Tanya Monro

Tanya Mary Monro AC FAA FTSE (born 1973) is an Australian physicist known for her work in photonics. She has been Australia's Chief Defence Scientist since 8 March 2019. Prior to that she was the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation (DVCR&I) at the University of South Australia. She was awarded the ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2013. She was the inaugural chair of photonics, the inaugural director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics and the inaugural director of the Institute for Photonics & Advanced Sensing (IPAS), and the inaugural director of the Centre of Expertise in Photonics (CoEP) within the School of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Adelaide (now known as the School of Physical Sciences). Monro has remained an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Adelaide following her departure from the institution. In 2020 she was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor at the University of South Australia.

Monro has been a member of the Board of the CSIRO since 2016; previous board roles have included membership of the Australian Prime Minister's Commonwealth Science Council, the South Australian Economic Development Board in which she chaired the Arts subcommittee, and the Defence SA board.

Monro took up the role of Chief Defence Scientist in March 2019, the first woman in this position.