Catherine Patricia Foley (born 10 November 1957) is an Australian

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

. She is the

Chief Scientist of Australia The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is part of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Its primary responsibilities are to enable growth and productivity for globally competitive industries. To help realise this vision, the Depart ...

(since January 2021), before which she had been the chief scientist for the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency responsible for scientific research. CSIRO works with leading organisations around the world. From its headquarters in Canberra, CSIRO ...

(CSIRO) since August 2018. Foley's research is in

solid-state physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

and its applications in

superconductivity Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material. Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor. Unlike ...

, combining material science,

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

, and research translation. In addition to her research science, she has also contributed significantly to the advancement of women in physics, and to professional scientific organisations. Foley and her group at CSIRO have performed pioneering work on

SQUID True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

systems for geomagnetic exploration of minerals, which were transitioned to industry and resulted in the discovery of mineral ores worth many billions of dollars. "Her team is responsible for the development and commercialisation of LANDTEM which has led to the discovery of over $6B of mines worldwide."

Education

Foley attended

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

for her undergraduate degrees, studying a Diploma of Education in high school physics (1979) and a Bachelor of Science majoring in physics (1980). She remained at Macquarie to do a PhD in physics (1984) investigating

indium nitride Indium nitride () is a narrow gap, small bandgap semiconductor material which has potential application in solar cells and high speed electronics. The bandgap of InN has now been established as ~0.7 eV depending on temperature (the obsolete value ...

, under the supervision of Trevor Tansley. She also spent six months on a scholarship as a research fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering, at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

, US, in Corvallis while writing up her PhD.

Career

CSIRO

Foley joined CSIRO in 1985 as a national

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

and was promoted to senior research scientist in 1991, principal research scientist in 1996, senior principal research scientist in 2000, and chief research scientist in 2008. Dr Foley was also previously the deputy director of CSIRO's manufacturing business unit, as well as chief of the Division of Materials Science and Engineering in 2011 CSIRO's Materials Science and Engineering division. Foley joined the editorial board of the physics journal ''

Superconductor Science and Technology ''Superconductor Science and Technology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on all aspects of superconductivity, including theories on superconductivity, the basic physics of superconductors, the relation of microstructure and ...

'' in 2003 and subsequently became its editor in chief.

Office of the Chief Scientist

On 1 January 2021, Foley replaced

Alan Finkel Alan Simon Finkel (born 17 January 1953) is an Australian neuroscientist, inventor, researcher, entrepreneur, educator, policy advisor, and philanthropist. He was Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2016 to 2020. Prior to his appointment, his c ...

. She has stated as priorities: development of a national Open Access strategy, supporting emerging technologies (including establishing of a working group for quantum technologies), strengthening the role of the National Science & Technology Council in advising Government, and increasing understanding of scientific capability across Australian public service.

Research

Foley made significant contributions for the comprehension of superconducting materials and to the evolution of devices that use superconductors to detect magnetic fields and locate deposits of minerals. At Macquarie University, Foley and Tansley authored a series of highly regarded papers on indium nitride semiconductor films. The work of Tansley and Dr Foley is considered central to the development of

semiconductor lasers The laser diode chip removed and placed on the eye of a needle for scale A laser diode (LD, also injection laser diode or ILD, or diode laser) is a semiconductor device similar to a light-emitting diode in which a diode pumped directly with e ...

in the blue-green region of the spectrum. Subsequently, her work at CSIRO lead to the development of high temperature superconducting

Josephson junctions In physics, the Josephson effect is a phenomenon that occurs when two superconductors are placed in proximity, with some barrier or restriction between them. It is an example of a macroscopic quantum phenomenon, where the effects of quantum mech ...

used in high-sensitivity magnetic field detectors used in applications such as underground deep mineral deposit detection.

Awards and accomplishments

Foley's awards include the 2015 Australian Academy of Science's

Clunies-Ross Award The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a Learned society, learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned acad ...

, 2013 Premier's Award for Woman of the Year, and in 2011 the AUSIMM MIOTA prize. Preceding this award, she was a fellow of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

in the UK, past president of the

Australian Institute of Physics The Australian Institute of Physics was established in 1963, when it replaced the Australian Branch of the British Institute of Physics based in London.

, and a fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

(ASTE). She has been president of Science and Technology Australia, where she represented 68,000 Australian scientists and technologists. Foley was awarded a public service medal on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...

in 2003 and in the same year won the

Eureka Prize The Eureka Prizes are awarded annually by the Australian Museum, Sydney, to recognise individuals and organizations who have contributed to science and the understanding of science in Australia. They were founded in 1990 following a suggestion ...

for the promotion of science. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee of Australia's Centre for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies. In May 2020 Foley was elected Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

and in the

2020 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works b ...

she was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) for "distinguished service to research science, to the advancement of women in physics, and to professional scientific organisations".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Cathy 1957 births Living people CSIRO people Chief Scientists of Australia Australian materials scientists Australian physicists Fellows of the Institute of Physics Macquarie University alumni Australian women scientists Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Presidents of the Australian Institute of Physics