Tanya Monro

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Tanya Monro
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Tanya Monro - Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) - University of Adelaide.jpg
Tanya Monro in 2011
Born
Tanya Mary Feletto

1973 (age 51–52)
NationalityAustralian
Alma mater University of Sydney
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis Self-written waveguides  (1998)
Website www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/tanya.monro

Tanya Mary Monro AC (born 1973) [2] [3] is an Australian physicist known for her work in photonics. She has been Australia's Chief Defence Scientist since 8 March 2019. Prior to that she was the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation (DVCR&I) at the University of South Australia. She was awarded the ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2013. She was the inaugural director of the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS) [4] (now known as the School of Physical Sciences). Monro has remained an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Adelaide following her departure from the institution. In 2020, she was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor at the University of South Australia.

Contents

Her previous board roles have included membership of the Australian Prime Minister's Commonwealth Science Council, [5] the South Australian Economic Development Board, [6] and the Defence SA board. [7]

Education

Monro was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with first class honours in 1995 [8] followed by a PhD in 1998 from the University of Sydney for research on waveguides. Monro credits a teacher at Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar with inspiring her interest in physics. [9]

Career and research

From 1998 to 2004, Monro was a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton. [1] She joined the University of Adelaide in 2005 as inaugural chair of photonics and Director of the Centre of Expertise in Photonics (CoEP) within the School of Chemistry & Physics in partnership with DSTO. Since that time and while at the University of Adelaide she has been: ARC Federation Fellow; Director of the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS) [4] and the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Nanoscale Biophotonics at the University of Adelaide. From 2014 to 2019 she was the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President, Research and Innovation at the University of South Australia. [10]

Chief Defence Scientist (2019–present)

Monro was announced as Australia's next Chief Defence Scientist on 24 January 2019. [11] Monro took up the role of Chief Defence Scientist in March 2019, the first woman in this position. [12] [13] In this role she heads the Defence Science and Technology Group and serves as Defence's Capability Manager for Innovation, Science and Technology. [14]

During her tenure Defence released and implemented the mission-directed S&T framework known as More, together: Defence Science and Technology Strategy 2030, which established the Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Shots to focus effort on leap-ahead capabilities, including Remote Undersea Surveillance and Quantum-Assured Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT). [15] [16] [17]

In 2023 the Australian Government established the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) to speed the pull-through of innovation into capability, with strategic guidance provided by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief Defence Scientist and the Deputy Secretary of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group. ASCA began operations on 1 July 2023 and is funded at $3.4 billion over a decade. [18] [19] [20]

Under AUKUS Pillar II, Australia, the UK and the US agreed the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFliTE) Project Arrangement in November 2024 to accelerate testing and evaluation of hypersonic systems through shared facilities and information exchange. [21] [22]

Monro has also overseen major Defence S&T programs in autonomous systems and quantum technologies. In April 2024 Defence, ASCA and Anduril unveiled the first Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV) prototype; in September 2025 the Government signed a five-year contract valued at A$1.7 billion to deliver a fleet for the Royal Australian Navy. [23] [24] In September 2024 Defence announced contracts with Adelaide-based QuantX Labs to supply quantum optical atomic clocks to strengthen assured PNT for the ADF and support AUKUS Pillar II activities. [25]

Publications

Monro has published a few book chapters, and is named on 275 papers (Monro is first and/or sole author in only 40 of these papers) including refereed journal articles and conference papers. [26] These have led to over 21000 citations [27] in journals and refereed conference proceedings. Monro has also registered a number of patent families. [28] Although, not a single one of these patent families have resulted in any commercial applications or uses - this is very typical of blue sky researchers.

Honours and awards

Professional associations

Personal life

Monro was raised in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. She is an alumna of the National Youth Science Forum, a youth camp at the Australian National University students wishing to pursue a career in science. She married David in 1995. They moved to England in 1998. They have three sons, the first born in 2003, followed by twin boys born in 2006. [36] Monro is a science fiction fan, and played cello in the Burnside Symphony Orchestra in Adelaide. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Anon (2005). "Dr Tanya Monro Research Fellow". royalsociety.org. London: Royal Society. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017.
  2. ↑ 2012 Pawsey Medal for outstanding research in physics Archived 5 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine , science.org.au
  3. ↑ Prof. Tanya Monro Archived 10 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine , Royal Institution of Australia, riaus.org.au
  4. 1 2 Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing, University of Adelaide
  5. ↑ "New council to advise PM on science | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Economic Development Board renewed with new agenda". www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Minister welcomes new DefenceSA Advisory Board members - Jay Weatherill, Premier of South Australia". www.premier.sa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "Student & Graduate profiles". The University of Sydney. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Tanya Monro's brilliant career | Cosmos". cosmosmagazine.com. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  10. ↑ UniSA. "Top Australian scientist to lead research at UniSA". www.unisa.edu.au. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "New Chief Defence Scientist announced". Defence Science and Technology Group. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "New Chief Defence Scientist announced". Defence Science and Technology Group. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "Academy Fellow appointed Chief Defence Scientist". www.science.org.au. Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "Chief Defence Scientist". Department of Defence. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  15. ↑ "Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Shots – overview" (PDF). Department of Defence. August 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  16. ↑ "Remote Undersea Surveillance (STaR Shot)". Department of Defence. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  17. ↑ "Quantum-Assured PNT (STaR Shot)". Department of Defence. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  18. ↑ "Government announces most significant reshaping of Defence innovation in decades". Department of Defence – Ministers. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  19. ↑ "ASCA commences operations". Department of Defence – Ministers. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  20. ↑ "ASCA". Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  21. ↑ "AUKUS partners sign landmark hypersonics agreement". U.S. Department of Defense. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "Accelerated delivery of AUKUS Pillar II hypersonic systems". Department of Defence. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "First autonomous undersea vehicle 'Ghost Shark' prototype ready". Department of Defence – Ministers. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  24. ↑ "Australia to spend $1.1 billion on Anduril undersea drone fleet". Reuters. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  25. ↑ "$2.7 million for cutting-edge quantum optical atomic clocks". Department of Defence. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  26. ↑ "Tanya Monro Scholia". scholia.toolforge.org. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  27. ↑ "Tanya Monro - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  28. ↑ "Tanya Monro Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  29. 1 2 Professor Tanya Monro Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Biographies of 2008 round of Federation Fellows, Australian Research Council
  30. ↑ The Pawsey Medal is awarded annually by the Australian Academy of Science to recognise outstanding research in the field of physics by an Australian scientist under the age of 40. 2012 Early-career research awards Archived 6 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine , 2012 Academy awards for scientific excellence announced, Media release, 6 December 2011, Australian Academy of Science
  31. ↑ "2015 University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research". australian.museum. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  32. ↑ "The Awards for Excellence in Women's Leadership - Tanya Monro". www.wla.edu.au. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  33. ↑ "Past Honorary Award recipients". www.unisa.edu.au. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  34. ↑ "Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours - the full list". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "Featured Fellow—Tanya Monro | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  36. ↑ Abbie Thomas (25 January 2012) "A fetish for photons", ABC Science
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Preceded by Chief Defence Scientist of Australia
2019–		Incumbent
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