A very warm welcome to our new Council as we head into 2025! These members were elected to Council at our recent AGM and have since chosen to fill a range of roles that support ASC’s strategic vision.
Please join us in welcoming the new team!
Council Roles
President: Phil Dooley
Vice President: Jen Martin (Chair of Awards Sub-committee)
Vice President: Kate Patterson (Chair of Strategy Subcommittee)
Treasurer: Jodie Haigh
Secretary: Camille Thomson (Chair of Conference & Events Subcommittee)
General Members:
Shanii Phillips (Chair of Policy Sub-committee)
Preeti Castle (Chair of Partnerships & International Engagement Sub-committee)
Jack Wang (Chair of Member Communications Sub-committee)
Jacque Stephens
Branch Representatives:
Jo Savill (S/E QLD)
Isabella Robinson (Canberra)
Angharad Thomas and Kate Holmes (Perth)
Public Officer: Jillian Matthews
(The Public Officer is not a position on Council, but an official position at ASC. Previously this role was held by Phil Dooley.)
Get to know our Council members more below!
Phil Dooley (President)
Dr Phil Dooley is a science entertainer, writer and trainer under the banner of Phil Up On Science.
He has served ASC as national vice president alongside three presidents, and as branch president of NSW and ACT. He has been involved with ASC for nearly 20 years, and is currently ASC Public Officer.
He’s written for Cosmos Magazine, New Scientist, the American Institute of Physics and more and has been selected for the Anthology of Best Australian Science Writing three times. He’s performed his own brand of science, music and comedy in science shows and festivals around the world including Glasgow, Sydney and London. He has run training courses, made videos, written for, and organised pub gigs for ARC Research Centres, Professional Organisations, NGOs, Industry and University Departments.
Part of the time he is manager of communications for ANU Physics. He’s also worked for ANU media office, USyd Physics and at JET nuclear fusion experiment in UK. He has a PhD in Laser Physics and Cert IV in Workplace Assessment and Training.
Jen Martin (Vice President)
Associate Professor Jen Martin spent many years working as a field ecologist until she decided the most useful thing she could contribute as a scientist was to teach other scientists how to be effective and engaging communicators. Jen founded and leads the University of Melbourne’s acclaimed Science Communication Teaching Program. She is deeply committed to helping scientists develop the skills they need to be visible, make connections and have impact.
Jen also practices what she preaches: for 18 years she’s been talking about science each week on 3RRR, Australia’s largest community radio station. She writes for a variety of publications, co-hosts the Let’s Talk SciComm podcast, MCs events, was named the 2019 Unsung Hero of Australian Science Communication and received the 2020 University of Melbourne David White Award for Teaching Excellence. She is also a member of the Homeward Bound Teaching Faculty and a Board Member of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance. When she’s not talking or writing about science, you can find Jen running marathons or singing with her choir.
Kate Patterson (Vice President)
I’m a transdisciplinary researcher, veterinarian, and education designer, leading teams to create innovative visualisations and education programs that deeply engage people in complex scientific concepts. Whether designing digital solutions or translating complex ideas into clear, compelling stories, I focus on making work that is human-centered and impactful.
My research explores how animation and visual storytelling can enhance education and scientific communication. I aim to make complex concepts more accessible and engaging in both education and healthcare settings.
I graduated from the University of Sydney’s Veterinary School in 2023, earned a PhD in molecular biology cancer research in 2009, and a Master’s in Media Arts from UNSW in 2021. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in the not-for-profit sector and been recognised for my work in scientific talks, posters, and biomedical animations. My transdisciplinary approach blends education, art, and science to solve real-world problems.
Jodie Haigh (Treasurer)
Jodie Haigh is a communications professional and trained scientist with a solid technical background and diverse experience across large scientific international organisations. She has led high-performing digital content and communications teams in complex organisational environments. As a purpose-driven leader, Jodie enjoys collaboration and transparent partnerships that engage and create impact.
Her career has been dedicated to research- and science-based communications roles, driven by her experience as a first-generation university student from a socioeconomic disadvantaged background. She believes effective communication ensures is key to advancing the public good. Jodie currently serves as the Communications Manager at Science & Technology Australia (STA), the nation’s peak body in science and technology, representing 235,000 scientists and technologists. Prior to this, she led EMBL’s social media strategy across 30 member and associate states and six sites, including Australia. Jodie has also worked as a scientific journal editor and in science news and video production roles.
She is passionate about mentoring junior colleagues and building high-performing teams in creative environments. Technically proficient across various digital tools, Jodie excels at managing user journeys and maintaining a cohesive brand identity. She is also dedicated to digital accessibility and inclusion.
Jodie is excited to support ASC’s strategic goals and collaborate with the membership over the next 12 months, uncovering valuable opportunities for the community.
Camille Thomson (Secretary)
Camille is a Science communicator and Educator who has worked closely with both schools and scientists for almost 20 years. She sees herself as more of a translator and facilitator, creating events and content with leading researchers nationally, linking them to audiences live and digitally. Her career has included time with the Australian Institute for Policy and Science, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and House of Kitch Communications. She has also volunteered with Pint of Science Australia and been on the committees of the Australian Science Communicators in NSW and the ACT.
She is always striving to communicate science topics and current research in a way that is engaging and accessible to all.
Shanii Phillips
I am a science communicator, researcher and passionate advocate for the role science communication can play in social equity. Like many people, I fell into the world of science communication through a series of fortunate events, and have called this space my home for just over a decade. My working hours are kept busy with a combination of managing audience research and evaluation at Scitech and collaborating with the Science Communication unit at the University of Western Australia as an Adjunct Research Fellow.
My passion for research and social justice has led me to embark on a PhD in inclusive science communication at ANU. I hope to understand how informal science learning organisations can better reach audiences who aren’t currently represented amongst typical walk-in visitors, and the role museums and centres must play in enabling access to science communication.
Prior to pivoting into evaluation, I worked as a science centre presenter (and performer) for 7 years, and will gladly take any opportunity to blow up a fiery hydrogen balloon or set off a fog bomb with liquid nitrogen (in the name of science communication)!
Preeti Castle
Preeti has extensive experience in building brand reputation through stakeholder engagement, partnership development, advocacy and strategic communication.
As the Strategic Engagement Director at The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), Preeti has been instrumental in developing and sustaining the WABSI brand as a trusted collaboration mechanism. In the role, Preeti develops strategies to help build an engaged and informed stakeholder base to champion science-based decisions, and to make scientific knowledge accessible and understood by end users of biodiversity science.
Preeti has worked with several international and national organisations across financial services, science, technology and environment, and established a niche consulting firm that specialised in developing strategies to communicate scientific and technological concepts with clarity.
Preeti currently serves on the ASC National Council as the Secretary, International Engagement and is on the Board of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia. Preeti previously served as a Board Member and the Deputy Chair of the Munda Biddi Trail Foundation.
Preeti has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, an M.B.A. from The University of Western Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Jack Wang
Associate Professor Jack Wang has applied his interdisciplinary research background in Microbiology, Bioinformatics, and Information Technology towards scalable models of online Science Education. He has made over 300 educational videos which have been seen by 2 million users from 80 countries, and his work has been recognized through national teaching awards. In 2020 he was named the AAUT Australian University Teacher of the Year, the Australian Society for Microbiology Teacher of the year, and his most recent work on science communication can be found on his podcast and YouTube channel Biolab Collective.
Jacque Stephens
Associate Professor Jacqueline Stephens is an early career researcher and epidemiologist who conducts research focused on improving access to healthcare for people living in rural and remote locations. Her research uses data linkage in a mixed methods approach by contextualising the empirical findings with community narratives to better understand the context of the epidemiological data. Her research addresses a range of child and women’s health conditions and incorporates understanding the impacts of climate change and disasters on public health. Her work integrates a focus on addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals by investigating ways to improve data usage and sharing across and between the public health, climate change, and disaster risk reduction sectors.
In addition to her research, she is an avid science communicator. She has worked and volunteered as a science communicator in school and community settings, has spoken about her science career at school and community events, has organised STEM events for young people, is the Chair of the South Australian National Science Week committee, and a member of the Australian Science Communicators National Council. She engages regularly with local and national radio, TV, and newspapers, as well as speaking at public events.