Dr Cathy Foley leads CSIRO’s work in materials physics, instrumentation and engineering.
Current activities
Dr Cathy Foley is a Research Program Leader with CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering Division.
The program Dr Foley manages, Devices, Engineering and Systems, covers the scientific disciplines of:
Dr Foley's own research covers solid state physics such as:
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semiconductors
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magnetics
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superconductivity
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nanotechnology.
Dr Foley is also very active in the promotion of science, including being:
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recently elected President of the Australian Institute of Physics (the first woman to hold the position)
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on the board of the United Kingdom's Institute of Physics' journal Superconductor Science and Technology
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President of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS).
Background
Dr Foley joined CSIRO in 1985 to work on amorphous metals and magnetics.
Highlights of her career include moving to CSIRO's high temperature superconductivity group in 1988, and becoming its leader in 1995.
Dr Foley also instigated CSIRO’s presence in quantum engineering in 2001.
She has had a wide-ranging career and her work in nitride semiconductors is often cited.
Dr Foley established platform science for high temperature superconducting (HTS) step edge Josephson junctions in yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) on magnesium oxide.
She was instrumental in developing fabrication technology which is the basis of CSIRO’s successful HTS devices used in applications such as the LANDTEM™ mineral exploration system.
Her team’s rotating gradiometer system has been applied to:
Dr Foley has attracted significant industry funding to these system including a A$3 million grant from Australia’s Department of Defence and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation to apply to magnetic anomaly detection research.
Dr Foley is President Elect (from November 2009) of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS).
Academic qualifications
Dr Foley has been awarded a:
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Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Physics from Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1980
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Diploma of Education also from Macquarie University
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Doctorate also from Macquarie University in 1985.
Her doctoral thesis was on the physics and materials science of semi-conducting thin films.
Achievements
Dr Foley and her team have been recognised within CSIRO, winning Divisional awards in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2008.
Dr Foley herself has been awarded:
- 2009 both the NSW and the national Nokia Business Innovation Award in the Telstra Women's Business Awards
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2007/2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 'Distinguished Lecturer', awarded by the IEEE Council of Superconductivity
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2007 Macquarie University Alumni Award for Distinguished Service
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a Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours for service to physics and promotion of science and women in science, 2003
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the Eureka Prize for the Promotion of Science, 2003.
Since 2000, Dr Foley has been plenary speaker, invited or keynote speaker, at many national and international conferences and symposia.
She was Chair of the International Superconducting Electronics Conference in 2003 and Publication Chair of the Applied Superconductivity Conference in 2004.
Dr Foley has also been:
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President of the Australian Institute of Physics, 2007-09
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Vice President of the Australian Institute of Physics, 2004-06
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guest editor of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers publication Transactions in Applied Superconductivity, June 2005
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elected fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics, 2004
- National Treasurer of the Australian Institute of Physics, 2001-04
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elected to the Board of the International Applied Superconductivity Conference, 2000
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elected Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics, 2000.
In addition to being on the board of the UK Institute of Physics' journal Superconductor Science and Technology, Dr Foley was guest editor of the November 2003 special edition of that journal.
Dr Foley is also President Elect (from November 2009) of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS).
FASTS represents 60 professional scientific and technological societies, promoting their views on a range of policy issues to Government, industry and the community.
Learn more about CSIRO's Superconducting devices and systems.
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