At the recent Wagga-AC2MP condensed matter and materials meeting, one of the most popular sessions was the careers panel discussion. This was enabled by the Australian Academy of Science Theo Murphy Amplify Initiative, which aims to support activities for early- and middle-career researchers as part of bigger conferences. The panel featured an accomplished line-up of Australian and international scientists working across universities, start-ups, industry, publishing, research facilities and government agencies – all of whom had a wealth of experience in condensed matter and materials physics and its applications. What does a solid career look like? It turns out perhaps there is no such thing, as everyone had contended with uncertainty calculations along the way! Wide-ranging topics were discussed with generosity and frankness:

• On the importance of mentors: look for those who combine patience with pedagogy while also being honest with what they do not know. It’s important to be trusted to try something for yourself.
• Career off-ramps and pivots: making a change can be intimidating, but it’s always worth asking yourself what would you do if not your current job?  Change can also be a huge positive.
• Be open to mindset shifts between academia and industry: in academia, you often seek to understand why something didn’t work, whereas in industry there is usually no time or profit in that – on to the next thing to try!
• Skills development beyond a PhD: experimentalists were encouraged to acquire versatile practical skills, to be hands-on with electronics and instrumentation, and to learn about engineering standards.
• Soft skills: during a PhD, you can evolve as a project manager, not just as a scientist. Treat projects and research papers like mini-business challenges where you are producing output for a client on a deadline! Think ahead about your supply chain and deliverables.
• Publishing: early-career researchers should strive to develop their communication and writing skills. One avenue for this is Nature Reviews Physics ‘Tools of the Trade’ and ‘Journal Club’ series, which are short pieces authored exclusively by ECRs, supported by a professional editorial team. Find out more here.
• Developing business within a university: one panellist had started a business selling their custom-built instruments to other researchers internationally – not only was this a commercial success, but it added add vibrancy and capabilities to their research community, thus expanding that area of science worldwide.

As for the worst part of pursuing a career in this field? “One day my experiment exploded!” was the slightly gleeful answer of one panellist, the drama of that moment now an entertaining memory years later and a classic example of why we’re advised not to tie our sense of self-worth to physics.

The fantastic panellists were:

• Stephan Rachel (University of Melbourne)
• Marion Geltinger (Halocell Energy)
• Paul Moonie (Halocell Energy)
• Zoe Burdikis (Nature Publishing)
• Laurens Willems van Beveren (Australian Vacuum Systems)
• Hiroyuki Nojiri (Tohoku University).

Careers advice being shared at Wagga-AC2MP.

Following the panel discussion session, attendees were able to go on a tour of Halocell Energy’s photovoltaic manufacturing facility. It was a brilliant opportunity to see the pipeline from research to device, and the diversity of applications for Halocell’s recyclable, flexible perovskite cells from drones to smart sensors and resilient medical devices. Thankyou to Halocell Energy for hosting us!

The session was chaired by Siobhan Tobin (ANSTO). The Australian Academy of Science Theo Murphy Amplify Initiative grant also supported the two poster slam sessions, the tour of Halocell, and five bursaries for PhD students and post-docs to attend Wagga-AC2MP 2026. We thank the Academy for its generous support, and we would encourage other EMCRs working in Aussie physics to apply for the Theo Murphy Initiative next round!  

Delegates visiting the Halocell Energy manufacturing facility.