Before discussing your work in metrology, how would you describe yourself as a person, and the values that guide you?

Wow, this is a rather large question, and one that could take us down all kinds of pathways. I think that if we cut down to the quick, I am an international by nature and upbringing, that I gain purpose through exacting and meaningful work, and that I try to let optimism guide me, wherever possible.

Beyond that, I love the process of taking time to listen to people, discovering their creative powers and then working together to inevitably achieve more than we could have alone.

‘Community’ and an underlying faith in the good intentions of the people around me are core for me. Having grown up in several countries across Southeast Asia, with their many feasts, community games and festivals, I guess it was inevitable that this sense of belonging, shared purpose and mutual care would become central to how I see the world — and how I work within it.

What first drew you to science — and what eventually led you to metrology?

If I’m honest, I was drawn to science as a teenager because it was difficult! I loved the challenges it presented, and I wanted to learn to think in the rigorous way it demanded. Beyond that, I also came to love the way that mathematics could not only describe the world around me but had the power to reveal and even to predict what I could observe for myself.

In terms of metrology, I came to the field through a happy coincidence. Emerging from post doctorate fellowships in the field of solar energy at the age of 30, I was looking for a job specifically in physics. I discovered an opening at the Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand (MSL), in the exact same laboratory where I had conducted some of my PhD experiments.

It was only then that I discovered that MSL was in fact a National Metrology Institute (NMI) and, over time, that I came to understand all of what that meant.

During my time in that role, I found that metrology pushed my thinking to an even deeper level of diligence. Beyond my skill sets in materials physics and optics, I now also had to learn how to best capture and quantify the limits of what could be known about a physical system, [aka measurement modelling and uncertainty analysis]. Some of my most enjoyable research projects there revolved around my work in gonio spectrophotometry – the basis for making measurements that quantify subjective perceptions of materials like gloss or haze. On one occasion we were even asked to measure how human hair reflects and scatters light!

What is it about metrology, as a discipline, that continues to hold your interest?

What has kept me motivated and engaged throughout my career is the sense of order that metrology brings to the world around us, and the process of approaching the limits of what could be known about an artefact or a measuring instrument. Beyond that, I get the pleasure of seeing the impact of our work everywhere I look, hidden in plain sight!

You’ve worked across the international metrology system for many years — what has most shaped how you work with others?

The realization that metrology is essentially a collaborative activity.

I remember when I finally submitted my first Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs). It was a proud moment for me, but the confidence I had in my work that day was only possible thanks to the generous contributions and input of many of my international colleagues in the lead up to that big event.

Seeing that level of international consensus emerge, and watching the community move forward together, was a powerful reminder that the most enduring progress in metrology comes from cooperation, patience and trust in one another’s work.

More recently, I remember watching — in the middle of the night in New Zealand — as the unanimous decision was made to redefine the International System of Units (SI) in 2018. The transition to defining the SI through fundamental constants was not the achievement of any single institute or discipline, but the result of decades of shared effort — built, once again, on comparisons, peer review, and a collective willingness to align around common evidence.

Seeing that level of international consensus emerge, and watching the community move forward together, was a powerful reminder that the most enduring progress in metrology comes from cooperation, patience and trust in one another’s work.

It is with this understanding that I think about, and do my best to approach, decision making today; remembering that it is only with a range of voices around the table that we can get results that we can trust and rely on.

What do you think people outside the field most often misunderstand about metrology?

I think there is a general misconception that metrologists are overly concerned with the fine details of measurement, or with increased accuracy for its own sake. In fact, all the metrologists that I know are motivated by supporting our various customers and stakeholders in achieving success within their own contexts.

Whether working with international organizations to monitor our environment or calibrating a length gauge for the local accredited laboratory, we derive immense satisfaction from knowing that the scientific infrastructure we provide is critical to understanding the big and small issues of our age. That in almost any given area, our work underpins essential everyday services, systems and data that enable others to make better decisions for our collective future.

Outside of work, what helps you switch off or regain perspective?

Every so often in New Zealand I used to put on my pack and ‘hit the hills’ on the weekend. Listening to running water and the birdlife of the New Zealand bush was wonderfully restorative. I look forward to discovering the wild(er!) parts of France in due time.

Mind you, the grounds of the BIPM and the surrounding park will be a wonderful place to kick start some of these explorations!

What does it mean to you personally to take on the role of Director of the BIPM?

Given how critical scientific metrology is for our world, this role is one that comes with a keen sense of responsibility for me.

Every day, traders, health care workers, manufacturers, stewards of natural resources, policy makers and more rely on the SI and the UTC, trusting that the measurements they depend on are accurate and consistent.

I have come to understand that this trust is sustained through the openness and cooperation of the international metrology community, and that the BIPM has a unique and essential role in bringing that community together — quietly, rigorously and in service of the common good.

I feel incredibly privileged and honestly proud to have been given the stewardship of this prestigious organization - and I do so with deep respect for the work that has come before and optimism for what we can continue to achieve together.

As 2026 begins, what are you most looking forward to engaging with at the BIPM this year?

This year, of course, we are building up to the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in October. This will be an exciting moment for us all to gather together and will give me the opportunity to engage with many of our member states and their NMIs.

I am very much looking forward to discussing their aspirations for scientific metrology and being part of conversations that I hope will help build a common understanding for, and explore solutions to, some of the challenges and opportunities ahead.