CSIRO Board strengthened by new appointment

Professor Tanya Monro, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Research and Innovation of the University of South Australia, has been appointed to the CSIRO Board.

Announcing her five year appointment, the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said Professor Monro’s background as a highly regarded physicist and her experience in the higher education and research sectors will complement the expertise of the CSIRO Board.

“It is important that CSIRO, Australia’s premier science research organisation, has board members who offer the right combination of skills, knowledge and expertise. Professor Monro will bring a valuable mix of skills to the CSIRO Board with her broad knowledge of innovation” Mr Pyne said.

“Professor Monro is an experienced board member and chairperson whose membership on the Commonwealth Science Council and the South Australian Economic Development Board will be of great benefit to her role on the CSIRO Board,” said Mr Pyne.

Professor Monro also chairs the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research Group of the Australian Technology Network of Universities and the National Youth Science Forum Council.

“Innovation is central to the Government’s economic agenda and Australia’s future prosperity” Mr Pyne said.

"Collaborative initiatives with the university sector and industry helps CSIRO make the most effective contribution to the Australian innovation system. Professor Monro will bring a strong understanding of the value of these collaborations to the board."

“I congratulate Professor Monro on her appointment and I look forward to working with the board as CSIRO maintains and expands its place as Australia’s pre-eminent research organisation."

Professor Monro’s appointment to the CSIRO Board commenced on 25 February 2016. Professor Monro’s biography is attached.

For further information, visit www.csiro.au.

PROFESSOR TANYA MONRO

Professor Monro is an Australian physicist known for her work in photonics, the science and technology of the photon, the fundamental particle of light. Advances in photonics have led to the invention of the laser, the birth of modern telecommunications and is now driving the development of technologies for health, the environment and defence.

Professor Monro is currently the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Research and Innovation, University of South Australia; and an ARC Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellow.

Professor Monro became the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at the University of South Australia in November 2014. Formerly she was the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Nanoscale BioPhotonics and of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at the University of Adelaide. From 2005 to 2014 she was a Professor of Physics and the inaugural Chair of Photonics at the University of Adelaide. In 2005 she also commenced as the Director of the DSTO Centre of Expertise in Photonics. From 1998 to 2005 Professor Monro worked within the Optoelectronics Research Centre in the United Kingdom.

Professor Monro is the author of more than 500 journal and research articles. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering and the Australian Institute of Physics.

Professor Monro’s considerable board experience includes chairing the Australian Technology Network of Universities, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research Group and the National Youth Science Forum Council, and is Vice President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. She regularly serves on a range of committees for the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Research Council and other key national bodies in the area of science policy and the evaluation of science. In addition, she serves on the Commonwealth Science Council and on the South Australian Economic Development Board.

Professor Monro holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours 1st class) in Physics and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), both from the University of Sydney. She was awarded the Bragg Gold Medal for the best Physics PhD in Australia. Other awards she received include the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research (2015) the Beattie Steel Medal of the Australian Optical Society (2014) and the Australian Academy of Sciences’ Pawsey Medal (2012).