ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron Program Advisory Committees (PAC) 

ANSTO’s Australian Synchrotron (AS) has established the Program Advisory Committees (PAC) to oversee the review of merit-based proposals and to advise management on ways to ensure that AS facilities remain at the leading edge of science. We currently manage nine different PACs, categorised according to the beamline techniques that they cover.  

The primary role of the AS PACs is:  

1. To oversee the review of merit-based proposals for use of the facility and to make recommendations for the allocation of resources if appropriate in line with PAC Guidelines; 

2. To monitor the experimental program and utilisation of the facility;  

3. In conjunction with facility scientists, to make recommendations on the number of shifts to be allocated to a particular proposal, and; 

4. To provide commentary as feedback for users on the outcome of their proposal assessments and on how to improve their future proposals, as outlined in the PAC Guidelines.  

    

Each AS PAC consists of a chair, an optional co-chair and a minimum of 5 members with a sound knowledge of scientific research and development, with a particular emphasis on a discipline mix covering the major branches of science conducted on their beamlines. PAC membership is drawn from the science community around Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.  

The chair and members of a PAC are appointed by the AS Senior Principal Scientist or delegate. The full term of PAC membership is approximately 4 years with members interchanging on a rotating basis. The chair serves for a term of approximately 2 years. 

AS staff and AS PAC members must protect the confidentiality of proposals under review and if PAC members are not able to discuss or review a proposal impartially due to a conflict of interest, they must declare that and absent themselves from the proposal discussion. 

Current Program Advisory Committee (PAC) Chairs: 

ANSTO Australian Synchrotron expresses sincere thanks to all volunteer PAC members.