Michael E. Tobar
was born in Maffra, Australia, on January 3, 1964. He received the
B.Sc. degree in theoretical physics and mathematics in 1985, and the
B.E. (honors) degree in electrical and computer systems engineering in
1988, both from Monash University, Melbourne Australia. From 1989 to
1992 he was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics, University of
Western Australia, Perth, and from 1992 to 1993 he was appointed a
Research Associate. His dissertation was entitled "Gravitational wave
detection and low noise sapphire oscillators." From 1994 to 1996 he was
awarded an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the
University of Western Australia, and during 1997 he was appointed a
Senior Research Associate. From 1997-98 he was awarded a research
Fellowship by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science at the
University of Tokyo, Tsukuba, Japan. During 1998 he was awarded a
visiting Professorship at the Institut de Recherche en Communications
Optiques et Microondes at the University of Limoges. From 1999-2000
2000 (for of 11 months), he was a Research Director of the Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). During 2003 he was
awarded a visiting Professorship at the Laboratoire de Physique et
Métrologie des Oscillateurs at the University of Franche
Comté. He is currently a Research Professor with the School of
Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, W.A., Australia.
His research interests encompass the broad discipline of frequency
metrology, precision measurements, and precision tests of the
fundamental of physics. He also leads Australian involvement in the
European Space Agency’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space mission. Prof.
Tobar was the recipient of an Australian Professorial Fellowship
presented by the Australian Research Council in 2003. He was also the
recipient of the 1999 Best Paper Award presented by the Institute of
Physics Measurement Science and Technology, the 1999 European Frequency
and Time Forum Young Scientist Award, the 1997 Australian
Telecommunications and Electronics Research Board (ATERB) Medal, the
1996 Union of Radio Science International (URSI) Young Scientist Award,
and the 1994 Japan Microwave Prize.