Observations on Australia’s Scientific Future

Observations on Australia’s Scientific Future – Shine Dome 2025

I thank the Australian Academy of Science for inviting me to the Science at the Shine Dome 2025, a 4 day event celebrating the shining stars of Australian Science. 26 new fellows were elected to the academy in 2025 during the event and I offer heartiest congratulations to all of them.

In the last few decades the Australian scientific community has carved out a niche for itself on the world stage and created an ecosystem that now attracts some of the best talent in the world.

Nevertheless the academy, on the 4th day of the event,released a report evaluating AU's preparedness to meet scientific and technological challenges of the future. Materials science was identified as one of the key areas where shortages need to be addressed.

In the short-term AU govt can meet the demand by allowing easier immigration especially as many talented scientists are facing challenges in immigrating to the USA. But in the long term AU will have to cultivate its own talent.

Minerals play a big role in AU's economy and many of the research initiatives are focussed around improving the efficiency of its mining industries. Which is great but policy makers need to think ahead. Exporting raw materials is not enough. There must be more industries that can turn them into finished goods and satisfy ,at the very least, local demand.

In the renewable energy industry AU has limited ability to manufacture wind turbines,magnets or silicon — critical components used in wind and solar energy.

Similarly while research is strong in semiconductors the ability to produce electronics is limited. The situation is much the same in the automotive industry.

It doesn't have to be this way. Asian nations— Japan,South Korea and Singapore provide an example that it is indeed possible to have both a strong research and manufacturing ecosystem. Being a part of the 5 eyes AU needs to leverage its alliance with the USA to bring more key industries ,manufacturing critical technologies closer to home.

This means more industry partnerships. Stronger alliances with manufacturers and industry bodies that can propel Australian manufacturing and make it self reliant — step by step.

But what's going to be most important during this transition is for Australia to discover its own identity and work on technologies that are relevant to them. The AAS needs to strike a careful balance between keeping up with the world and still differentiating itself.

Akshat Jiwan Sharma

Strategy Consultant--Innovation/ Materials science/International relations/Telecommunications/Digital Transformation/Partnerships Mobile/whatsapp:+919654119771 email:getellobed@gmail.com

Comments

Workforce development isn't enough for innovation

Being one of the fastest growing regions in the world, Asia Pacific’s stature in the scientific community is growing as is the region's ambition to play a greater role in shaping research through science diplomacy. I have had the good fortune of connecting with delegates from Singapore and South Korea in conferences last year. Similarly I had the opportunity to engage virtually with researchers from Australia during Australian Academy of Science’s flagship event ‘ Science at the shine dome ’ in 2025. A few days ago I attended the International Science Council’s ( Asia Pacific chapter) quarterly meeting. Three things that stood out during my interactions were : focus on workforce development, democratization of science for greater public participation and emphasis on sustainability. All three issues are highly relevant but for Asia Pacific in particular workforce development takes special priority as STEM courses are often viewed as a path to a prosperous f...

Why does collapsing a bubble with a sound wave produce light?

My thoughts on a reddit discussion https://www.reddit.com/r/AskPhysics/comments/1lwxxc3/comment/n2jx8gp/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button The collapsing of a bubble with sound wave leads to the emission of light in a phenomenon known as sonoluminescnce. The bubble collapse is rapid and the gas inside the core doesn't have time to exchange heat with the surroundings as it's compressed rapidly leading to what is known as adiabatic compression. This compression heats up the gas to very high temp. The exact temperatures are inferred from the spectrum of emission which is thought to be a blackbody. But some sophisticated models have also been developed that put the temp in the range 5000k-20000k some even higher. There's also debate on whether the bubble emission spectrum is truly a blackbody or is it line emission or bremsstrahlung? Personally I think its a mix of all three. The pressures create...

The African Century

Over the past 5 years I have been advocating unification and industrialisation of Africa. During this time I have had the pleasure of interacting with several African business and political leaders from Tanzania,Kenya,Nigeria, South Africa,Uganda,Egypt,Sudan,Malawi,Liberia and more who share this vision. Africa is one of the largest contiguous land masses on the planet,with one of the world's youngest populations, an immense coastline ,deserts, mineral resources and arable land. Its location provides it with supreme geopolitical advantage that can potentially project it's influence over all of Asia and the EU. Yet historical factors combined with present economic conditions has not only prevented Africa from actualising its potential but has also made it entirely dependent upon developed nations to satisfy the demands of modern nation states. Predictably what we have seen in Africa is a continuation of extractive economics where African states supply raw ma...

The twisted fairy tales of blasphemous —stories of religious devotion, sadism and surrender

I had never played a souls-like game before,so when I saw that blasphemous was on sale earlier this summer I decided to buy and give it a try. I had heard a lot of good things about this game but it still managed to surprise me with the depth of its world. The entire game takes place in a small town of cvstodia but the amount of lore it manages to pack is simply amazing. Rooted in Spanish christian mythology weaving together themes of religious devotion,inquisition,fanaticism, penitence and authority , the main story in the game is very unsettling. Those who like fairy tales will find the narration familiar with each segment concluding with a moral lesson — but that lesson is entirely twisted and almost nightmarish. Exactly the opposite of a happy ending in a classic fairy tale. The 'miracle’, a god-like entity, grants people's wishes in the most ironic ,punishing manner possible and people bear these tortures without complaining, thinking of it as a blessing. Cv...

Energy asymmetry in AI: Who gets to host the future?

8 Jan 2026 I thank the New York Energy Forum for organising a discussion on how AI is Shaping the Global Future. Dr. Carolyn Kissane,Associate Dean of New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and Director of NYU’s SPS Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab , Mr. Douglas Giuffre Executive Director and Head of Americas Power & Renewables at S&P Global Energy, Mr Michael Pearce ,Chief US Economist at Oxford Economics presented their thoughts on implications of AI on geopolitics, energy and economics respectively. The session was moderated by Mr. Atul Arya, Senior Vice President and Chief Energy Strategist at S&P Global. AI continues to create headlines and draw passionate responses from experts in technology, governance and public policy. As with any new technology there are concerns around job security,the cost of operation and even on its effect on climate change . Some of these concerns are simply anxiety while others...

Update on the ASM committee meeting on the State of the Art in Material Upcycling for Additive Manufacturing

May 15 2026 I thank ASM sustainable manufacturing committee for organising a highly informative talk by Dr Sweta Baruah on the topic of Materials Upcycling in Additive manufacturing. As it stands AM is far more material efficient than traditional manufacturing processes— producing less waste than subtractive manufacturing techniques (milling/turning/drilling/grinding). Yet feedstock cost in AM remains high due to energy intensive processes used in its manufacturing. Typical powderisation techniques using gas or water atomisation consume much energy as do wire extrusion processes. The desire to cut down the input energy serves as a powerful motivator to develop processes that can lower the cost and make AM more sustainable. Traditional melt processing technologies for making powder or wire help with the reusability of waste streams and reduce energy input because compared to fresh feedstock there is no need for crushing ,chemical treatment,reduction etc. Yet...

If you like RPGs you should play Knights of The Old Republic

This summer on star wars day I decided to give Knights of the old Republic (KOTOR) a try. I like star wars franchise but I'm not too deep into the lore ,so initially , I was a bit undecided about the game but took a chance since I had heard from so many people that it's one of the best RPGs ever made. After finishing the game I've got to say that it's reputation is definitely well deserved. The game leans heavily towards narration and your choices can have long lasting impact on how the story plays out. Combat is real time action but you don't control characters directly rather issue commands via a pause menu. It takes a while to get used to but works very well especially on mobile touch screens. I felt that some abilities are way overpowered. Especially the light side ones that buff your characters and grant them extra turns.Even a dark ability' like destroy droid can clear out some of the toughest opponents in a few turns. From what I understand this game is b...

The Promise of Physical AI

11 Mar 2026 Yesterday at the 60th Edition of Cobotalks organised by I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Delhi, I had a chance to attend a talk on physical AI by Dr Santanu Chaudhary, Former Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi. This talk came just weeks after the India AI impact summit but I was excited nonetheless to learn more about some of the academic aspects of AI. Dr. Santanu emphasized that while chatbots have taken over the mindspace there is more to AI than just interactions with a server on the cloud. The chatbots represent a more general-purpose intelligence, they are quietly disrupting several industries in the ‘knowledge-work’ space but physical AI is narrow task specific intelligence that has applications in industrial automation and handling tasks that are either too dangerous for humans or too much of a chore. Autonomous vehicles are a great example of physical AI. They have demonstrated that it is...

Navigating geoeconomics at the India economic conclave

At the 11th edition of India economic conclave I had the pleasure of listening to luminaries like Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,Dr Gita Gopinath, famed entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu and several other leaders in the business world. It was a very humbling experience for me to be present in the midst of inspiring personalities who are painstakingly pushing India to become a $10 Trillion economy and a fully developed nation by 2047. The overarching theme of the event was navigating geoeconomics. It is no secret that like many other developing nations India's economy is heavily dependent upon the US. President Trump's decision to put America first has not gone well with several nations who have accused him of implementing policies that threaten to destabilize the world economy,in their opinion. Many have pointed out that the USA is violating all rules of trade that it established in the first place. There is some truth to that argument. But it fails to answer the most bas...

Interdependence and strategic autonomy in a world that may no longer cooperate

9 Dec 2025 At the global boardroom organised by the financial times I got the opportunity to learn from decision makers & understand their approach to deal with a world that is facing constant disruption and where economic policy, geopolitics, technology, energy, and leadership are increasingly intertwined. FT brought in a diverse set of speakers: Christine Lagarde — President, European Central Bank,Akash Palkhiwala —COO, Qualcomm,Eimear Bonner — CFO, Chevron Corporation,Janet Henry — Global Chief Economist, HSBC, Izabella Teixeira — Member, International Advisory Board & Former Brazilian Environment Minister ,Antti Häkkänen — Minister of Defence, Finland , Oana-Silvia Țoiu — Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania, Lesley O’Connor — Founder & Executive Chair, SupergridEurope among others to speak on themes spanning economics, geopolitics, technology, energy, and governance. Today in this interconnected world the decisions that one nation takes ...

Akshat Jiwan Sharma

Search This Blog