Dr Cathy Foley – physicist, CSIRO Chief and union member – has won the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year award.
The awards celebrate ‘the outstanding contributions and achievements of women in NSW’ by showcasing ‘inspirational stories of sacrifice, commitment and extraordinary achievement.’
Dr Foley has been Chief of CSIRO’s Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) Division since 2011.
A distinguished scientist with research expertise in solid state physics – semiconductors, magnetics, superconductivity and nanotechnology – CSIRO describes Dr Foley’s work as ‘broad, influential and widely cited.’
In addition to her long standing membership of the CSIRO Staff Association, Dr Foley has made a substantial contribution to public service and the Australian scientific community as President of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies, membership of the Prime Minister’s Science and Engineering Innovation Council and Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
Staff Association Secretary Sam Popovski congratulated Dr Foley on her award.
“On behalf of CSIRO workers and Staff Association members, I want to congratulate Dr Foley as NSW Woman of the Year.
“This award will come as no surprise to Cathy’s colleagues, family and friends. We’ve long admired her abilities as a researcher, people manager and science leader.
“It’s fantastic to see some recognition for the achievements of women in science. Women continue to be underrepresented in Australian science – especially at senior levels,” Dr Popovski said.
