Update on the Governance of the Australian Synchrotron. (April 18, 2010)

Previously, TFW reported that in a letter sent by the Australian Synchrotron's scientific staff to its board of management they noted their decision to return to a 24/7 schedule was in the face of: "Many of the problems [which] still remain, such as low staff morale across the organisation, low confidence in the board, damaged external perceptions of the facility, eroded management capacity, breakdown in the distinction between operational management and oversight responsibilities," and continued, "The morale of all staff has been under immense pressure and we remain at risk of losing critical expertise, attracted and repatriated from both across the country and around the world, which is unusually difficult to replace. This challenge remains widespread in beamlines, accelerators, and across the rest of the facility. A synchrotron is more than bricks and mortar; it is reliant on its people to go above and beyond the call of duty to make it happen.''

Now Elizabeth Finkel writes in  ScienceNow: "In a move that met with staff approval, management today announced the appointment of two high-profile Australian scientists as new board members. They are Max Lu, foundation director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Queensland, and Keith Nugent, research director at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Coherent X-ray Science based at the University of Melbourne."

Nevertheless, Ted Baker, an x-ray crystallographer at the University of Auckland and head of the synchrotron's international Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) says, "There's still a lot of bridge-building to be done" between the staff and the board. Professor Baker took over chair of the SAC when five SAC members including the chairman resigned in protest of the board's behaviour. Next month the new 10-member Committee will meet to look over the institution and they may "review plans to recruit backers for the synchrotron's 29 undeveloped beam lines".

The coming eight months will demonstrate if the Board has learned any lessons with regard as to how to oversee a large, technologically highly advanced and complex scientific facility.

 Harald Reichert, director of research at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France, is the latest recruit. Next month, Max Lu, deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of Queensland, and Keith Nugent, from the University of Melbourne's school of physics, will join the synchrotron board.

Note added April 21,2010: Harald Reichert, director of research at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France, is the latest recruit to the Scientific Advisory Committee.