Damian Gore - Life Member
Damian Gore completed an undergraduate degree in geology and geomorphology at Macquarie University, Sydney. After completing an Honours thesis in soil hydraulics, he spent a year working as an exploration geologist (looking for gold in northern Queensland and central NSW) and then as a park ranger in the ACT. His PhD research in Antarctic glacial geology and Quaternary history was undertaken at the University of Newcastle (Australia) where he used X-ray analytical techniques with Dr Doug Todd, and SEM-EDS with Professor Dudley Creagh at UNSW ADFA. He then moved to Royal Holloway College (University of London), and completed his PhD in 1995.
Damian returned to Australia in 1996 to commence a research and teaching position with Macquarie University. At that time, Macquarie had no working XRF, and only a very old XRD. In 2002, following his first AXAA meeting, he bought his first benchtop spectrometer, then a benchtop XRD, then a full size XRF, then a full size XRD. Now, 20 years later (generously supported by industry, Macquarie University and the Australian Research Council), the Macquarie laboratories have handheld and benchtop EDXRF, TXRF, mapping XRF, full size WDXRF, and benchtop and full size XRD – currently 15 instruments representing four manufacturers. Dr Gary Pritchard was a key collaborator through this time, encouraging the use of XRF for the analysis of ancient artefacts, biological materials, electrotechnical products, plastics and polymers, and samples with many other matrices.
In 1996, Damian recognised problems with contamination at Australia’s Antarctic stations, and, working with the Australian Antarctic Division, started site assessment at Casey Station. During this research, his students and colleagues took a benchtop XRF spectrometer to Antarctica to help with on-site assessments at Casey Station and the legacy Wilkes Base nearby. These assessments culminated in the prioritisation, excavation and remediation of the Casey Station landfill.
Since 2010, Damian has worked with historians at Macquarie University and elsewhere, in archaeometry – the analysis of ancient Greek coins, Roman glassware, and Egyptian papyrus, masks and other funerary items. He has taken benchtop EDXRF overseas to museums and collections in Athens, Berlin, Cambridge, London, New York Oxford and Paris, and contributed to non-destructive analyses of thousands of artefacts.
Damian has completed dozens of graduate students as principal supervisor, some of whom now hold senior academic positions at universities in Australia and overseas. They, with many other graduates in consulting, contracting and related industries, work in archaeometry, biology, chemical engineering, contaminated site assessment and remediation, environmental history and the circular economy. He is proud that so many of these graduates continue to use analytical X-ray methods across these diverse disciplines.
In recognition of significant long term contributions to XRF analysis, in 2008 he received the Keith Norrish AXAA Award for Excellence in X-ray Fluorescence Analysis and in 2023, he was awarded lifetime membership of AXAA.
Damian returned to Australia in 1996 to commence a research and teaching position with Macquarie University. At that time, Macquarie had no working XRF, and only a very old XRD. In 2002, following his first AXAA meeting, he bought his first benchtop spectrometer, then a benchtop XRD, then a full size XRF, then a full size XRD. Now, 20 years later (generously supported by industry, Macquarie University and the Australian Research Council), the Macquarie laboratories have handheld and benchtop EDXRF, TXRF, mapping XRF, full size WDXRF, and benchtop and full size XRD – currently 15 instruments representing four manufacturers. Dr Gary Pritchard was a key collaborator through this time, encouraging the use of XRF for the analysis of ancient artefacts, biological materials, electrotechnical products, plastics and polymers, and samples with many other matrices.
In 1996, Damian recognised problems with contamination at Australia’s Antarctic stations, and, working with the Australian Antarctic Division, started site assessment at Casey Station. During this research, his students and colleagues took a benchtop XRF spectrometer to Antarctica to help with on-site assessments at Casey Station and the legacy Wilkes Base nearby. These assessments culminated in the prioritisation, excavation and remediation of the Casey Station landfill.
Since 2010, Damian has worked with historians at Macquarie University and elsewhere, in archaeometry – the analysis of ancient Greek coins, Roman glassware, and Egyptian papyrus, masks and other funerary items. He has taken benchtop EDXRF overseas to museums and collections in Athens, Berlin, Cambridge, London, New York Oxford and Paris, and contributed to non-destructive analyses of thousands of artefacts.
Damian has completed dozens of graduate students as principal supervisor, some of whom now hold senior academic positions at universities in Australia and overseas. They, with many other graduates in consulting, contracting and related industries, work in archaeometry, biology, chemical engineering, contaminated site assessment and remediation, environmental history and the circular economy. He is proud that so many of these graduates continue to use analytical X-ray methods across these diverse disciplines.
In recognition of significant long term contributions to XRF analysis, in 2008 he received the Keith Norrish AXAA Award for Excellence in X-ray Fluorescence Analysis and in 2023, he was awarded lifetime membership of AXAA.