ATSE elects its next President, 2025 Fellows

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has announced the election of Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FTSE FAA, former Australian Chief Scientist, as its next President.

ATSE is a non-profit organisation of the nation’s leading applied scientists, technologists and engineers. It provides independent expert advice to guide decision-makers, and delivers education and skills programs to build Australia’s future workforce.

ATSE Presidents are elected for three-year terms. Foley will take her position on 1 January 2026, following on from current President Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE FAICD.

“As Australia’s immediate former Chief Scientist, I saw firsthand how evidence-based advice helped policymakers to make meaningful change,” Foley said.

“This reinforced my belief that ATSE — and its exceptional Fellowship — is uniquely positioned to help bridge the gap between research and practice, and to help Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems.

“I look forward to working with ATSE’s Fellows, board and team to work across government, industry and the research sector to help build the prosperous, sustainable Australia we all envision — an Australia where our ability to apply the science helps us solve our most pressing challenges, like achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.”

Foley is an internationally recognised physicist with major research achievements in superconductors and sensors, which led to the development of the LANDTEM sensor system used to locate valuable deposits of minerals deep underground. She had a long career at CSIRO, including as the agency’s Chief Scientist, before serving as Australia’s ninth Chief Scientist from 2021 until 2024. She also received an Order of Australia in 2020 for service to research science and to the advancement of women in physics.

Woodthorpe said that ATSE and its board were thrilled to see Foley elected as President, following an extensive nomination and robust election process.

“Dr Foley will be a tremendous President and will help guide ATSE on the next stage of our journey, as we continue to advise the nation on leveraging innovation to advance Australia’s prosperity,” Woodthorpe said.

“Dr Foley has been a Fellow of ATSE for 17 years, and over that time she has contributed to our organisation in many ways, including as a former board member and regular speaker at many of our events.

“She will be an excellent asset to ATSE and this has been resoundingly endorsed by our Fellows who have elected her.”

Woodthorpe has also welcomed 35 leading innovators who have been elected as ATSE Fellows in 2025, following outstanding achievement in the fields of applied science and engineering. The new Fellows include, among others:

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg FTSE — the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag and the first woman Australian astronaut.
• Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska FTSE FAA — a global authority on airborne particles who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheaded efforts to bring evidence of airborne transmission to public health authorities worldwide and was subsequently recognised as one of Time magazine’s most influential people for 2021.
• Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh FTSE — a multidisciplinary engineer and entrepreneur known for significant contributions to transformative innovations like transparent conductive glass used in mobile phones, smart electronic windows for aircraft, and globally deployed hazardous gas sensors.
• Honorary Fellow: The Hon Peter Garrett AM FTSE — the lead singer of Midnight Oil, former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation and former Minister for the Environment who introduced Australia’s first e-waste recycling scheme and was instrumental in the campaign to end whaling in Antarctica.
   

Woodthorpe said the 2025 Fellows represented the breadth and depth of world-class Australian innovation.

“The 2025 Fellows are a diverse group of people from across the country and from a range of sectors — experts in medical physics, sustainable engineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and more,” she said.

“Our new Fellows are behind truly game-changing innovations — from augmented reality to green hydrogen production to the batteries of the future.

“We can’t wait to welcome this group of extraordinary Australians to the ATSE Fellowship.”

Image caption: Incoming ATSE President Dr Cathy Foley.