GOVERNANCE AND BOARD
Three levels of organisation make up Science & Technology Australia:
- The federation
- The board
- The executive
The federation
The federation meets at least once a year, usually in November in Canberra. All members are entitled to vote at the Federation’s general meetings, and these meetings are the only mechanism to change the constitution.
The board
The board has a general overall responsibility for the functions of Science & Technology Australia. It’s made up of the executive and 12 ‘cluster’ representatives, and meets three times a year.
Ten clusters are organised along broad ‘disciplinary’ lines with two clusters covering organisations who are not primarily disciplinary-based, ie general members.
Many distinguished scientists have served on the board, including:
- Australia’s 1996 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Physiology,
- Peter Doherty, former President of the Australian Academy of Science,
- David Curtis, former Queensland Chief Scientist and Director of AIMS,
- Dr Joe Baker, former Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies,
- Professor Sue Serjeantson, and
- distinguished water scientist, the late Professor Peter Cullen.
The executive
The executive is responsible for the ordinary operations of the organisation. It meets monthly, with informal consultations in between.
It consists of eight members, the Chief Executive Officer and seven elected members. To ensure a steady turnover of executive members, four positions are elected each year:
| Even years President-elect (1 year term) who assumes the Presidency in the odd year (for 2 years) Secretary (2 year term) Chair, Policy Committee (2 year term) Early Career Scientist (1 year term) |
Odd years Vice President (2 year term) Treasurer (2 year term) Ordinary Member (1 year term) Early Career Scientist (1 year term) |
Current Board
| Cluster Representatives | |
| Agricultural and Food Sciences | Geoff Thomas Thomas Project Services Blackwood, South Australia T: 08 8178 0886 gtps@bigpond.net.au |
| Aquatic Science | Professor Ross Thompson Institute for Applied Ecology University of Canberra ACT 2601 Australia T: 02 6201 5041 Ross.Thompson@canberra.edu.au |
| Biological Science | Vacancy |
| Chemical Sciences | Prof Dave Winkler Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering T: (03) 9545 2477 Dave.Winkler@csiro.au |
| Geographical Sciences | Dr Patrick Moss School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Management University of Queensland T: (07) 3365 6418 patrick.moss@uq.edu.au |
| Mathematical Science | Professor Merrilyn Goos School of Education University of Queensland 4072 Australia T: (07) 3365 6395 m.goos@uq.edu.au |
| Medical and Cognitive Science | Vacancy |
| Physical Science | Dr Robert Robinson Bragg Institute Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation T: (02) 9717 9204 Robert.robinson@ansto.gov.au |
| Plants and Ecological Science | Professor Barry Pogson ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology Australian National University T: (02) 6125 5629 bary.pogson@anu.edu.au |
| Technology Sciences | Dr Penny Martens Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia 2052 p.martens@unsw.edu.au |
| General Representative | Dr Ineka Whiteman Medical and Scientific Relations (MSR) Associate NSW/ACT Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd West Ryde NSW 2114 T: (02) 9813 4504 Ineka.whiteman@pfizer.com |
| General Representative | Professor Russell Crawford Dean, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences Swinburne University of Technology Hawthorn Vic 3122 T: (03) 9214 8573 rcrawford@groupwise.swin.edu.au |
Executive
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Past Presidents
| Fred Smith (1985-87), then Professor of Physics, Monash University and a former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) La Trobe University. |
| Frank Larkins (1987-89), then Professor of Chemistry, University of Tasmania, and also a former Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) University of Melbourne. |
| Tony Wicken (1989-1991), then Professor of Microbiology, UNSW, formerly Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) UNSW. |
| Ditta Bartels (1991-93), then Counsellor for Science and Technology, Australian Embassy, Bonn, currently Director of biotechnology firm. |
| Graham Johnston (1993-1995), then and currently, Professor of Pharmacology, University of Sydney. |
| Joe Baker (1995-1997), former ACT Commissioner for the Environment; Director of AIMS and Chief Scientist, Queensland. |
| Peter Cullen (1997-1999; March-November 2001), then Director, Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Canberra; Wentworth Group of Scientists. Sadly Peter died in March 2008. |
| Sue Serjeantson (1999-March 2001), then Deputy Vice Chancellor – Australian National University, Sue retired from position as Executive Secretary Australian Academy of Science in 2008. |
| Chris Fell (2001-2003), former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of New South Wales. |
| Snow Barlow (2003-2005), Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture, University of Melbourne. |
| Tom Spurling (2005 – 2007), former CEO of the CRC for Wood Innovations; Professor, Swinburne University of Technology and member of the CSIRO Board. |
| Ken Baldwin (2007-2009), Deputy Director, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Professor, Australian National University. |
| Cathy Foley (2009-2011), Chief, Materials Science and Engineering Division CSIRO |
