This month our short interview features Richard Farnsworth, head of information technology and computing at the Australian Synchrotron. The synchrotron’s longest-serving employee, Richard will leave the Australian Synchrotron in October 2010, and his contributions to the facility will be missed!

How long have you been with the Australian Synchrotron?
I joined the Australian Synchrotron Project (ASP) run by Major Projects Victoria (MPV) in April 2003 as lead control systems engineer. I was interviewed by Alan Jackson (ASP Technical Director), Garry Seaborne (ASP Project Director) and James Cain (Head of MPV). As a local, I was able to start before all the other technical specialists, who were not locals. Both Alan and Garry have since retired and James Cain was not part of the synchrotron project, which makes me the longest-serving ASP employee at about seven-and-a-half years. Staff from ANSTO and the Australian Synchrotron Research Project also worked on the ASP, but were not directly employed by ASP.

What have you learnt about synchrotron scientists as a result of working here?
Synchrotron scientists are the biggest bunch of ratbags out! More seriously, the beamline scientists and accelerator scientists here are among the most talented in their fields, and I am honoured to have personally worked alongside them. They are very individualistic and highly motivated and each believes passionately that their chosen speciality is of great importance.

What will you miss most about the Australian Synchrotron?
This place has been a tight-knit team working together towards a common goal. The genuine closeness of the early days, the sense of achievement in getting the machines working, the enormous technical interest in the work itself and community support – both in my profession and the wider community – are all unique things that I doubt I will ever see again.

What will you miss least about the Australian Synchrotron?
Some of the more frustrating challenges encountered in getting a facility of this type operational; resources are often more limited than one would like to see. It’s also true that while the synchrotron has achieved so much so quickly, it’s a bit like a precocious teenager who hasn’t yet developed the maturity to match his or her technical accomplishments.

What are you going to do next?
I’m going to head up the accelerator controls team at the Advanced Photon Source (the APS) in Chicago.