Educator, researcher and science communicator Noël Hanna has been appointed Honorary Secretary of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP).

Dr Hanna holds a PhD jointly awarded by UNSW Sydney and the Université Grenoble Alpes, and is currently based at UNSW College in Sydney where he lecturers Physics. Hanna is a qualified high school teacher and Fellow of the Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales who has taught STEM subjects to students at every level from early childhood through to postgraduate study. Hanna’s research centres on acoustics, exploring the physics of music, singing and speech, and he is a member of the Australian Acoustical Society and the Acoustical Society of America.

Dr Hanna remarked, “I am looking forward to highlighting the enormous range of work that physicists do, and to supporting those who inspire and train the next generation of physicists.”

Across his career, Hanna has built a reputation for making complex scientific ideas accessible and engaging, and promoting STEM pathways for students. He has published widely for both specialist and general audiences and has delivered invited presentations around the globe, including mentoring teachers and academics in the Asia-Pacific region with the Australian Volunteers Program. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Universitas Komputer Indonesia (UNIKOM).

AIP President Stuart Midgley welcomed Hanna to the role and acknowledged the depth of experience he brings to the Institute.

“The AIP is excited to welcome Noel onto the executive as Honorary Secretary, leveraging his broad-ranging experience to further the AIP’s objectives. Noel currently sits at the intersection of teaching and academia and will enhance our engagement with the teaching sector; an area the AIP is focussing on in the coming years to strengthen the physics community for the future. I look forward to working with Noel and know that the community will enthusiastically embrace him and his passion for physics. Welcome, Noel!”

His work as an educator and science communicator reflects a commitment to making physics accessible and meaningful beyond the laboratory, an outlook well suited to the AIP's mission of promoting physics across research, industry, education and the broader community.

The AIP thanks A/Prof Michael Schmidt, outgoing Honorary Secretary, for his dedication and work for the physics community and we wish him every success for the future.