Eight students were awarded their PhD in 2004. They were:

Saskia Besier
Thesis: The proximity effect in low redshift quasars

Till Boecking
Thesis: Organic and biofunctional layers on silicon

Tilo Buehler
Thesis: The Twin rf-SET: correlated single charge detection on microsecond time-scales

Timothy Byrnes
Thesis: Density matrix renormalization group: a new approach to lattice gauge theory

Emilia Gevorkian
Thesis: Crystallographic and biophysical studies of recombinant mitochondrial Chaperonin 10

Tammy Humphrey
Thesis: Mesoscopic quantum ratchets and the thermodynamics of energy selective electron heat engines

Jill Rathborne
Thesis: Young massive stars: traffic lights for nearby star formation

Steven Schofield
Thesis: Atomic-scale placement of individual phosphorus atoms in silicon(001)

Over thirty postgraduate students are studying for their Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, and Masters degree in Optoelectronics and Photonics. At the end of 2004 the first students to study entirely via distance completed their Masters degrees. These students came to UNSW for four intensive weeks completing experiments in the photonics laboratory, but completed the rest of their degree away from the campus, in locations as varied as New Zealand, Malaysia and Mongolia! Distance education is proving a popular option for students in these programs, not just for students living outside Sydney, but for those whose work commitments do not allow them to regularly attend classes on campus.

In 2004 the School offered Postgraduate Assistantships (PA’s) for the first time. PA’s are postgraduate students in the School who take part in teaching undergraduate laboratory, tutorial and online classes. In addition to a stipend, they also receive training in tertiary education. It is hoped that the scheme will not only provide financial assistance to postgraduate students while they are studying, but that the experience will help when they are seeking jobs after graduation.

Every year the School of Physics holds a postgraduate poster day, where PhD students make posters to present their research to the School. Prizes are given for the best posters; in 2004 the winners were Suzanne Kenyon(first year); Steven Longmore (second year) and Julian Berengut (higher year).