Game-changing Australians join prestigious ATSE Fellowship

The 35 leading innovators have been elected to join the prestigious group of Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), following outstanding achievement in the fields of applied Science and engineering.

ATSE’s 2025 new Fellows include:

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg FTSE – the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag and the first woman Australian astronaut.
• Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska FTSE FAA – a global authority on airborne particles who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheaded efforts to bring evidence of airborne transmission to public health authorities worldwide and was subsequently recognised as one of Time magazine’s most influential people for 2021.
• Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh FTSE – a multidisciplinary engineer and entrepreneur known for significant contributions to transformative innovations like transparent conductive glass used in mobile phones, smart electronic windows for aircraft, and globally deployed hazardous gas sensors.
• Honorary Fellow: The Hon Peter Garrett AM FTSE – a renowned campaigner, musician and former politician – the lead singer of Midnight Oil, former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation and former federal Minister for the Environment who introduced Australia’s first e-waste recycling scheme and was instrumental in the campaign to end whaling in Antarctica.

ATSE President Dr Katherine Woodthorpe said that 2025’s new Fellows represented the breadth and depth of world-class Australian innovation.

“Our expert Fellows are world leaders – and are working on the game-changing tech and innovations that are helping to solve the most pressing and complex challenges,” said Dr Woodthorpe.

“This year we’re thrilled to welcome 35 new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, drawn from a highly competitive field of nominees. The 2025 Fellows are a diverse group of people from across the country and from a range of sectors – experts in medical physics, sustainable engineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and more. Our new Fellows are behind truly game-changing innovations – from augmented reality to green hydrogen production to the batteries of the future. We can’t wait to welcome this group of extraordinary Australians to the ATSE Fellowship.”

The new Fellows will join the 2025 New Fellows Showcase in Adelaide in October.

Katherine Bennell-Pegg FTSE (SA) – pioneering engineer and first astronaut to represent Australia

Professor Eva Bezak FTSE (SA) – powerhouse in medical physics

Kerryn Coker FTSE (NSW) – sustainable engineering leader

Dr Nick Fleming FTSE (VIC) – multidisciplinary problem-solver

The Hon Peter Garrett AM FTSE (Honorary Fellow) – acclaimed voice for people and planet

Dr Victoria Gordon FTSE (QLD) – pharmaceutical pathbreaker

Professor Yuming Guo FTSE (VIC) – climate-health expert

Professor Matthew Harrison FTSE (TAS) – change agent in sustainable agriculture

Professor Susan Harrison FTSE (QLD) – bioprocess engineering groundbreaker

Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh FTSE (NSW) – cutting-edge engineer

Professor Michael Kassiou FTSE (NSW) – leading-edge chemist

Neil Kavanagh FTSE (WA) – global energy technology leader

Dr Bruce Leslie FTSE (QLD) – solar energy changemaker

Professor Christina Lim FTSE (VIC) – shaping optical-wireless communication technology

Professor Robert Mahony FTSE FAA (ACT) – revolutionising aerial robotics

Sarah McSwiney FTSE (VIC) – aerospace engineering leader

Professor Bradley Moggridge FTSE (ACT) – Indigenous water management champion

Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska FTSE FAA (QLD) – air pollution paradigm-shifter

Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio FTSE (NSW) – leader elevating excellence and safety

Professor Ian O’Hara FTSE (QLD) – Australia’s biofuture shaper

Professor Maurice Pagnucco FTSE (NSW) – expanding ICT frontiers

Professor Shi-Zhang Qiao FTSE FAA (SA) – catalysing next-generation energy

Professor John Rasko AO FTSE FAHMS (NSW) – cell & gene therapy pathfinder

Professor Federico Rosei FTSE (Foreign Fellow – Italy) – nanomaterials maestro

Professor Yansong Shen FTSE (NSW) – forging sustainable innovation

Professor Peng Shi FTSE (SA) – electrical engineering luminary

Professor Cori Stewart FTSE (QLD) – supercharging AI & advanced manufacturing

Kimberley Swords FTSE (QLD) – shaper of sustainability policy

Professor Ying Tan FTSE (VIC) – robotics innovator

Suzanne Thompson FTSE (QLD) – advocate for Indigenous knowledge

Eric Vanweydeveld FTSE (ACT) – leader in remote water services innovation

Distinguished Professor Guoxiu Wang FTSE FAA (NSW) – battery trailblazer

Professor Hongxia Wang FTSE (QLD) – solar innovator

Kathryn West FTSE (WA) – transformative engineering leader

Professor Juliet Willetts FTSE (NSW) – inclusive water advocate

Media enquiries

Rebecca Rohan-Jones
Director,  Strategic Engagement 
0448 488 474
rebecca.rohan-jones@atse.org.au

ATSE Communications Team
+61 2 6185 3240
communications@atse.org.au

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering
Level 2, 28 National Circuit Forrest ACT 2603
+61  2 6185 3240   |   info@atse.org.au

About ATSE

Our vision is for a sustainable and prosperous Australia where engineering and applied sciences protect our environment, nurture a skilled workforce, grow competitive industries and enable all Australians to reach their greatest potential.

ATSE is led by a diverse Fellowship of over 900 of Australia’s leading applied scientists, technologists and engineers, and is an independent, non-government organisation and charity,

We celebrate excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by appointing prestigious Fellows, awarding upcoming innovators and equipping the next generation with skills to build a better Australia and world. We are an evidence driven voice to decision-makers, and our world-class STEM career programs are shaping the knowledge-makers and innovators we need to tackle our most urgent challenges – now and in the future.