Professor Stuart Wyithe is the Director of the Research School for Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU. He was awarded his PhD from The University of Melbourne, and was a Hubble Fellow at Harvard University before returning to Melbourne in 2002 where he has held roles including an Australian Laureate Fellowship and Head of Physics. Stuart’s research focus is on the evolution of the earliest galaxies and how this evolution may be studied with the next generation of telescopes. He has received awards for this work, including the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year and the Australian Institute of Physics Boas Medal.  Stuart has previously held leadership roles including Chair of Astronomy Australia Ltd, Chair of the Australian National Committee for Astronomy and President of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

Prof. Bland-Hawthorn is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor of Physics and Director of the Sydney Institute for Astronomy in USyd’s School of Physics.

He joined the Australian Astronomical Observatory in 1993. He was awarded the prestigious Federation Fellowship with a tenured professorship in SIFA in 2007. He co-founded the Institute of Photonics and Optical Science and was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Optical Society of America.

He has won numerous awards and serves on several boards including Section H of the International Astronomical Union and the Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics (USA).

Professor Richard McDermid leads an active research group studying the stellar populations and dynamics of galaxies in order to understand how they have formed and evolved over the lifetime of the Universe. He and his group have pioneered the use of combining orbital dynamical models with the chemical and age information of stellar populations, allowing the assembly history of galaxies to be unveiled, and connections to our own Milky Way to be explored. He is Director of the Macquarie Research Centre of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics (MQAAAstro), and leader of the Macquarie Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D). He has been awarded ‘high citation’ status by Clarivate Web of Science for 2021 and 2022, and was recently recognised as the leading national research contributor for astronomy in The Australian’s Research Awards 2023.

Professor McDermid regularly serves on academic and observatory-related committees at the national and international level (e.g. the Australian Astronomy Limited Science Advisory Committee chair, the Magellan Observatory Science Advisory Committee), and chairing time allocation committees for Australian national and international facilities, including the ESO Observing Programmes Committee (OPC). He has also chaired the Macquarie Physics and Astronomy Department’s Diversity and Inclusion committee, and is a member of the Macquarie University Ally Network.

Steve is an inventor and entrepreneur with a thirty-year career in photonic innovations and start-ups. He founded Photonic Technologies (acquired by Nortel), Engana (acquired by Finisar) and then Cylite in 2013.

He is currently the CEO of Cylite, recipient of the 2020 Sir William Hudson Engineering Excellence prize for the development of Ophthalmic 3D Imaging employing Hyperparallel Optical Coherence Tomography. His other research interests include Hyperspectral microscopy and Holoscopy. He is a prolific inventor, with 43 granted US patents in Optics including the invention of the Dynamic Wavelength Processor, a telecom networking product that enabled flexible wavelength reconfiguration of the global optical internet and has generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

Steve was awarded the ATSE Clunies Ross Medal in 2013 in recognition of his success in the development and commercialisation of novel optical technologies. Steve Frisken has a PhD in theoretical physics and is also the recipient of the OSA Richardson Medal and the 2018 Australian Prime Ministers Innovation Prize.

Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO is an experienced Chair and Non-Executive Director serving for 20 years on the boards of a variety of organisations including listed entities, government boards and for-purpose organisations.

She has a strong track record in a broad range of innovation-dependent industries including healthcare, renewable energy and environmental and climate science.  She has been cited in various media as one of Australia’s most influential people in innovation.  Katherine has a BSc (1st Class Hons) from Manchester University and PhD in Chemistry, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (and President of their NSW Council), and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Technology Sydney.

She was cited in the Australian Financial Review as one of the 2013 “100 Women of Influence” and is a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering. In 2017 she was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia.

Caroline is currently the Manager of Astronomy Governance, within the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. In this role, Caroline is responsible for managing the department’s international engagement in optical and radio astronomy projects, including the Square Kilometre Array and European Southern Observatory.

Over a 17 year Australian Public Service career, Caroline has diverse experience in policy development and implementation and strategic support, with a range of Commonwealth, state and territory government departments, industry and international counterparts. Areas of work have included onshore and offshore resources, regulatory review, crisis management, digital and ICT executive support and customs and border protection international engagement.

Caroline has Bachelor degrees in Business and International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy and Finance from the University of Canberra.