Stawell dark matter lab chair Sue Barrell wins Australia Day honour
The independent chair of the company that will manage and operate the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) has been awarded as an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List.
The former Chief Scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) received the award for ‘distinguished service to earth science through meteorology and research organisations’.
Dr Barrell worked at the BoM for many years in forecasting, research, science/climate/data policy and leadership roles has made significant contributions to climate science, climate policy, integrated earth observations, data infrastructure and data policy.
She represented Australia internationally and led high-level activities at the World Meteorological Organization, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations.
Dr Barrell says she is proud to stand alongside many other scientists to receive Australia Day honours.
“Right now, I am feeling very honoured and pretty special, especially given the company I am in - lots of excellent scientists, with women strongly represented amongst them,” she says.
“It is a great moment for science, possibly coming off the increased recognition of the importance of science and data in informing our response to the pandemic. I hope we are able to keep up the momentum, at both a political level and in terms of investment, and demonstrate how investment in science and innovation can repay society at so many levels, and spanning all areas of science, including environment, space, earth sciences, and health.”
Dr Barrell acknowledges the support she had received in her career, and says she is enjoying the opportunity to support scientists, and female scientists in particular, during her nominal retirement.
“Throughout my 'paid' working life, I had so many opportunities and encouragement to follow my interest in science and great mentors. Now, I am so excited to be able to give back through participation in and leadership of some exciting scientific endeavours, such as the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics,” she says.
“It's great to be able to go back to my physics and astronomy roots and see how far knowledge has advanced in the meantime - and yet how much has still to be discovered.
“I am also enjoying opportunities to share experiences and perspectives with those at earlier stages of their careers, both men and women. It is so exciting to see the directions they are now taking but daunting also to hear the challenges they face.”
Dr Barrell joined Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory Ltd in 2021, taking over from interim Chair Leonie Walsh.
BACKGROUND NOTES
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics was established in 2020 to bring together physicists from across Australia, in partnership with key international researchers and institutions, to pursue the discovery of Dark Matter.
Dark matter it is a mysterious substance that holds galaxies together and constitutes 80 per cent of the matter of the Universe. Its existence is inferred from its gravitational interaction and the exploration of the nature of dark matter is considered science’s next frontier.
The Centre’s researchers aim to make discoveries that could change our understanding of the universe.
Some of its research will be carried out in a laboratory located 1km underground in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory in Stawell Gold Mine. It will be the first laboratory of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The underground location of the mine aims to reduce interference from cosmic rays, the high-energy particles that constantly rain down on Earth. Construction of the laboratory has begun and researchers will begin gathering data in 2022.