Quantum physicist, former Australian of the Year in 2018, and Distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons of UNSW Sydney, has been appointed to the Board of CSIRO for a five-year term. Professor Simmons, who is Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology and an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, joins the board at a critical time for the science agency, being brought on board the national science agency to help steer the organisation in the COVID response and economic recovery.

In commenting on her appointment, Professor Simmons said that “Australia’s future will be underpinned by the quality of our science and our capacity to nurture science-based industries. CSIRO plays a pivotal role in these respects.”