Staff Profile
Career Summary
Biography
I have more than 30 years of experience in molecular science, optical sources, equipment and detection, signal extraction and amplification. My career path is different from the norm in that I have worked in the industry for 12 years before I did a PhD and didn't have the opportunity to do postdoctoral research. From 1995-2001, I worked in the Philippines at the Ateneo de Manila University as an academic with both teaching and administration as primary duties. During this time, in difficult financial circumstances associated with the third world location, I developed a LIDAR system with colleagues, upon which two Ph.D. and one M.Sc. student were trained and from which many (22) conference papers and posters were generated. Additionally, I collaborated with the Caesar Saloma group at the University of the Philippines resulting in the single journal article from this period. I was chosen as a member of a UNESCO panel to visit North Korea in July 2000 to evaluate Physics and Physics Education in North Korea. This was on the basis of significant development in and knowledge of Physics teaching in a third world setting. I was Chair of the Physics Department of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines for 18 months. In June 2001, I returned to Australia and accepted the Lecturer (in Photonics) position at the University of Newcastle where I devoted most of my time in the first 3 years coordinating the Photonics program and developing its teaching materials paying particular attention to the laboratory component. Despite my limited research opportunities, I have succeeded in my effort to establish research which has resulted in multidisciplinary collaborations with : Swinburne University (David Booth) in doped glass behaviour. : Colleagues at the University of Newcastle (Howard Bridgeman, Geography) and CSIRO in LIDAR. : Colleagues at The University of Newcastle (Paul Dastoor) into conductive polymer dynamics. : The Optical Fibre Technology Centre (Stuart Jackson & John Canning) in . : Colleagues at the University of Newcastle (Dirk Van Helden) in 2-photon microscopy. As a founding member of the Priority Research Centre for Organic Electronics of the University of Newcastle, I engage with colleagues in competitive research, and I believe I contribute significantly to the proposed research. I currently (2013) co-supervise 6 PhD students and have 1 Honours student. I have has established the B.Sc. (Photonics), B.Sc. (Hons) (Photonics) degree programs and the new (2006) Photonics major within the B.Sc. program at the University of Newcastle. This has been a very successful venture for the University and has led to graduates pursuing Honours and Doctoral degrees at Newcastle, ANU RSPSE and University of Adelaide as well as finding demand in industry and within CSIRO. I was awarded the Faculty of Science and Information Technology Teaching award for 2004 and the prestigious Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching in 2006. The LIDAR I developed was a finalist in the Newcastle branch of the Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence awards in 2005. I was invited to be a full member of the University of Newcastle Research Priority Centre for Organic Electronics in recognition of my research potential and capability. I have mentored 3 RHD (1 PhD and 2 MSc) students to completion in my previous academic position. I have assessed 8 RHD theses both here and abroad. I am a member of the Optical Society of America, the Australian Institute of Physics, and am the Secretary of the Australian Optical Society.
Qualifications
- PhD, Griffith University
- Bachelor of Science (Honours), Griffith University
- Bachelor of Science, Griffith University
Research
Research keywords
- Conductive polymer characterisation
- LIDAR
- Laser applications
- Lasers
Research expertise
I have developed metal vapour laser systems for medical and scientific use and have a wide expertise in lasers and optical systems. Applications of lasers pursued have been in LIDAR, photocurrent mapping of conductive polymers as well as ultra-short pulse probing of conductive polymer materials.
I have expertise in glass modification via UV irradiation and two-photon microscopy in biomedical science.
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 020500 | Optical Physics | 85 |
| 040600 | Physical Geography And Environmental Geoscience | 10 |
| 091200 | Materials Engineering | 5 |
Memberships
Body relevant to professional practice.
- Member - Australian Institute of Physics
- Secretary - Australian Optical Society
- Member - Institute of Physics
- Member - Optical Society of America
Appointments
| Member Physics Evaluation Team UNESCO (Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of) | 01/06/2000 - 01/07/2000 |
Awards
Recognition.
| 2006 | Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching Excellence University of Newcastle (Australia) Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching Excellence in Faculty of Science and Technology |
|---|
Collaboration
I trained as a molecular spectroscopist under Prof. Alan Knight at Griffith University for all my degrees with a central theme of applications of lasers in this field, including laser isotope enrichment, multi-photon ionisation, laser ablation from liquids, cavity ringdown spectroscopy , collisional energy transfer in iodine as probed by laser fluorescence and laser induced chemical vapour deposition.
During the years 1980-1988 I worked in industry developing the initial prototype copper and gold vapour lasers and optical fibre attachments for lasers for Quentron Optics Pty. Ltd. under an Industrial Research and Development Grant and held various positions within that company including research and development scientist. I worked for Spectra-Physics the international laser company, for a three year period in laser applications until returning to Ph.D. study during 1991-1995. During 1995-2001, I transferred to the Philippines and helped to establish a research group performing LIDAR studies of the atmosphere.
My appointment as Photonics Program Coordinator in 2001 brought me to Newcastle as a teaching academic. In order to establish a research dimension to this position I have collaborated with David Booth and Keith Gibbs to measure fluorescent lifetimes in Pr doped ZBLAN glass. I collaborated with Stuart Young of CSIRO and atmospheric scientists to measure dust concentrations with LIDAR. I collaborate with the OFTC on microstructured fibre devices and have shared students with them. I collaborate with Paul Dastoor and research group colleagues and have developed the photocurrent mapping technique using near field scanning optical microscopy which, for the first time, has allowed the photocurrent output from morphological features to be probed. Spectrally resolved photocurrent detection from conductive polymer films has been established as a standard test in our laboratories.
Ultra-fast detection of exciton lifetime in polyphenylenevinylene using a supercontinuum generated in microstructured optical fibre is a topic of current research within the research group and I supervise a RHD student in this area. I collaborate on developing two-photon microscopy for biological applications and supervise a student in this area.
Administrative
Administrative expertise
I was the manager of a sales and service team of 12 while in industry. I was head of department of 30 Faculty in the Philippines. I have served University of Newcastle on several committees, Research Training and International, Teaching and Learning, Complaints Officer.
I am the secretary of the Australian Optical Society and the reviews editor of the Australian Institute of Physics.
Teaching
Teaching keywords
- Optical Physics
- Photonics
Teaching expertise
I have established the Photonics program at the University of Newcastle. In doing so I have extensively revised and /or developed from scratch the key courses in that program. In 2006 I was awarded the VC's award for teaching excellence in recognition of the effort.
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 11 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $772,809 |
For project grants received where the lead institution is other than the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics.
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
2013 (1 grants)
Nano-Optical Microscopy, Characterization and Fabrication Facility$155,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Andrew Fleming, Doctor John Holdsworth, Doctor Grant Webber, Professor Erich Kisi, Professor Dirk Van Helden | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $155,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1200167 | ||
2010 (2 grants)
Science (non) fiction: The history and science of lasers$9,000
Funding Body: American Physical Society
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth, Doctor Terry Burns | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| LaserFest Program | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $9,000 | 2010 | 2010 |
| GNo:G1000361 | ||
Laserfest$5,690
Funding Body: SPIE
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth, Doctor Terry Burns | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Education Outreach Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $5,690 | 2010 | 2010 |
| GNo:G1000693 | ||
2008 (1 grants)
18th national Physics Congress, University of Adelaide, 30/11/2008 - 5/12/2008$1,089
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,089 | 2008 | 2008 |
| GNo:G0189510 | ||
2007 (1 grants)
High speed/sensitivity CCD camera$30,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor Dirk Van Helden, Professor Eileen McLaughlin, Professor Gordon Burns, Doctor Rick Thorne, Dr Marcus Howlett, Doctor Mohammad Imtiaz, Associate Professor Alan Brichta, Professor Robert Callister, Doctor Brett Graham, Associate Professor Derek Laver, Associate Professor Liz Milward, Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $30,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0188196 | ||
2006 (2 grants)
PRC - Priority Research Centre for Organic Electronics & OrganoBiosensors$549,282
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor Paul Dastoor, Professor Adam McCluskey, Professor Erica Wanless, Professor Scott Donne, Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Priority Research Centre | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $549,282 | 2006 | 2013 |
| GNo:G0186946 | ||
Australian Conerence on Optical Fibre Technology/Australian Optical Society Conference, RMIT Melbourne,10-13 July 2006$938
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $938 | 2006 | 2006 |
| GNo:G0186760 | ||
2004 (1 grants)
Australian Conference on Optical Fibre Technology/Aust Optical Society Conference, 5-8 July 2004, ANU$265
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $265 | 2004 | 2004 |
| GNo:G0184307 | ||
2003 (1 grants)
Assessing the Vertical Structure of the Hunter Region Atmosphere using LIDAR$10,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Conjoint Associate Professor Howard Bridgman, Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Collaborative Research Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $10,000 | 2003 | 2003 |
| GNo:G0183117 | ||
2001 (2 grants)
Energy Transfer in Rare-Earth Doped Materials$11,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Early Career Researcher Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $11,000 | 2001 | 2001 |
| GNo:G0181229 | ||
Australasian Conference on optics, Lasers and Spectroscopy Queensland 3-6 December, 2001$545
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor John Holdsworth | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $545 | 2001 | 2001 |
| GNo:G0181551 | ||
Research Supervision
| Number of current supervisions | 9 |
|---|---|
| Total current UoN Masters EFTSL | 0.35 |
| Total current UoN PhD EFTSL | 2.35 |
For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics, and the institution name is listed below the program name.
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Proposed Completion | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2017 | M Philosophy (Physics) | Principal Supervisor | Supercontinuum Structure and Solitonic Processes in Higher-Order Electromagnetic Modes within Photonic Crystal Fibre |
| 2013 | 2017 | PhD (Electrical Engineering) | Co-Supervisor | Study of the Physics and Photonic Properties of Structures Created from Sub-wavelength Optical Phenomena |
| 2013 | 2017 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Development of an Improved Solenoidal Neutral Helium Detector for Use on the Newcastle Scanning Helium Microscope (SHeM) |
| 2012 | 2016 | PhD (Chemistry) | Co-Supervisor | Polymers for Photonics and Sensing Applications |
| 2012 | 2015 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Photocurrent Mapping of OPVs |
| 2011 | 2015 | PhD (Physics) | Principal Supervisor | An Investigation of the Spatio-temporal Performance of Supercontinuum Generation in Photonic Crystal Fibre and Applications in Sub-picosecond Exciton Lifetime Measurement |
| 2010 | 2015 | PhD (Psychology - Science) | Co-Supervisor | Central and Peripheral Changes in Myopia and Implications for Treatment |
| 2008 | 2012 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Nano-structural Organic Solar Cells |
| 2007 | 2010 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Determining the Relationship Between Morphology and Charge Carrier Mobility in Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells |
Past Supervision
| Year | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | A Novel Electrical Model for Organic Photovoltaic Cells |
| 2012 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Towards Large Scale Organic Photovoltaics |
| 2011 | PhD (Physics) | Co-Supervisor | Methods and Materials for the Investigation and Extension of the Performance of Polymer Photovoltaic Devices |
| 2010 | PhD (Physics) | Principal Supervisor | Design and Investigation of a Four Mirror Scan Engine Incorporating Parabolic Reflectors |
Dr John Holdsworth
| Work Phone | (02) 4921 5436 |
|---|---|
| Fax | (02) 4921 6907 |
| John.Holdsworth@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position | Assistant Dean (Teaching and Learning) School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Faculty of Science and Information Technology |
| Focus Area | Physics |
| Office | P104, Physics, Callaghan University Drive Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia |
| URL: | www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/john-holdsworth |
Research Networks
