydney.

Michael was educated in the United States, earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his Master's and Doctorate degrees from Harvard University.He held a research fellowship in the Ion Storage Group at NIST Boulder under the supervision of 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. David Wineland, and has served as a consultant to US Defence Agency DARPA, helping to steer government venture investments in advanced technology.

As an academic Michael is a regular contributor to both the technical literature and the popular press, driving public debate on issues pertaining to innovation, technology policy, and the role of science in society. He has spoken at TEDxSydney and appeared on ABC's Q&A, along with presenting numerous keynote addresses to major business and public sector audiences.

Dr Jueming Bing is a Postdoctoral Reseacher at the School of Physics, the University of Sydney. He was awarded PhD in Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering from University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2020 and awarded Bachelor of Engineering in renewable energy system from The Australian National University with First Class Honours in 2016. His research focuses on the development of new-generation thin film perovskite-based solar cells, with a particular emphasis on their stability, durability, encapsulation strategies and application for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

Key research areas:

Durable perovskite and perovskite-tandem solar cells

·      Elucidated different perovskite degradation mechanisms under light and heat for different types of perovskite absorbers and cell architectures using advanced chemical analyses including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Perovskite absorber material choice and cell architecture also determine degrees of synergistic degradations caused by heat and light combined. Antagonistic outgassing can occur due to competing photo-oxidation reactions. Results published in Energy and Environmental Science (Impact factor (IF) = 31.0).

·      Developed encapsulations for perovskite single junction and perovskite-Si tandem solar cells, passing three IEC61215 standard PV module tests (Damp-Heat, Thermal-Cycling, and Humidity-Freeze). Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells passing the Humidity Freeze test was the first time in the world. Result published in Joule (IF=35.4) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102314

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)

·        Developed a new metric for evaluating solar windows considering both electrical and luminous efficiency published in Joule (IF = 35.4) 10.1016/j.joule.2023.11.010

·        Wrote a critical review on perovskite solar cells for glazing with a revised theoretical efficiency limits of semi-transparent cells by introducing a new way of realizing transparency through bandgap engineering instead of thinning. Work published in Joule (IF = 35.4) with> 150 citations. 10.1016/j.joule.2022.06.003

Professor Celine Boehm is an Astroparticle physicist who worked in the UK (Oxford, Durham), France (CNRS), Switzerland (CERN), Canada (Perimeter institute) and Australia (USYD).She is known for her work across Cosmology/Particle Physics/AstroparticlePhysics.

Professor Boehmhas been the lead of the space mission consortium ESA/Theia (leading more than 200 researchers in the collaboration) and was also the Head of School of Physics at the University of Sydney. Her work on dark matter has motivated a plethora ofnew experiments e.g. NA64, SENSEI, DAMIC, FASER,and new searches such as XENON1T,BELLE, DAPHNE, KLOE, etc.

Professor Boehmwas the first to quantify the impact of dark matter interactions with the Standard Model particles on the CMB and large-scale-structure formation and also, with her collaborators, the first to perform N-body simulations of these scenariosto determine the number and properties of satellite companions of the milky Way. She further contributed to the first predictions of the CMB spectrum for the first relativistic extension of MOND (the so-called TeVeS theory). Her research topics are currently much broader and range from digital health to new technologies.

Professor Bryant received her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Sydney in 2001 with a thesis titled "The nuclear environment of radio galaxy hosts". She has since held research positions in the University of Sydney in areas of high redshift radio galaxies, galaxy evolution and astrophotonic developments for astronomical instrumentation.

She is Director of Astralis-USyd, one of 3 nodes of Australia's Astronomical Instrumentation Consortium (the other two nodes are at MQ andANU). Astralis-USyd develops photonic and fibre devices to improve astronomical instrumentation and builds instruments for the world's largest telescopes.

She is a CI of the ARC Centre of Excellence ASTRO-3D.

Bryant has led the team that developed new optical imaging fibre bundles (hexabundles) for the SAMI instrument on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). This new technology enabled the first large integral field spectroscopy survey of nearby galaxies (effectively galaxies in 3D).

She leads the Hector project (Hector Instrument team and Hector Galaxy Survey). Hector is a new integral-field instrument for the AAT, but bigger and better than SAMI. It is now carrying out a survey of 15,000 galaxies (from 2023-2028), with the benefit of a larger view of each galaxy and higher spectral resolution to reveal the complex physics and dynamics of galaxies.

Prof. Cairns received his PhD from the University of Sydney (Australia) in 1987. He worked at the University of Iowa (1986-1998) before taking up a prestigious 5-year Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Sydney, one of only 20 awarded over all research fields. In 2004 he was awarded a similarly competitive Australian Professorial Fellowship and in 2009 was appointed Professor in Space Physics (Teaching & Research) at U. Sydney.

Prof. Cairns has over 240 refereed papers published or in press in books and journals, a Hirsch index of over 28, given over 3 plenary and 75 invited papers at international conferences, and obtained over US$7 M in competitive funding (excluding spacecraft projects) from Australian and US funding agencies. He has great experience leading international and national scientific societies (e.g., AOGS, the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy [IAGA], and the Australian Institute of Physics's Solar Terrestrial and Space Physics [STSP] Group).

He is Australia's national representative to both the ICSU Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and IAGA. Nationally Prof. Cairns is the past Chair (2005-2011) of the Australian Academy of Science's National Committee for Space Science. As such he led the development of Australia's first Decadal Plan in space science, published by the Academy of Science in 2010. He also played a major role in the joint Academy's Strategic Plan for Earth Observation from Space, released in late 2009.

Prof. Cairns is a clear leader of Australia's space science community, writing submissions to multiple Government reviews and entities in the last several years which together with the Decadal and Strategic Plans have led to Australia's Government making space science a major priority and focus since May 2009. He has also led the development of a professional level annual Australian Space Science Conference from 2007.

I am a radio astronomer specialising in fast radio bursts and long period radio transients.  Leveraging next-generation facilities, including the Square Kilometre Array, I aim to develop fast radio bursts into precision probes of the Universe and further explore the extremes of neutron star physics.

Professor Scott Croom is an astrophysicist working within the Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA). He gained his PhD from Durham in 1998, and worked at Imperial College in London before moving to Australia to take up a position at the Anglo-Australian Observatory in 2000. Since 2006 he has been at the University of Sydney, including as a QEII Fellow and then Future Fellow. He was a Chief Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) and the Sydney node leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D).

I'm an OzGrav postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney. Within OzGrav, I work on ASKAP data, searching for exotic radio transients originating from compact objects. My role involves developing software to confidently identify these transients in the data stream and conducting multi-wavelength follow-up studies to interpret and understand them in detail. These sources provide insights into the physical properties and evolution of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, often found in binaries. Furthermore, I work on the electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave events with radio telescopes, aiming to detect both prompt radio bursts and the slowly evolving radio emission from high-energy ejecta produced during neutron star mergers.

I obtained my PhD in 2024 at the University of Amsterdam, with my thesis entitled 'Low-frequency Radio Transients: Systematic Search Methods and Characterization'. During my PhD, I learned to process and calibrate low-frequency radio data, developed a pipeline for automated transient detection in LOFAR data, and used optical instruments for follow-up studies of a LOFAR transient source. More importantly, I discovered how collaborative my field is, and I very much enjoyed working with researchers and instruments worldwide.

Martijn de Sterke received his M Eng. (Applied Physics) degree from the University of Delft (Netherlands) in 1982 and his PhD in Optics from the University of Rochester in 1987. After postdoctoral work at the University of Toronto (1988-1990), he took a faculty position at the University of Sydney, where he is now in Professor in Physics. He won the Pawsey Medal from the Australian Academy of Sciences in 1999, the Esther Hoffman Beller medal from Optics in 2017 and the Beatty Steel medal from the Australian and New Zealand Optica Society in 2024. He was Editor in Chief of Optics Express from 2007-2012.

I am a theoretical quantum physicist. I am deputy head of the School of Physics of the University of Sydney and the deputy director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Future Leaders in Quantum Computing.

When we look up at the night sky, we might wonder if any of the stars we see host life on the planets that orbit them. But what makes a good host?

A habitable planet shouldn't be too hot or too cold, and hopefully it has liquid water on it. The star the planet orbits is also important. If the star flares and shoots out big bursts of plasma, a planet orbiting that star might not be the best place to search for life. Astronomer Laura Driessen uses some of the biggest radio telescopes in the world, telescopes like ASKAP right here in Australia, to try and find those flaring stars. If we know which ones flare, we know where not to look for life. Most things a radio telescope sees in the sky are galaxies, Laura works on sorting out what's a star and what's not.

Laura completed her master's degree at the University of Amsterdam in 2017 and her PhD at the University of Manchester in 2021. She's now back home in Australia, working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sydney.

FAA, FTSE, FOSA, FIEEE, FSPIE, FAIP, FRSN

Benjamin Eggleton is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney, where he leads the University’s research operations division with responsibility for driving research income, operational excellence and regulatory compliance. His remit spans research strategy, funding and pipeline development, research performance, and key post-award functions including contract management, clinical trials, research integrity and ethics, foreign interference and national security. Through this role, he works closely with senior leadership to strengthen institutional capability, performance, impact and reputation.

Eggleton is Professor in the School of Physics, leading an experimental photonics group. As Chief Investigator, he has secured over $60M in competitive research funding. He is a founding Co-Director of the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN), leads the Jericho Smart Sensing Laboratory (JSSL) sponsored by the Royal Australian Air Force, and is a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS).

From 2018 to 2022, Eggleton served as Director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute. He previously founded and directed the ARC Centre of Excellence for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS) from 2003 to 2017, and the Institute of Photonics and Optical Science (IPOS) from 2009 to 2018. He is a recipient of multiple Australian Research Council Fellowships, including Laureate Fellow and two Federation Fellowships and numerous awards, including the Malcolm McIntosh, Pawsey Medal, Walter Boas Medal, Adolph Lomb Medal and ICO Prize.

Eggleton received his PhD in Physics from the University of Sydney before joining Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, in 1996 as a postdoctoral researcher. He later became Technical Manager of the Fiber Gratings Group, and subsequently Research Director for the Specialty Photonics Business Division and Director of Photonic Devices Research.

He has published over 540 journal articles, including in Nature Photonics, Nature Communications and Optica and has over 30,000 citations (h-index 90, WoS) and 50,000 citations (h-index 121, google scholar)

Eggleton is a Fellow of Optica, IEEE Photonics, SPIE, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), and the Australian Academy of Science (AAS). He has served the international optics community: as President of Australian Optical Society (2008–2010), IEEE Photonics Board of Governors (2015–2017), General Chair of CLEO (2019), Editor-in-Chief of Optics Communications (2007–2015), and Editor-in-Chief of APL Photonics (2015–2025).

Simon Fleming is a research leader in photonics, with over forty year's experience. His research has focussed mainly on optical fibre and has spanned all aspects, from materials and fabrication through to devices; and from discovery to applied. His research track record of over four hundred publications, twenty patents and numerous grants is complemented by extensive experience in working with industry and in the translation of research into commercial outcomes. He has supervised twenty research students.

He has substantial experience in leadership, management and governance, especially of research facilities, groups and collaborations, having been Director of the Optical Fibre Technology Centre for around a decade and CEO of the Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre for several years.He served as Deputy Head of Physics for five years, and for seven years as the Academic Director of the Research and Prototype Foundry, the University's micro- and nano-fabrication facility, also managing the University's participation in the NCRIS funded ANFF OptoFab and NSW nodes

He is a member of the Executive of the Institute of Photonics and Optical Science. He was a member of the Council of the Australian and New Zealand Optical Society for ten years and served as President for two years. He is a Senior Member of Optica, and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

I am an experimentalist in Astroparticle Physics and an expert in Dark Matter direct detection. I joined the University of Sydney as lecturer in October 2022. I received my DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2019 following my work on monitoring sensors and PMT studies for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter search. I continued my research on the LZ experiment as post-doctoral researcher at University College London (UCL), contributing to commissioning and first science exploitation of the detector. At Sydney I am working on current dark matter direct detection experiments, while also addressing challenges for next generation detectors. I am part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics.