Governance

Dr James Quach

Chair

Dr James Quach is a Science Leader at the CSIRO, where he leads the Quantum Batteries team. He is the inaugural Chair of the International Conference on Quantum Energy. Previously he was a Ramsay Fellow at The University of Adelaide, a Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Photonics Science in Barcelona, and a JSPS Fellow at the University of Tokyo. He completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne in Physics. His research interest is in all things quantum, working in quantum technology, quantum computing, quantum biology, quantum chaos, quantum thermodynamics, and quantum gravity.

Dr Dietmar Tourbier

Director

Dr Tourbier is the Director of the Energy Business Unit at CSIRO. He is leading a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, economists and business professionals in solving current and future energy challenges to enable the transition to lower emissions energy future. Prior to this role Dr Tourbier served as the Science Director and Deputy Director of the Energy Business Unit and as the Director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) providing the vision, direction and strategic oversight for the delivery, adoption and impact of the ASTRI objectives. Prior to joining CSIRO, Dr Tourbier worked at General Electric (GE) for over 20 years and held various leading positions in corporate research including the leadership roles of GE’s solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) division in California, the global power electronics technology research group and, most recently, GE’s European research division. Dr Tourbier received his masters in aerospace engineering from the University of Stuttgart and his PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona. He also received his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Matt Baumgurtel

Secretary

Matt Baumgurtel is Partner New Energy Lead, Hamilton Locke, where he brings over 17 years of experiencein the energy sector. with considerable expertise in project development, construction, financing, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions transactions. He specialises in legal advice throughout the energy and infrastructure lifecycle and acts for investors, developers, and constructors of hydrogen, solar, wind, thermal, electricity transmission, waste-to-energy, and energy storage projects in Australia and the APAC region. Matt leads Hamilton Locke’s New Energy Team. Before joining Hamilton Locke, Matt was a partner and co-lead of the energy, infrastructure, and resources group at K&L Gates. He was also previously the General Counsel of global solar developer and sponsor, Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) for eight years. Before this, he worked for several leading global and national law firms, including Gilbert + Tobin and Clifford Chance.

Prof Sir Peter Knight FRS

Emeritus Professor Sir Peter Knight is renowned for his profound contributions to the fields of quantum optics, strong field physics and quantum information science. Currently, he is Senior Research Investigator in the Physics Department at Imperial College and Senior Fellow in Residence at the Kavli Royal Society International Centre after retiring from his role as Deputy Rector (Research) at Imperial College in 2010. Throughout his career, he has held many distinguished positions, including serving as the President of the Institute of Physics and President of the Optical Society of America and Chief Scientific Advisor at the UK National Physical Laboratory. He is also a Thomson-ISI “Highly Cited Author” and current editor of Contemporary Physics. Professor Knight’s distinguished work has resulted in numerous accolades, including a knighthood for services to optical physics. He has also been awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society and is the recipient of the Thomas Young Medal and the Glazebrook Medal of the Institute of Physics. Professor Knight’s outstanding contribution has influenced a generation of researchers, marking him as a leading figure in his field.

Dr Amanda Caples

Amanda is Victoria’s Lead Scientist, a role that aligns and connects Victoria’s science, technology and innovation capability with business needs and with government’s economic development activities. Amanda is Chair of the Victorian Quantum Technology Network which aims to advance teaching, research and industry engagement in quantum technologies. She is a founding Non Executive Director of Breakthrough Victoria Pty Ltd, a $2 billion commitment to invest in science, technology and innovation with investments to date including the Infleqtion-Swinburne Quantum Technology Centre and Quantum Brilliance.

Prof Bill Munro

William John MUNRO received his D. Phil degree in Physics from the University of Waikato, NZ in 1995 and then moved to an ARC research fellowship at the University of Queensland in Australia from 1997-2000. He moved to industry in 2000, first as a staff scientist at Hewlett Packard Laboratories in Bristol from 2000-2010 and then as a Senior Distinguished Scientist & Director of its Research Center for Theoretical Quantum Physics in NTT Basic Research Laboratories until 2023. He recently joined the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology where his leads the Quantum Engineering and Design unit. His research in Quantum Science ranges from foundational issues of quantum theory through to applications of quantum technology and their practical realization. Further Bill is also a fellow of the APS, OSA and IOP.