The AIP’s Marie Curie Lecture Tour is expanding digitally in 2026, breaking barriers to reach audiences nationwide, thanks to a National Science Week grant.

Meet astrophysicist Dr Karelle Siellez, a leading expert in explosive cosmic events that forge the Universe’s gold. Get a sneak preview of Karelle's interests in her TEDxSanta Cruz talk What's at the Core of an Astrophysicist? (2020).

Livestreamed and recorded events will connect students and communities in regional and remote Australia with inspiring physics and world-class science communication. Subscribe to our newsletter to be kept informed of tour news and announcements.

A summary of the 2025 Marie Curie lectures.

Pictured from left to right: Dr Danielle Holmes, Dr Sol H Jacobsen, A/Prof Karen Livesey, and Prof Susanna Guatelli at the awards presentation in Wollongong.

Dr Danielle Holmes (UNSW Sydney) and Dr Sol H Jacobsen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) presented a hugely successful Marie Curie lecture series, giving ten public lectures and visiting many schools right across Australia.

Danni spoke on the quantum century, detailing some surprising history in the development of quantum science and computing, including the hidden contributions by women.

Sol focused on the role of “spintronics” to modernise our computing and energy needs, with discussion of geopolitical consequences.

“This was as close as I have come to feeling like a physics celebrity!” Danni said about the tour. “The whirlwind of events, with public lectures, high school visits, radio interviews and podcasts, gave me an incredible platform to deliver my love for quantum physics far beyond the laboratory. The response from curious audiences was incredible and I got asked countless questions, with the most intellectual being from young school children!”

“What a privilege it was to embark on this whirlwind tour, meeting and discussing with so many quantum-curious people of all ages and backgrounds!” said Sol. “In every arena, from schools to podcasts, radio to lectures, in plenary and in private, it became clear that people are yearning for a broad and full and frank discussion of the implications of quantum developments and their future role in them. The AIP is a global leader in highlighting the contribution of women in physics, and connecting those physicists to the public, and I’m honoured to have been a small part of their ambitious project.”

You can hear Drs Jacobsen and Holmes speak about the tour on Radio National.

Attendance at public lectures increased this year, with Melbourne’s lecture attracting over 450 people.

At the public lecture in Wollongong, Danni and Sol joined forces to deliver their lectures and received the AIP’s Women in Physics medal.

The medals and certificates were awarded by Professor Susanna Guatelli, a former Women in Physics medalist (2021) and current Head of School of Physics at University of Wollongong (UOW). The event was hosted by Senior Professor Michael Lerch, Associate Dean of Research at UOW and former NSW AIP Chair.

In 2025, the Women in Physics lecture tour was rebranded as the Marie Curie lectures, to build a larger and more general audience.

It has run nationally since 1997 and is aimed at promoting the excellent research performed by women.

The AIP is pleased to announce the 2026 lecturer, Dr Karelle Siellez (University of Tasmania). A feature on Karelle will appear in the October AIP newsletter.

This week the tour visits Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong, where our quantum entangled lecturers will be formally presented with their Women in Physics Lecturer Awards.

Hear Danielle and Sol talk about the tour experience so far, spintronics,  quantum computing, as well as women in physics, in conversation with Julian Morrow of ABC Radio National's Sunday Extra.

Dr Sol H. Jacobsen has kicked off her national tour with her first Marie Curie Lecture at her alma mater, the University of Tasmania!

Next stops for Sol are Canberra (5 August), Wollongong (7 August), Adelaide (11 August) and Brisbane (14 August).

Listen to Sol talk about investigating quantum phenomena as part of her new project, SuperFlex, on ABC Hobart Afternoons.  

Read more here from the University of Tasmania.

Dr Danielle Holmes gives a sneak preview of her upcoming public lectures in  discussion with David Astle in Evenings on ABC Melbourne.

Listen here from ~1:37.

The Marie Curie Lectures kick off on 25 July with Dr Danielle Holmes and Dr Sol H Jacobsen touring Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.

Find out more about their work on the Clear as Quantum podcast by EQUS.

Danielle shares her early dreams of becoming an astrophysicist and explains why she's glad to have ended up using a single-atom gun. Working at atomic scales has its challenges – a single sneeze in a cleanroom can derail weeks of effort.

Danielle shares a teaser of her Marie Curie presentation: quantum science isn’t just about tiny particles, but about everything from why stars shine to how quantum computing might reshape society.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Sol is a thoughtful and fascinating scientist whose journey into quantum science started with philosophy. Her research explores the amazing world of spintronics – where manipulating electron spin opens doors to ultra-efficient information processing.

Sol discusses how quantum mechanics challenges our understanding of reality and why these ideas matter to everyone, not just physicists.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Clear as Quantum is a podcast by the ARC CoE for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS). It is about how quantum science is changing the world and features conversations with experts, sharing fascinating stories from their research and broader experiences as scientists. Get to know some of the amazing people and ideas underpinning the second quantum revolution.

Nominations for the 2026 AIP Women in Physics Lecturer award have been extended until 15 June.

This award is for women who have made a significant research contribution to physics and effectively communicate their work to the public.

The awardee will receive a medal and be supported to give the national Marie Curie Lectures.

Nominate here.

School children and physicists were delighted by Dr Danielle Holmes at her first Marie Curie Lecture in Melbourne last month.

Dr Holmes took the audience on a journey from the photoelectric effect to how birds navigate vast oceans, including experiments with lasers, static electricity, and pipe cleaners.

The Marie Curie Lecture will tour Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane across July and August. 

Read more about the national tour here.

The AIP’s 2025 Marie Curie Lectures begin this month with Dr Danielle Holmes speaking on the ‘Wonders of the Quantum World: From Stars to Computers’.

She will present this lecture at the Girls in Physics Breakfast on 20 May in Melbourne, organised by Vicphysics.

Dr Holmes will also present her Marie Curie Public Lecture ‘Quantum Century: Unlocking the Universe’s Secrets and Shaping our Future’ at The University of Melbourne on 25 July.

Dr Holmes will be joined by the AIP’s second 2025 Women in Physics Lecturer, Dr Sol H Jacobsen, to deliver a joint Marie Curie Lecture on 7 August in Wollongong.

Read more about the Marie Curie Lectures and get event updates here.

Nominations for the 2026 AIP Women in Physics Lecturer award will open soon and close 1 June.

For Quantum Year, the AIP has selected two 2025 Women in Physics Lecturers: Dr Sol H. Jacobsen and Dr Danielle Holmes will tour Australia this year as the AIP’s joint 2025 Women in Physics Lecturers.

Dr Jacobsen, Group Leader at QuSpin Centre for Quantum Spintronics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), develops materials that are both superconductive and magnetic (two properties that are usually at odds with each other) to create computers with little energy loss.

Dr Holmes, Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at UNSW Sydney, manipulates individual atoms in silicon chips to build “qubits” (quantum computing’s version of binary digits) to create scalable quantum computers.

The Women In Physics Lecture tour celebrates and recognises women’s contributions in physics.

Tour dates and locations of Dr Sol Jacobsen’s and Dr Danielle Holmes’ lecture series will be announced soon.