KOZWaves 2015: The second Australasian conference on wave science

View the KOZWAVES Report

Waves are ubiquitous features of nature, governing a wide range of physical processes. A common mathematical theory provides a unifying framework for the different forms of wave phenomena. KOZWaves brings together Australasian and international researchers in mathematics, physics, material science, engineering and geophysics with a shared interest in advancing the mathematical theory of wave motion. The interdisciplinary focus, underpinned by a collective mathematical language and led by international leaders in wave science, will foster cutting edge research.

Invited Speakers

Prof Richard Blaikie is an ideal representative of wave science in New Zealand. He is internationally recognised for his work on the negative refraction of light and its use in fabricating electrical circuits. The Royal Society of NZ awarded him the TK Sidey Medal in 2001 and the Hector Medal in 2003 for his research. He held the prestigious position of Director of the MacDiarmid Institute before becoming Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Otago, NZ.

A/Prof Nicole Kessissoglou is a senior member of the Vibrations and Acoustics Research Group at the University of New South Wales. She has over 50 published journal articles on topics including signature management of maritime platforms, wave propagation in complex structures, mid-frequency vibration analysis, and muffler acoustics. She is a former director of the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration, and is the Chief Editor of the Australian Acoustics Journal.

Prof Mathias Fink is unquestionably one of the world’s leading wave scientists. He founded and directed the Langevin Institute (formerly the Laboratory Ondes et Acoustique) at École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI), Paris, France. He is a member of the French Academies of Science and Engineering and Chair of Technological Innovation at the College de France. He pioneered time-reversal mirrors and transient elastography. He holds more than 55 patents and has published more than 350 papers.

Prof Yuri Kivshar is the Head of the Nonlinear Physics Centre at the Australian National University. He represents Australian innovation in nonlinear wave science. He is the Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence in Ultra-high bandwidth Devices and Optical Systems. His recent awards include the Lyle Medal of the Australian Academy of Sciences (the highest award of the AAS in physics) and the Peter Baum Award (the most distinguished award of ANU).

A/Prof Richard Manasseh (Swinburne University of Technology) is the current Vice-President and former President of the Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society. He has expertise in theoretical and experimental modelling of waves in fluids. He currently leads funded research projects in: developing ocean wave-power machines; the interaction of ultrasound with microbubbles and live cells for medical diagnostics and therapeutics; and the interaction of ultrasound with droplets for food processing.

A/Prof William Parnell is a U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) fellow and Reader in the School of Mathematics, University of Manchester. There he leads the Waves in Complex Continua group with Beyer Professor of Applied Mathematics David Abrahams. He is an Associate Editor of the international research journals Wave Motion and the Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics.

Prof William Perrie is a Chief Marine Scientist at Canada’s largest centre for ocean research, the Bedford Institute of Technology. He has expertise in modelling ocean waves and their role in the global climate system. He developed the first operation model of ocean waves in the Arctic Ocean. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the international research journal Ocean Modelling.

A/Prof Ying Wu obtained her PhD in 2008 from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, working as part of the renowned Wave Phenomena Research Group. She now leads the Waves in Complex Media Research Group at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. She already has over 30 published articles in some of the most highly rated international research journals. Her research interests include metamaterials, time-reversal imaging and super-resolution.