Susan Law

Experience

• 

  University of Sydney

  Jan 1976 - Jan 1976

  Honours student
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  University of Sydney

  Jul 1992 - Dec 1995

  Research Fellow

  I worked with A/Prof S. Simpson on a number of projects within the Plasma Engineering Group, Dept of Electrical Engineering. I designed the vacuum and oil heating systems for a high pressure plasma centrifuge. This involved using the "Autocad" release 10 and LT packages for technical drawings and the researching, selecting and ordering of raw materials for the machine. I co-wrote (in the "C" programming language) the PC-based control program for the centrifuge including the heating and electrical control systems and video display.I was involved in the group's welding program, in particular the laser shadowgraph imaging of material transfer in gas-metal arc welding. During the course of this work I designed a customised optical bench for the experimental welding bay. The experimental work involved measurements of welding droplet sizes and velocities.I wrote (in HTML) and maintained the group's World Wide Web home page. Show less

• 

  University of Sydney

  Oct 1997 - Apr 2010

  During this time I have continued to contribute to the projects on which I worked during the period July 2004-November 2007. In particular I have designed and constructed additional novel types of dosimeter for the project on in-vivo dosimetry for High Dose Rate Brachytherapy and quality assured the dosimeters used in clinical trials. I have also worked independently as a contractor in research on the development of a laminated polypropylene artificial skin to replace human testing in the determination of the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of sunscreens (Mimskin Pty Ltd). In addition I have taught in both the 1st year and 2nd year Physics teaching laboratories at the University of Sydney (supervising sessions in the 1st year laboratories) and contributed to the administration of the laboratories. Show less I worked on three projects: novel dosimeters for radiation therapy; the material science of cleaving of microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) and development of an in-vivo technique for the measurement of tooth hardness. I co-authored all three grants. These projects were interdisciplinary and despite working in very different scientific disciplines I was able to produce ground breaking work in all areas.The dosimetry project was a collaboration between the OFTC, the School of Physics and RPAH. I managed the project on behalf of the CIs. It has resulted in an international patent and a novel dosimeter for High Dose Rate Brachytherapy which is currently undergoing clinical trials and has been used as the benchmark in the ESTRO handbook on dosimeters. As part of the research I derived a theory for the transmission of Čerenkov radiation in large core optical fibres and verified it experimentally. I also supervised three mechanical engineering honours projects relating to the dosimetry project.For the mPOF project I designed and constructed the apparatus which enabled the experimental determination of the effect of the drawing process on the mechanical properties of PMMA and demonstrated the existence of a regime wherein the drawn PMMA can be cut rather than undergoing uncontrolled brittle fracture. The results have implications not just for microstructured polymer optical fibres, but for the handling of polymer optical fibres in general. The results also have implications for the poling of polymer fibres, i.e. freezing an electrical field in the fibre.For the dentistry project I co-supervised a PhD student who developed an instrument that uses optical fibre technology for the measurement of surface acoustic waves. This was used to demonstrate a technique for the early detection of pre-carious lesions and for assessing the effectiveness of remineralisation techniques. Show less I joined OFTC in 1997 taking over as head of the Product Incubator in 1998. I designed and built Australia’s first multi-fibre pigtailing unit, and then developed a second unit for attaching fibre arrays. I also developed the processes for fibre attachment, designed packages for planar waveguide devices, researched the planar waveguide mounting techniques that helped APCRC’s planar waveguide group win a major award and the start up company to raise venture capital. I also collaborated on the demonstration of fully automated fibre-to-fibre alignment.As part of this program, I studied fibre geometry variations and their impact on signal coupling in passive alignment systems leading to a statistical analysis of core alignment in fibre arrays and optimisation criteria for array alignment. This work aimed at predicting production yields in assembly lines. I quantified the independent variability of the core and cladding diameters in a fibre. The significance of this work is demonstrated by the recent move towards tighter control of fibre geometry in the fibre fabrication industry.I also studied the effect of cure schedule on the material properties of the polymer adhesives used in photonic assembly.In addition I worked on industry analysis and business plans for several of APCRC’s spin-off companies. The industry analysis was used in the successful “The Bandwidth Foundry” MNRF bid.I developed collaborations with CAMT at the University of Sydney on failure modes in anchored fibre and with the Dept of Chemical Engineering in studies of the fibre drawing process. This project demonstrated the limitations of feedback control in fibre drawing and indicated alternate approaches for improving the consistency of fibre geometry. During this time I also worked on a number of confidential projects, both industry and government, several of which I also managed. Among the skills used in these was bulk optical design using computer based optical design optimization software. Show less

  • Honorary Senior Lecturer

    Nov 2007 - Apr 2010

  • Senior Research Fellow

    Jan 2004 - Nov 2007

  • Research & Design Engineer

    Oct 1997 - Nov 2007
• 

  Macquarie University

  Jul 2009 - now

  Management of technical personnel in Physics and Engineering. Management of budget and operations of teaching laboratories. Management of the Departmental Cleanroom. Oversight of Work Health and Safety. Oversight and coordination of upgrades and maintenance of Departmental Laboratories. Implementation and Management of Faculty Laser Safety Procedures.During this time I have:• Set up & chaired a Teaching Laboratories Committee for Department of Physics & Astronomy with the aim of integrating curriculum, budget and management of all three sets of laboratories.• Set up & chaired a Technical Support & Planning Committee for theDepartment of Engineering to manage and plan technical support and the development of laboratories (both teaching & research) for the Department during a period of massive expansion (first year enrolments have nearly trebled to ~160 since I began work with a commensurate increase in later year student numbers.)• Overseen Health & Safety and maintenance of both Teaching and Research Laboratories. This included setting up the first complete and detailed listing of the 70+ laboratories in the Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Engineering with details of their facilities and requirements and records of required safety testing and inspections. Also set up a server based management system for storage of the records required to meet the standards of the new WHS laws.• Designed new laboratories and upgrades to existing laboratories• Prepared and written internal funding applications for teaching laboratories (Annual MQSIS Teaching and Learning Grants, 3 successful applications in 3 years.) Show less

  • Adjunct Fellow Macquarie University

    Jan 2022 - now

  • Technical Manager - Projects

    Jan 2020 - Jan 2022

  • Technical Team Manager & Laser Safety Officer

    Jul 2016 - Jan 2020

  • Technical Team Manager & Laser Safety Officer

    Jul 2009 - Jun 2016