Sean Brawley FRSN—candidate for CouncillorNominees for Councillor positions were requested to provide brief statements outlining how their expertise and experience fits them for these roles and will benefit the Society. Where these were provided by the close of nominations at 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 4 March, they are listed below in alphabetic order and are accessible via the links shown.
Sean Brawley FRSN—candidate for Councillor
I am Pro Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Planning) and Professor of History at the University of Wollongong. I am a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and former Vice-President and Asia-Pacific Director of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. I have served on the RSN Council Bicentennial Sub-Committee for the past two years and specifically as committee secretary for the past year. I feel this experience working with colleagues has provided me with a range of insights into the workings of the Society and possible future directions. I am especially interested in engaging across broad disciplines to build transdisciplinary conversations within the Society and give further breadth to our membership. I am also interested in the educational outreach of the Society and using the Bicentennial moment to ensure we, as a Society, remain committed to preserving our past.
Philip Gale FRSN FRSC FRACI—candidate for Councillor
I am a chemist at the University of Sydney who moved to Australia in 2017 following 17 years at the University of Southampton, UK (serving as Head of Chemistry from 2010 to 2016), 2 years at the University of Texas at Austin as a Fulbright Scholar and 9 years at the University of Oxford. I am currently Head of School (Chemistry) and Associate Dean (International) in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.
For the past year I have served as Chair of the Awards Committee of the RSNSW and have been leading a review of our awards structure. I am standing for Council of the Royal Society of New South Wales as I believe my experience serving in leadership roles for the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK (including as an interest group chair, chair of a local section and chair of an editorial board) will be valuable to the Society.
I am particularly interested in promoting younger scientists' achievements and have been involved in founding two prizes in my area to recognize their success (the Cram Lehn Pedersen Prize of the International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry and the RSC MASC thesis prize in the UK). My research interests are in supramolecular chemistry and in particular the transmembrane transport of anions by synthetic carriers with potential application in the development of new treatments for cystic fibrosis and cancer.
Pamela Griffith FRSN—candidate for Councillor
Historically, Royal Societies had a mandate for public education. Public trust in science is in decline and science-based policy has taken a back seat to partisan politics. Issues such as global pandemics, biodiversity and species loss, pollinator losses, and most of all climate change, require trusted intellectuals to engage with the general public and with the policy making process. My background in history, art and citizen science equips me, in a general sense to lobby for a well-rounded approach by the Royal Society.
It is critical to be front-footed in public engagement. On re-election to Council this will be central to my agenda. Three key things need to be prioritized for this to occur. One is to diversify the membership of the Royal Society with more disciplines being represented including the arts and social sciences. Essential to diversity is also to include women and people outside of academia in proportions appropriate to their demographics. I have already championed these issues in my first year on Council, and two years on the Fellows and members Assessment Committee. The second key thing is to expand the demographic of our membership to include aspirational mid-career professionals and younger members who are actively engaged in the public and commercial spheres already. Frankly, we need 30+ year old individuals presenting science and critical social issues with passion and enthusiasm. Amongst our membership now we have people well qualified as mentors to a new breed of scientists. The final effort I will champion, is more frequent public engagements in all the forms they might take and to project the expertise and inspirational stories of our Society to the public at large. I have been a Fellow of the Royal Society for five years.
Robert Marks FRSN—candidate for Councillor
In addition to my academic expertise, I have eighteen years’ experience of editing peer-reviewed journals across a variety of disciplines, including six years for the Royal Society’s own Journal, and six years of Council membership. I have edited twelve issues with a wide range of interesting, new and timely articles on topics the Society deeply values. In addition, web pages now link to papers presented to the Society as far back as 1822 (with indexing kindly in train by Councillor Davina Jackson). The “Point Counterpoint” section in the Journal is my innovation, exploring differences of scientific and intellectual opinion (recently on Australian energy policy); I actively seek out such material. I am most proud of the December 2021 paper on disagreement between the physicists, P.A.M. Dirac and (Australian) Joe Moyal, about the nature of quantum mechanics (inspired by a 2017 Ollé Award-winning paper); and fondest of the 2020 paper I commissioned on the development of blue pigments — history and science is a powerful mix. As on-going Editor, I think it’s important that I continue on Council, despite recent constitutional changes to the contrary. I bring to Council dedication, experience, enthusiasm, and imagination.
Rod Stowe PSM FRSN—candidate for Councillor
For 41 years I was career public servant with the NSW Government. During this period I held a number of senior roles and statutory appointments, including a six-year term as the Commissioner for Fair Trading and served in portfolios covering consumer affairs, environmental protection, education and youth affairs, and local government. As a consequence of the aforementioned employment, I have acquired extensive experience and expertise in organisational governance, strategic planning, financial management, community engagement and public affairs. Since my retirement in November 2018, I have been appointed to several boards and committees in both the not-for-profit and government sectors as well as undertaking local heritage and community advocacy. I hope to be able to apply my skills and experience to the important work of the Council in support of the Society.