Cathy Foley

Cathy Foley (born 10 October 1957)[1] is chief of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)’s Materials Science and Engineering division, and is responsible for around 900 people and a budget of more than $60 million.[2] Her research expertise covers solid state physics, such as semiconductors, magnetics, superconductivity and nanotechnology."[3]

Foley and her group at CSIRO performed pioneering work on SQUID systems for geomagnetic exploration of minerals, which were transitioned to industry and resulted in the discovery of mineral ores worth many billions of dollars.[4] "Her team is responsible for the development and commercialization of LANDTEM which has led to the discovery of over $6B of mines worldwide."[5]

Education

Foley got a diploma in education, High School Physics, at Macquarie University in 1979. A BSc (Hons 1), majoring in Physics from Macquarie University in 1980 and PhD in Physics, Macquarie University, 1984. She spent six months on a scholarship as a Research Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering, at Oregon State University, USA in Corvallis while writing up her PhD."[6]

Research on indium nitride

At Macquarie University, Foley and T. L. Tansley authored a series of highly regarded papers on indium nitride semiconductor films.[7][8][9][10] The work of Tansley and Foley is considered central to the development of semiconductor lasers in the blue-green region of the spectrum.

Awards and accomplishments

Most recently, her awards include the 2013 Premier's Award for Woman of the Year, and in 2011 she won the AUSIMM MIOTA prize.[11] Preceding this award, she was a fellow of the Institute of Physics in the UK, past president of the Australian Institute of Physics, and a fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ASTE).[12] Adding to the list of her achievements, she is the immediate past president of Science and Technology Australia, where she represented 68,000 Australian scientists and technologists.[13] Due to all of her accomplishments, she was awarded a public service medal on Australia Day in 2003 and in the same year won the Eureka Prize for the promotion of science.[14]

Personal life

Foley has helped raise six kids including three step children.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ http://www.women.nsw.gov.au/women_of_the_year_awards/2013_women_of_the_year_awards
  3. ↑ http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/CMSE/CathyFoley.aspx
  4. ↑ http://snf.ieeecsc.org/pages/abc-science-news-article-cathy-foley-csiro
  5. ↑ https://www.questacon.edu.au/business/staff-management-and-council/bio-dr-cathy-foley
  6. ↑ http://www.csiropedia.csiro.au/display/CSIROpedia/Foley,+Catherine+Patricia
  7. ↑ T. L. Tansley and C. P. Foley, Optical band gap of indium nitride, J. Appl. Phys. 59, 3241 (1986).
  8. ↑ T. L. Tansley and C. P. Foley, Electron mobility in indium nitride, Electron. Lett. 20, 1066 - 1068 (1984).
  9. ↑ C. P. Foley and T. L. Tansley, Pseudopotential band structure of indium nitride, Phys. Rev. B. 33, 1430 (1986).
  10. ↑ T. L. Tansley and C. P. Foley, Infrared absorption in indium nitride, J. Appl. Phys. 60, 2092 (1986).
  11. ↑ http://www.women.nsw.gov.au/women_of_the_year_awards/2013_women_of_the_year_awards
  12. ↑ https://www.questacon.edu.au/business/staff-management-and-council/bio-dr-cathy-foley
  13. ↑ https://www.questacon.edu.au/business/staff-management-and-council/bio-dr-cathy-foley
  14. ↑ https://www.questacon.edu.au/business/staff-management-and-council/bio-dr-cathy-foley
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