Vanessa Peterson - Life Member
In 1999, Vanessa obtained an undergrad degree with first class honors in chemistry at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS), followed in 2004 by a PhD at UTS and ANSTO, with a thesis titled "Diffraction investigations of cement clinker and tricalcium silicate using Rietveld analysis".
She then worked as an assistant researcher before moving in 2004 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore – working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research. In 2006, she moved back to Australia, and worked at the University of Wollongong, then moving to Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering as the Senior Principal Research and Neutron Instrument Scientist.
In her current role, she is the leader of Energy Materials Research at ANSTO, works across two neutron diffraction beamlines, Echidna and Wombat, and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong.
Her research has focused on characterisation of functional materials by trying to understand atomic-scale structure and dynamics and linking these to material properties. This includes work in fields like emissions reduction technology, and low emissions cement improvements. She leads a group researching energy technologies, including lithium batteries, and fuel cells for cars which use petrol alternatives.
Through her career so far, Vanessa has been recognized with many notable awards, including being a Eureka Awards peoples choice finalist in 2011, receiving the Australian Institute of Physics Tall Poppy award in 2013, the Sandy Mathieson Medal in 2017 for distinguished contributions to X-ray and neutron science, of course the AXAA Bob Cheary Award for Excellence in Diffraction in 2020.
Vanessa is also recognised for her service and leadership to AXAA, serving as President from 2008 to 2014, and vice president from 2014 to 2020.
She then worked as an assistant researcher before moving in 2004 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore – working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research. In 2006, she moved back to Australia, and worked at the University of Wollongong, then moving to Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering as the Senior Principal Research and Neutron Instrument Scientist.
In her current role, she is the leader of Energy Materials Research at ANSTO, works across two neutron diffraction beamlines, Echidna and Wombat, and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong.
Her research has focused on characterisation of functional materials by trying to understand atomic-scale structure and dynamics and linking these to material properties. This includes work in fields like emissions reduction technology, and low emissions cement improvements. She leads a group researching energy technologies, including lithium batteries, and fuel cells for cars which use petrol alternatives.
Through her career so far, Vanessa has been recognized with many notable awards, including being a Eureka Awards peoples choice finalist in 2011, receiving the Australian Institute of Physics Tall Poppy award in 2013, the Sandy Mathieson Medal in 2017 for distinguished contributions to X-ray and neutron science, of course the AXAA Bob Cheary Award for Excellence in Diffraction in 2020.
Vanessa is also recognised for her service and leadership to AXAA, serving as President from 2008 to 2014, and vice president from 2014 to 2020.