P005957 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2017-12-12 human Helen Cohn updated 2025-11-13 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005957b.htm person Sackett Penny D. AACR2 28 February 1956 Place of Birth Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America Chief Scientist Physicist Astronomer Penny Sackett was Chief Scientist of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2008 to 2011. Her research interests include dark matter, galactic structure and the search for extrasolar planets using gravitational microlensing, and involved managing large and complex science projects across broad international partnerships. After a research career in the United States and the Netherlands, Sackett was appointed Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University in 2002. Here she strengthened the connections between astronomy, astro-engineering, and the Australian industrial sector, as well as raising the international profile of Australian astronomy. She was responsible for the management Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran, New South Wales and Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra. After Mt Stromlo was destroyed in 2003 by bush fires she led the multi-million dollar effort to rebuild the Observatory, restoring it to its place as an international centre for research, training, and high-tech instrumentation, and initiating its partnership in the Giant Magellan Telescope. As Chief Scientist Sackett worked to introduce long-term, cross-portfolio and cross-disciplinary policy discussions into the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. In 2011 she founded Strategic Advisory Services as a provider of strategic advisory services in sustainability, science and science communication. 1978 1978 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Nebraska at Omaha, U.S.A. 1979 1981 Award - Andrew Mellon Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A. 1984 1984 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A. 1991 1992 Career position - Program Director of Education, Human Resources and Special Programs Division, Astronomical Sciences, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 1992 1995 Career position - Research member and J. Seward Johnson Fellow, Princeton University, U.S.A. 1995 1997 Career position - Visiting Research Member, School of Natural Sciences, Princeton University, U.S.A. 1995 1997 Career position - Assistant Professor, Kapteny Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Netherlands 1996 1998 Career position - Member, Facilities Program Committee, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research 1998 2000 Career position - Associate Professor, Kapteny Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Netherlands 1999 Career position - Visiting Scientist, Anglo-Australian Observatory 2000 Career position - Visiting Member, Princeton Institute of Advanced Studies, U.S.A. 2001 2002 Career position - Professor of Extragalactic Optical and Infrared Astronomy, University of Groningen, Netherlands 2002 Career position - Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University 2002 2002 Award - Harley Wood Lecturer, Astronomical Society of Australia 2002 2007 Career position - Member, Australian Gemini Steering Committee 2002 2007 Career position - Member, National Committee for Astronomy, Australian Academy of Science 2002 2007 Career position - Member, Board of Management, Australian Astronomy Major Research Facility Award 2002 2007 Career position - Member, National Committee for Astronomy, Australian Academy of Science 2002 2007 Career position - Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University 2005 2010 Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) 2006 2008 Career position - Member, Board of Directors, Giant Magellan Telescope 2008 Career position - Adjunct Professor, Australian National University 2008 2011 Career position - Chief Scientist, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet 2011 Career position - Founded Strategic Advisory Services 2015 Career position - Deputy Chair, ACT Climate Change Council 2016 Career position - Board Member, ACT Renewable Energy Innovation Fund Australian National University (1946 - )

Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics 2002 - 2007

 Chief Scientist of Australia (1989 - )

Chief Scientist 2008 - 2011

 Astronomical Society of Australia (1966 - )

Harley Wood Lecturer 2002

 National Committee for Astronomy [II], Australian Academy of Science (1954 - )

Member 2002 - 2007

 Sackett, Penny D (19560228-)

Trove

 'Sackett, Penny D.', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Sackett, Penny D. Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Some Aspects of the Scientific Development and Astronomical Research of Penny Sackett Bhathal, R. Some Aspects of the Scientific Development and Astronomical Research of Penny Sackett 2013 Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 146 142-52