Marcela Bilek

Marcela Bilek
Born	(1968-01-20)January 20, 1968 Prague, Czech Republic
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Sydney, University of Cambridge, Rochester Institute of Technology
Awards	Physical Scientist of the Year
Scientific career
Fields	surface science
Institutions	University of Sydney

Marcela Bilek is a Professor of Applied Physics and Surface Engineering at the University of Sydney, Australia. She was named Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2015 for contributions to the science and application of plasma processes for materials modification and synthesis. In 2004, she won the Pawsey Medal awarded by the Australian Academy of Science.

Early life

Bilek was born in Prague, the Czech Republic, in January 1968. Prague was under a Communist regime, and her father, a machinery seller, was very outspoken against the Communist Regime. Bilek's parents decided for the safety of her father, and to obtain a better education, her parents applied and were granted political refugee status in Australia, and they emigrated in 1973.

Bilek's parents encouraged learning, oftentimes with her father teaching her how to do her own research and problem solving. Her parents also encouraged participating in outdoor activities. Bilek enjoyed hiking, bushwalking, and abseiling.

Education

Bilek began her undergraduate studied at the University of Sydney in 1986, studying Physics and Computer Science. After two years, she was offered a job at IBM Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, working on computer networks. She returned to Australia after a year, finishing her Bachelor of Science degree with honours by completing an honours thesis on electron microscopy and studying heterostructures, and graduated in 1990 with first class honors and a university medal.

After finishing her bachelor's degree, Bilek worked at the Comalco Research Centre in Melbourne as an industrial research scientist, working with designing aluminum. Two and a half years later, Bilek was awarded a scholarship to complete her PhD in Engineering at the University of Cambridge, earning her doctorate in 1996 .Bilek then went on to complete her master's degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, College of Business, completing it in 2000.

Career

After receiving her PhD, Bilek stayed in Cambridge as a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College until October 2000. At the same time, Bilek collaborated at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, in California, USA, working closely with Ian Brown, head of the Plasma Applications Group. During this time, Bilek also was a visiting professor at Technische Universitäd Hamburg-Harburg in Germany.

In November, 2000, Bilek came back to Australia and was appointed Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Sydney. She became the first female Professor in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, at the age of 32. Bilek is now Head of the Applied and Plasma Physics Research Group at the University of Sydney.

Research

Bilek currently leads a large research group that specializes in materials and energy related technologies. Some of her research includes materials physics, plasma deposition and processing, thin film materials, vacuum glazing, and cross-disciplinary research in biointerfaces and medicine. Bilek has published over 280 articles in international journals, 1 book, 5 book chapters, and holds 10 patents. She has supervised 19 PhD students as a primary supervisor and 8 students as an associate supervisor.

Awards and Honors

Throughout Bilek's career, she has received numerous honors for her work. This includes the Malcolm-McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year in 2002, the Australian Academy of Science Pawsey Medal in 2004, and an Australian Innovation Challenge Award in 2011. In 2013, she was elected to the Fellowship of the American Physical Society (APS), and in 2015, she was elected to the Fellowship of the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers. Bilek has also earned over $13 million in research funding.