Organising Committee

Anton Stampfl is an experimental solid state physicist working in the field of neutron, electron, and photon-based instrumentation and measurement over the last forty plus years and all over the world from Australia, Europe, the USA, and Asia.  He is a humanist and internationalist who believes that the empowerment of the Global Majority will lead to the next revolution of humanity and civilization. He advocates scientific and technological cooperation and dissemination through all channels, in particular with the intent of truly benefiting the majority on this Earth. Concepts of use and exchange value, of spatial and temporal locality, and the democracy of agency are central ideas to achieve true equity for the Global Majority and the world as a whole. Anton is honoured to be the Chair of IVC-23. It is the first time in the Congresses’ sixty-plus year history  that the meeting has been hosted in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. 

Prof. Kirrily Rule is a Principal Instrument Scientist at ANSTO, co-responsible for operating the two triple axis spectrometers, Taipan and Sika at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering. Kirrily is also an honorary Professor at the University of Wollongong where she is currently supervising 3 PhD students.  Since 2019 Kirrily has also been involved in the ARC centre of excellence, FLEET (Future Low Energy Electronic Technologies) as a Partner Investigator and is currently sitting on the executive committee of FLEET as Communications Team Leader.

Kirrily’s scientific research focuses on understanding dynamics in materials using many of the instruments within the inelastic neutron scattering suite at ANSTO. She has a diverse physics background with research in areas such as condensed matter physics, surface physics and thin films, solid-state physics, and medical physics. This has led to high impact publications in the field of low dimensional quantum magnetism and more recently, in the field of functional materials which includes thermoelectric materials, solar-cells, and magnetic topological insulators.

Jennifer MacLeod is a Professor of Physics and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia. She is a surface scientist, with a focus on the synthesis and study of low-dimensional materials, in particular through the use of high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy. Jennifer is interested in pedagogy and improving diversity and inclusion across the sciences. She is co-chair of the IUVSTA Communications Committee.

Karyn is a senior research engineer at Swinburne University of Technology, managing their Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-Vic) Biointerface Engineering Hub. She has nearly 15 years’ experience working with vacuum equipment, both for thin film deposition and surface characterisation, previously working at the University of South Australia and ANSTO. She has considerable experience in maintaining vacuum and surface analysis instruments and the process development of thin films deposition under vacuum. Karyn has been on the organising committee of several other vacuum conferences, such as VASSCAA and the Biomaterial Interfaces division of AVS.

Dr. Golrokh (Gol) Akhgar is a Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), specializing in condensed matter physics and quantum transport. Her expertise includes thin film growth, device fabrication, and quantum sensors, with a strong focus on topological materials, magnetic topological insulators, and high-temperature superconductors. Her research spans quantum transport in 2D materials to the development of novel quantum devices, with applications in next-generation electronics and sensing technologies.

Golrokh completed her PhD at La Trobe University in 2019 before taking on postdoctoral research roles at Monash University, where she was also appointed as a Lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She is dedicated to advancing experimental condensed matter physics through cutting-edge research and collaborations with industry and government. Her work contributes to the development of innovative quantum technologies, bridging the gap between fundamental science and real-world applications.

Dr Shruti Nirantar is a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow at RMIT University. She is an electronic engineer, a scientist, and a lecturer. Dr Nirantar received her PhD from RMIT University in 2020. Her work focuses on fabrication and characterisation of micro and nanoscale vacuum electronic devices to unleash new fundamentals in integrated circuits, RF/Microwaves, space electronics, and quantum photonics systems. Dr Nirantar has received multiple prestigious awards including 2018 Most Innovative Engineer of Australia, listing by Engineers Australia, 2019 Young Scientist Awards by Royal Society of Victoria, Australia, and 2022 Fulbright Scholar