Person
McFadden, Phillip Lyle (1950 - )
AO FAA
- Born
- 1 March 1950
Khartoum, Sudan - Occupation
- Geophysicist
Summary
Phillip McFadden FAA was Chief Scientist at Geoscience Australia. He is a geophysicist with special interests in Paleomagnetism, Geomagnetism and Numerical Analysis. He is widely regarded as the world leader in the analysis of geomagnetic reversal sequences and their interpretation. He emigrated to Australia from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1980 to take up appointment as Senior Research Fellow at the Research School of Earth Sciences, ANU. In 1982 he took up appointment as Senior Research Scientist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) in Canberra. In 12 years he rapidly rose through the ranks to the highest possible level as Chief Research Scientist Grade 2 in 1992, when the BMR changed its name to the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO). In 1999 he was appointed Chief Scientist of AGSO, which subsequently changed its name to Geoscience Australia. In his role as Chief Scientist, he has served on many government advisory committees. He was awarded the Jubilee Medal of the Geological Society of South Africa in 1977 and was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 1991. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) in 1996 and is currently a member of its Council and Executive Committee, serving as Treasurer.
Prepared by Professor Michael McElhinny. July 2006
Details
Chronology
- 1970
- Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) with First Class Honours in Physics and Mathematics completed at the University of London
- 1975
- Education - Doctor of Philosophy (D. Phil) completed at the University of Rhodesia
- 1975 - 1977
- Career position - Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Rhodesia
- 1977
- Award - Jubilee (Gold) Medal, Geological Society of South Africa
- 1977 - 1980
- Career position - Lecturer in Physics at the University of Rhodesia
- 1980
- Career position - Reader in Physics at the University of Rhodesia
- 1980
- Life event - Migrated to Australia
- 1981 - 1982
- Career position - Senior Research Fellow at the Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University in Canberra (nineteen months)
- 1982 - 1986
- Career position - Senior Research Scientist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Canberra
- 1986 - 1988
- Career position - Principal Research Scientist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources
- 1987 - 1988
- Career position - Head Information Technology Branch at the Bureau of Mineral Resources
- 1988
- Career position - Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources (six months)
- 1989 - 1991
- Career position - Chief of the Geophysical Observatories and Mapping Division of the Bureau of Mineral Resources
- 1991 -
- Career position - Fellow, American Geophysical Union
- 1991
- Career position - Chief Research Scientist Grade I at the Bureau of Mineral Resources
- 1992
- Career position - Chief Research Scientist Grade 2 at the Australian Geological Research Organisation (formerly the Bureau of Mineral Resources)
- 1994 - 1996
- Career position - Chair, National Committee for Earth Sciences, Australian Academy of Science
- 1996 -
- Award - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
- 1999 - 2007
- Career position - Chief Scientist with the Australian Geological Research Organisation
- 1999 - 2008
- Career position - Representative for Geoscience Australia, Federal Government Committee on Co-ordination of Science and Technology
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in geomagnetism and palaeomagnetism
- 2001 - 2004
- Career position - Member, National Stores Advisory Committee
- 2002 - 2006
- Career position - Chair, National Committee for Earth Sciences, Australian Academy of Science
- 2003
- Career position - National Academies Forum Representative, National Research Infrastructure Review Committee
- 2004 - 2009
- Career position - Member, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
- 2005 - 2008
- Career position - Treasurer and member of Executive Committee at the Australian Academy of Science
- 2005 - 2008
- Career position - Member, Antarctic Science Advisory Committee
- 2007
- Life event - Retired
- 2017
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to earth sciences as a geophysicist, through leadership of Australia's peak geoscience body and innovation in research, and to professional societies
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Journal Articles
- McFadden, Phil, 'Roy Woodall 1930 - 2021', Historical Records of Australian Science, 34 (2) (2023), 136-43. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR23002. Details
- Moloney, T., 'Agrometeorology's Leading Lady', Weather News, 304 (August 1993) (1993), 20-21. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q68146976. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/92999070. Details
- 'McFadden, Phillip Lyle (1950-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1026961. Details
Helen Morgan
Created: 10 May 2001, Last modified: 10 April 2018