Exciton Science in 2021

One of the most inspiring aspects of being in a science centre and part of a research team has been watching how we’ve handled the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been incredibly rewarding to see people pull together and work through the challenges collectively.

As a result, despite the adverse conditions, the overall outcomes from 2021 have been incredibly positive. This annual report shows that we have weathered the storm and we will emerge in 2022 even stronger.

Inside the electronic origami of this report, you will find some heart-warming stories about our Centre. We have built some new industry links and graduated a bunch of very talented scientists, engineers, and inquisitive researchers. There have been breakthroughs in the lab but above all a great esprit de corps, which has kept the Centre moving through lockdown after lockdown.

Obviously, many aspects of our research programs have been impacted, especially our outreach to the community and government, as well as our numerous international collaborations. Online seminars have mitigated this a little and helped us to maintain contact with overseas researchers, but we look forward to face-to-face meetings resuming with more regularity in 2022.

Overall, we continued to publish world-class research and we are starting to set the pace in some of our Research Platforms. Through our mentoring programs, internal seminars and online events, fabulous communications work and the endeavours of our hard-working professional team, we have kept things moving.

I’d like to thank our Centre Advisory Board (CAB) members and International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) members for their support, sage advice and ongoing contributions to the Centre.

The highlight for me was obviously how we pulled together for the mid-term review by the ARC. Great contributions all round, led by our Chief Operating Officer Kate McGeoch.

Roll on 2022…

Professor Paul Mulvaney – Director, ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science

It is difficult to add further comment on the difficulties we’ve all experienced this year without it sounding either superfluous, clichéd or both. In any case you all have your own lived experiences. What has been inspirational, though, is the professionalism and steely determination I have seen from everyone associated with the Centre to keep the momentum going and, more particularly, to deliver ‘meaningful progress’ throughout the year. It is well-recognised that the latter is one of the most powerful motivators for people engaged in intellectual activities. So, whilst it has been difficult and frustrating for many of you not being able to have full access to laboratories, conferences, seminars, etc I would urge you to identify and celebrate your wins and those instances of ‘meaningful progress’ as a means of keeping your motivation levels high. The Centre’s progress this year is amply demonstrated in this annual report by meeting and exceeding many of its aspirational targets.

A very significant ‘meaningful progress’ event, of course, was the outcome of the Mid-Term Review. It was gratifying to read the panel’s report and its recognition of the sustained hard work contributed by every member, past and present. I think we should take to heart the panel’s comment that the Centre had been very bold in its aims and achievements thus far and that now was the opportunity to be ‘even bolder’. Once again, kudos to all!

The following comments are directed primarily at students and early career researchers and the finding from the review that there is some ambivalence towards participation in non-scientific seminars and workshops. In my experience such ‘soft skills’ workshops have provided me with profound insights not only on leadership, career strategy, negotiation, integrity but also about myself! I’ve found these insights to be broadly applicable across both my professional career and private life – and so I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the broad suite of extra-curricular seminars and workshops that the Centre has provided for your self-development.

I would like to commend the Executive Committee, management and the administration teams for their tireless work and my fellow Advisory Board members for being a joy to work with and wish you all the very best for the year ahead.

Dr Gerry Wilson –Chair, Centre Advisory Board

The Science Committee had a busy but difficult year in 2021. The prevailing pandemic conditions stymied research strategy and presented set-backs and roadblocks which required negotiation. 

In 2020, we launched a cross-node postdoc scheme to stimulate synergistic, cross node activity. The funding allocations made in 2020 were reviewed by the committee throughout 2021, commencing at the February meeting. At the same meeting, a new initiative was launched to support Associate Investigators with small grants to accelerate and stimulate interactions with the Centre. This was a popular scheme, with awards of approximately $20k being made to AIs Modi, Ho-Baillie, Beves, Hutchison, Etheridge and Boskovic at the March meeting. Later in the year we made equipment grants to postdocs Fei Zhang and Chris Hall under the original grant scheme.

Strategic directions for the research platforms were discussed and documented in the early months of the year. 

Towards renewal and growth, it was recognised that many of our postdoctoral fellows were now at a stage where they could take on some of the administrative roles carried by CIs – notably the coordination of research platforms. It was agreed that where appropriate, a postdoc could replace a CI in this role with suitable oversight. Dr Jessica Alves was installed as coordinator of Platform 1.1 and reported to the committee in October as part of the latest round of platform reviews. At the October meeting, we also reviewed Platform 2.1 

In November, the committee reviewed Platforms 1.2, 2.3 and 3.1, discussed refreshing roles in the committee and the Centre, and how to implement postdoctoral fellow funding going forward. It was realised that the lead time on new appointments under the new visa conditions was likely to cause issues, and that position extensions should be considered, even where the fellow does not obviously work across several nodes.

Pursuant to renewal of the committee, I stood down as Chair of the Science Committee at the end of 2021, with CI Jared Cole taking up the reins.

Professor Timothy Schmidt – Chair, Science Committee