2026 Norton Jackson New Fellows Forum
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from some of the brightest minds in the industry and to network with like-minded individuals
2026 Norton Jackson New Fellows Forum
We are delighted to invite you to the 2026 Norton Jackson New Fellows Forum.
Presented by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), this special event will be held in Adelaide at a stunning venue overlooking the Adelaide Plains and the picturesque Mount Osmond Golf Course.
This event will provide an opportunity to celebrate the election of the 2025 South Australia and Northern Territory ATSE Fellows, alongside a new South Australia AAS Fellow.
Guests will hear from Australian astronaut and Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg FTSE, international leader in cancer therapy and medical innovation Professor Eva Bezak FTSE and distinguished theoretical physicist Professor Derek Leinweber FAA.
This is a unique opportunity to engage with some of Australia’s brightest minds, share ideas and connect with fellow members of the scientific and engineering community. Relatives and friends of Fellows are warmly invited to attend.
Date
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Time
4:30 PM - 7:30 PMCost
$55pp
Astronaut
In 2024, Katherine Bennell-Pegg became the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag. She is also the first woman Australian astronaut and was the first international candidate to undertake astronaut training with the European Space Agency in Germany. In January 2026 she was named 2026 Australian of the Year.
Bennell-Pegg is a reservist Group Captain in the Royal Australian Air Force and was previously the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency. She is a prominent ambassador for STEM and the national space sector and is passionate about inspiring young people about the wonders of space.
She has 15 years of global space engineering experience across a range of projects – from human spaceflight missions to Earth observation – for organisations including Airbus, the European Space Agency and NASA.
Bennell-Pegg is a reservist Group Captain in the Royal Australian Air Force and was previously the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency. She is a prominent ambassador for STEM and the national space sector and is passionate about inspiring young people about the wonders of space.
She has 15 years of global space engineering experience across a range of projects – from human spaceflight missions to Earth observation – for organisations including Airbus, the European Space Agency and NASA.
FTSE
Professor of Medical Radiation, School of Allied Health and Human Performance, Adelaide University
Professor of Medical Radiation, School of Allied Health and Human Performance, Adelaide University
Professor Eva Bezak is internationally known for her leadership in cancer therapy and medical innovation. She has led the development of world-leading modelling software and novel pharmaceuticals to enhance cancer therapies. Her work has shaped national healthcare policy, informed critical oncology infrastructure in Australia and the region, and led to cutting-edge technologies.
Formerly the Chief Physicist at Royal Adelaide Hospital, she was appointed Professor in Medical Radiation at the University of South Australia in 2015
She has also advised governments on radiation matters, helped define regulations and healthcare delivery in Australia and internationally, and in her past role as Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine President, she initiated imaging medical physics training programs that addressed chronic workforce shortages across Australia and New Zealand.
Bezak actively champions women in STEM and serves on several international organisations, including as President-elect of the International Organization for Medical Physics.
Formerly the Chief Physicist at Royal Adelaide Hospital, she was appointed Professor in Medical Radiation at the University of South Australia in 2015
She has also advised governments on radiation matters, helped define regulations and healthcare delivery in Australia and internationally, and in her past role as Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine President, she initiated imaging medical physics training programs that addressed chronic workforce shortages across Australia and New Zealand.
Bezak actively champions women in STEM and serves on several international organisations, including as President-elect of the International Organization for Medical Physics.
Professor Derek Leinweber
FAA
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Adelaide University
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Adelaide University
Derek Leinweber is an Emeritus Professor of Physics at Adelaide University specialising in theoretical and computational physics. He is known for elucidating phenomena emerging from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the relativistic quantum field theory of the strong interactions.
His research favours lattice QCD, a first-principles approach using supercomputer simulations, complemented by novel nonperturbative effective field theory techniques that connect theory to experiment. He has authored 399 refereed publications with more than 15,000 citations providing an h-index of 72.
Prof Leinweber received his PhD in Theoretical Physics from McMaster University, Canada, and began research in Lattice QCD through a Canadian NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at TRIUMF. He held postdoctoral appointments at the Universities of Maryland, Ohio State, and Washington (Seattle), before joining the University of Adelaide in 1997. He has served as Associate Dean ICT and Head of the School of Chemistry and Physics. Derek has mentored students at all levels, including more than 40 postgraduates.
His work on QCD-vacuum structure featured in Professor Wilczek's 2004 Nobel Prize Lecture. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australian Institute of Physics, a recipient of the 2007 Walter Boas Medal, and currently serves on the IUPAP C20 Commission for Computational Physics.
His research favours lattice QCD, a first-principles approach using supercomputer simulations, complemented by novel nonperturbative effective field theory techniques that connect theory to experiment. He has authored 399 refereed publications with more than 15,000 citations providing an h-index of 72.
Prof Leinweber received his PhD in Theoretical Physics from McMaster University, Canada, and began research in Lattice QCD through a Canadian NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at TRIUMF. He held postdoctoral appointments at the Universities of Maryland, Ohio State, and Washington (Seattle), before joining the University of Adelaide in 1997. He has served as Associate Dean ICT and Head of the School of Chemistry and Physics. Derek has mentored students at all levels, including more than 40 postgraduates.
His work on QCD-vacuum structure featured in Professor Wilczek's 2004 Nobel Prize Lecture. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australian Institute of Physics, a recipient of the 2007 Walter Boas Medal, and currently serves on the IUPAP C20 Commission for Computational Physics.
