Organising Committee

  • Chris Sumby | Co-Convener | SCANZ

    Chris is Dean of School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences at Adelaide University, and a chemistry academic who works on porous nanomaterials to address energy and environmental challenges. He has been awarded various fellowships and awards for research and science communication, manages the Bragg Crystallography Facility, the X-ray diffraction centre at Adelaide University and is the current president of the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Tony Wang | Co-Convener | AXAA

    Dr. Tony Wang is a Senior Research Infrastructure Specialist (XRD) at Queensland University of Technology. His work focuses on developing advanced laboratory XRD measurement geometries, along with texture and stress analysis for thin films and bulk materials using 2D XRD, and new methodologies for quantitative phase analysis from powder diffractions. He has experience both as an application scientist in the XRD instrumentation industry and in academic research.

  • Rosemary Young

    Rosemary is a beamline scientist at the MX beamlines, ANSTO Australian Synchrotron where her research interests include supramolecular chemistry and photocrystallography. She is currently Communications Editor for AXAA and on the SCANZ Outreach subcommittee (formerly the Bragg Your Pattern project). 

  • Fiona Whelan

    Previously based at the University of York, UK, my research targets microbial nucleic acid binding proteins; cell surface adhesins; two-component sensor systems and bacterial biocatalysts. I focus on the relationship between structure and function using methods like structure prediction, recombinant protein expression and purification, X-ray crystallography and small angle X-ray scattering. At Adelaide University, I was awarded a Ramsay Fellowship working on synthetic biology for development of small molecule biosensors, currently supported by an ARC discovery project grant. At Adelaide Microscopy, I established the cryo-electron microscopy facility, where we are now refining structures of bacteriophage protein assemblies. I was appointed to an academic position in late 2025, and I am now establishing my own group, integrating molecular dynamics simulations for protein engineering and structure/function studies.

  • Mark Paskevicius

    Professor Mark Paskevicius is in the Institute for Energy Transition at Curtin University in Perth. His research is focussed on hydrogen storage materials, batteries, electrochemistry, and materials characterisation. He has over 20 years experience in X-ray Diffraction with a focus on in-situ synchrotron studies.

  • Raveen Wijesuriya

    Raveen manages the X‑ray facility at the Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform (MCFP) at the University of Melbourne, providing expert guidance and training on XRD and XRF techniques. He is a Chartered Chemist with extensive research experience in the Australian chemicals and coatings industry, having commercialised new industrial coating technologies and developed surface characterisation methods using X‑ray fluorescence. He currently serves on the Australian X‑ray Analytical Association (AXAA) national committee and is a member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI).

  • Brianna Ganly

    Dr Brianna Ganly is a transdisciplinary researcher leading the X-ray Science team in the Mineral Resources Research Unit. Brianna is also a member of the Autonomous Sensors Future Science Platform leadership team, managing a portfolio of nine projects as the Sensor Theme leader. Brianna holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science) and PhD (X-ray Physics) from the University of New South Wales, and draws upon this expertise to develop novel sensing technology across a wide range of industrial applications. The use of X-ray technology for mineral process control is a particular area of expertise for Brianna, however, in more recent roles she has expanded this expertise to include other sectors such as agriculture, environmental monitoring and biosecurity.

  • Rod Clapp

    Rod has worked a lifetime in X-ray analytical technology, from being a user to sales to manufacturing to management. Rod's business has been in manufacturing of upgrades and automation systems including software development and the desktop XRD developed by Rod's company is in use in many countries.

  • John Bruning

  • Witold Bloch