He was appointed Professor and Chair of Energy Strategy and Policy at University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 2012.
[3][4] Prior to this he was Chief Defence Scientist from 2008 to 2011[5] and Professor of Experimental Physics at University of New South Wales, where he established the National Magnet Laboratory and Semiconductor Nanofabrication Facility.
He graduated from the RAN college with a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales, then served on eight ships before leaving the navy in 1979.
[6] He took several positions at UNSW, culminating in Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, before taking on the role of Chief Defence Scientist.
[8] and was awarded the Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001 "for contribution to world leading research in the field of quantum computing and physics".