From ballet to breakthroughs – how Tim Harte has transformed adversity into a passion for science
PhD candidate Tim Harte won a scholarship to attend Science Meets Parliament.
Our PhD Profiles series spotlights our emerging researchers and the awesome discoveries they are making in the field of materials science. In this article, we speak to PhD candidate Tim Harte, who was recently in Canberra after winning one of nine scholarships to attend Science Meets Parliament 2025.
An initiative of Science and Technology Australia, the scholarship recognises and enables a diverse cohort of emerging science leaders from across Australia to attend the event.
Tim has taken an unconventional path to science. From 17 he studied ballet full-time, completing one year at the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet and another year at the National Theatre Ballet to attain a Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance). His career looked promising, but after acquiring a disability it was abruptly cut short. One door may have closed but another soon opened.
“I had always had an interest in science growing up and a passion for nature, even when I was dancing, I completed chemistry in Year 12,” says Tim, who is now an active advocate for disability rights.
“Few people find themselves at a crossroads in life where everything they have worked towards previously is effectively reset. When I acquired a disability, I found myself at that crossroads, and it was quite an adjustment. The first year of a science degree really is great because you get a taste of everything and find what you are both talented at and passionate about.”
AT A GLANCE
AREA OF RESEARCH: Materials chemistry in the fields of physical, supramolecular and electrochemical chemistry and engineering
PHD PROJECT: ‘Electrolyte Optimisation for Structural Energy Storage Applications’. I am supervised by Prof Luke Henderson (IFM), Dr Bhagya Dharmasiri (IFM) and Dr Dan Eyckens (CSIRO).
JOINED IFM: October 2022 – completing an undergraduate Honours in 2023 and starting PhD in December 2023.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Conference presenter in first year of PhD, 11th Australasian Symposium on Ionic Liquids (ASIL11), The 8th Conference of the Combined Australian Materials Societies (CAMS24) and the 2nd Australian Conference on Green & Sustainable Chemistry (GASCE24).
- Published two first author papers in the first year of PhD and one first author paper in Honours year.*
- Two PhD scholarships, Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (DUPR) and an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.
- Awards including, John Clarke Prize from Deakin (2023), Undergraduate Achievement Award from the Golden Keys International Honour Society (2022) and Geelong Awards for People with Disability – Volunteering Award from City of Greater Geelong Council (2023).
Why did you decide to join IFM?
The application and outcome focus of the Institute’s research. After completing Honours, I decided to stay and pursue a PhD at IFM because of the strong collaborative team environment, world-leading supervisors, extensive and consistent resourcing and world-class in-house instruments.
What motivates your research?
In-short, like most projects at IFM, the motivation is real-world impact. My research aims to create more efficient electrolytes that have more efficient electrochemical and mechanical properties.
What do you hope your research will ultimately achieve?
I am inspired by a commitment to sustainability and innovation and therefore my work aims to optimise electrolyte performance using measurable and impactful metrics. During my Honours research, I successfully developed an electrolyte system that demonstrated a twofold improvement in electrochemical efficiency. Building on this foundation, and despite encountering numerous challenges and setbacks during the first year of my PhD, I have achieved remarkable progress by creating an electrolyte system that is nine times more efficient.
What advice would you give someone thinking about completing a PhD?
You will be working in an institution and team for three-plus years. For me completing my Honours year worked well to see if the team and institute was the right fit for me. I strongly recommend completing an internship/placement with your potential PhD team prior to commencing. This could potentially be integrated into research Masters (for international students) or Honours (for domestic students) and is a great way to see if the team and research area is right for you.
…during the first year of my PhD, I have achieved remarkable progress by creating an electrolyte system that is nine times more efficient.
You are an advocate for disability rights – why this is so close to your heart?
Acquiring a disability at 19 reshaped my career path, from ballet to science, and disconnected me from my community at the time, a profound experience that now fuels my advocacy for the disability community and broader accessibility. My goal is to ensure others do not face the culture shock I endured, fostering a more inclusive and supportive society.
In terms of your disability rights advocacy work – what are your hopes for the future?
Disability inclusion has a long way to go, it is a marathon, not a sprint. In Australia, we are fortunate to enjoy the privileges of living in a developed nation. However, I envision a future where systemic changes within our society, institutions, and nation go beyond merely providing financial support. Instead, these changes should focus on dismantling the barriers that people with disabilities face, ensuring they no longer have to navigate obstacles that should not exist in the first place.
COMMUNITY WORK:
- Interim-President of Physical Disability Australia – the youngest Chair/President of an Australian Disabled People’s Organisation at the time
- 2022: Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network
- 2022 – present: Chair of the Surf Coast Shire Council’s All Abilities Advisory Committee – the youngest Chair of a disability, access and inclusion advisory committee in Australia.
- Member of boards including, Geelong Landcare Network, Youth Affairs Council Victoria, Physical Disability Australia and Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO).
- Member of committees including, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and advise on inclusive aid & development as an Executive Committee member of the Australian Disability Development Consortium.
- Representing AFDO and ADDC at the Global Disability Summit in Berlin in April 2025
What advice would you give your younger self?
After acquiring disability and leaving the career I was in, I hadn’t worked in a team until starting my Honours. Looking back now I had missed this more than I realised, so my advice to my younger self would be to ‘find a good team and grow from there’.
If you weren’t in research, is there another occupation you would see yourself in?
After acquiring disability, I had to redevelop a passion for a new field and I enjoyed this journey, I could see myself in many occupations ranging from politics to beekeeping.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
A PhD opens many doors, I will likely be in research or science policy five years from now, but the sky really is the limit for where we, as PhD students at IFM, can end up.
* PUBLICATIONS:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2024.124689 https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c07487.