The Latest from AusSRC - Q4 2025
Image: The AusSRC team at SKA Regional Centre Network (SRCNet) Program Increment (PI) 29 Planning – the team wears PI29 t-shirts featuring artwork by Wajarri Yamaji artist Robin Boddington.
SRCNet Program Increment 29 Planning and Workshop Week
Image: SRCNet delegates are ready to get underway at the University of Western Australia’s (UWA’s) eZone building.
During the first week of December, AusSRC welcomed over 70 delegates from across the SKA Regional Centre Network (SRCNet) for SRCNet PI29 Planning.
PI Planning brings together personnel from the SRCs that make up SRCNet.
Throughout the week in Perth, Western Australia, delegates from around the world mapped out the next stage of development for the global network that will enable SKA science.
PI29 Planning followed a productive week of in-person workshops at the Australian Resources Research Centre (ARRC), along with a live demonstration showcasing the impressive SRCNet capabilities delivered during PI28.
As part of PI29 Planning, AusSRC also shared a taste of Australian culture and hospitality with our visiting colleagues.
AusSRC provided delegates with a keepsake ‘PI29’ t-shirt featuring artwork by Wajarri Yamaji artist Robin Boddington.
During the PI29 social event, delegates also enjoyed views of the Perth city skyline while cruising the Swan River aboard a ferry.
PI29 event coordination was led and delivered by the AusSRC Business Support Team, alongside SRCNet management.
Image: PI29 participants at UWA’s eZone.
Dr. Karen Lee-Waddell and Dr. Bradley Meyers nominated for the 2025 Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) Tech [+] Awards
Image: AusSRC personnel at the WiTWA Tech [+] Awards Night. From right to left: Dr. Kat Ross, Dr. Karen Lee-Waddell, Ms. Courtney Carr, Dr. Bradley Meyers, Dr. Kathryn Barker.
AusSRC Director Dr. Karen Lee-Waddell and Support Scientist Dr. Bradley Meyers were nominated for the WiTWA STEM Academia & Research and Outstanding Allyship awards respectively.
The WiTWA Tech [+] Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of women and allies in tech fields.
Dr. Karen Lee-Waddell received her award nomination for her leadership and outputs in radio astronomy research, while Dr. Bradley Meyers received his award nomination for his efforts improving diversity, inclusion and equity for women in the radio astronomy research sector.
Attending the Awards Night as part of an AusSRC contingent, Dr. Karen Lee-Waddell and Dr. Bradley Meyers were each honoured for their contributions.
The evening followed AusSRC attendance at the WitWA 2025 Tech [+] Conference, which focused on career growth and featured a keynote address from Professor Fiona Wood AO, Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia.
Prof. Jessica Dempsey meets with the AusSRC team
In November, the AusSRC team met with Prof. Jessica Dempsey, who will be the next Director-General of the SKA Observatory (SKAO).
Currently the Director of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Prof. Dempsey will succeed Prof. Philip Diamond in the role, who will complete his term after 14 years as the head of the SKAO in May 2026.
The Director-General is the SKAO’s most senior position and the intergovernmental organisation’s legal representative, with responsibility for ensuring the successful delivery of the SKAO’s construction and operations phases, and leadership of the Observatory’s international staff distributed across multiple sites in three host countries.
Following a round of introductions, the AusSRC team had the opportunity to ask Prof. Dempsey questions about her impressive career, including her research and her commitment to diversity, equity, and opportunity initiatives.
You can learn more about Prof. Dempsey’s appointment as the next Director-General of the SKAO here.
Image: Prof. Jessica Dempsey (far left) meets with the AusSRC team at the AusSRC offices in the Australian Resources Research Centre.
AusSRC visits the Radio Astronomy exhibit as part of the Here, There and Everywhere gallery at Scitech
Earlier this year, the AusSRC team visited the Radio Astronomy exhibit at the Here, There, and Everywhere gallery at Scitech.
Here, There and Everywhere is Scitech’s new permanent central gallery, inviting visitors to explore how science and technology are solving challenges in our homes, the Western Australian community, and around the world.
The Radio Astronomy exhibit invites visitors to learn more about the technology of the SKA Observatory’s SKA-Low telescope by arranging and adjusting antenna stations to capture the sharpest view of cosmic phenomena.
The Radio Astronomy exhibit was delivered by Scitech in partnership with the SKAO, the Australian Government Department of Industry Science and Resources, the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency, the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre and AusSRC.
Image: The AusSRC team at the Radio Astronomy exhibit as part of the Here, There and Everywhere gallery at Scitech.
AusSRC Team Training Day and 2025 End of Year Wrap Up
Image: To round out 2025, the AusSRC team completed training in Intervention strategies.
A final AusSRC staff training in Intervention strategies, delivered in late December, rounded out AusSRC’s staff training schedule for the year.
The training was followed by a team lunch and team building exercise, which brought together staff from across AusSRC’s four offices for a final time in 2025.
AusSRC Annual Shut Down Notice
AusSRC staff will be on break from next week, returning early January 2026 – exact dates will depend on staff members’ employing institutions.
We wish all our stakeholders a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
We look forward to enabling more radio astronomy in 2026!