From the President - Professor Nikki Stanford B.Eng(Hons) Ph.D. CMatP

Welcome to the April 2024 edition of Materials Australia.

This is my first message as the President of Materials Australia, and I am very honoured to be joining our fantastic team.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to the immediate past President, Dr Roger Lumley for providing mentorship throughout my years as Vice President, and giving me a very gentle landing as the new President.

Appointment of a New Vice President

I’d also like to announce that we have just confirmed that Professor Gwénaëlle Proust will be our new Vice President.

Gwen completed her PhD at Drexel University in the USA, before undertaking a post-doctoral project at Los Alamos National Laboratory. While working with Professor Carlos Tomé, Gwen became an expert in the plasticity of hexagonal metals, and is world-renowned for her work on deformation twins.

Gwen came to Australia in 2008 to join the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney. After many successful years as an academic, Gwen was recently appointed to a new role at Sydney University; she is now the Academic Director of the Sydney Manufacturing Hub.

Gwen has been a member of the organising committee for many of our conferences over the years, and cohosted APICAM in Sydney last July.

We are very excited to have her on the Materials Australia Executive Committee, and wish her every success as our new Vice President.

Appointment of a New Treasurer

We also have a new Treasurer, Leon Prentice.

Leon is the Chief Research and Development Officer at SDI Limited. In this role, he leads a team of engineers and scientists to deliver cutting-edge medical devices and technologies that improve health outcomes and quality of life for millions of people.

He has over 15 years of experience in materials-based research and development, process engineering, and biomaterials. Leon has contributed to multiple patents, publications, and awards in the field of metallurgy and materials science.

Leon was at CSIRO for many years, and brings his years of experience and extensive scientific network to the Executive Committee of Materials Australia.

He has wasted no time throwing himself head-first into the inner workings of our finances and admin, and appears to be enjoying his important role very much!

Calendar of Events

We have a huge calendar of events in motion for the coming months and years. Preparations for CAMS 2024 are in full swing. This year will be the first year that CAMS has left the eastern seaboard, and is heading to Adelaide for the first time. The CAMS 2024 website is up and running, and calls for abstracts are now open. You can access it via: www.cams2024.com.au

Finally, I would like to thank the army of volunteers that keep Materials Australia running. Our individual branches in each of the states run fantastic local events for our members, and keep us connected to each other and to developments in the world of Materials. And to the National Executive Council, my sincere thanks for your support.