Division of Information and Communication Sciences

Stephen Thurgate

Biography

Professor Thurgate is currently Dean of Information and Communication Sciences at Macquarie University. After completing undergraduate and a Masters Courses in Physics at ANU, Professor Thurgate joined the staff at Murdoch University in Western Australia in 1978. He was appointed to the tenured staff in 1982, the same year that he completed his PhD in surface science.

Professor Thurgate was elected as President of Academic Council for the period 1998-2002. In this role he developed an interest in academic quality assurance and was appointed Director of Quality Audits in 2000. In this capacity he led the 2000 Quality Audit of Murdoch University by the New Zealand Academic Audit Unit, chaired by David Woodhouse. He filled a range of leadership roles in the academic and research portfolios at Murdoch before returning to his substantive position as a Professor in Physics in 2003.

Professor Thurgate chaired a number (five) of private provider Accreditation Panels on behalf of the WA State Government in the period 2003- 2006.

Professor Thurgate’s research interests have been in experimental surface science and he has built a substantial array of surface analytical equipment, including several unique instruments. He continues to research and collaborate both nationally and internationally.

(BSc ANU, Msc ANU, PhD Murdoch)