The Australasian Cytometry Society (ACS) Technician Commitment Task Force was established following the ACS becoming the first scientific professional society in Australia to formally support the Technician Commitment, an international initiative originating in the UK that seeks to ensure technical staff in research and education are properly valued, supported, and developed. The Task Force is responsible for translating that commitment into concrete action across key pillars, including visibility, recognition, career development, and sustainability for the cytometry technical workforce. By championing these goals within a specialist scientific community, the Task Force aims to drive sector-wide cultural change in how research infrastructure professionals – particularly those operating and maintaining complex instrumentation platforms – are recognised and supported across Australasian institutions.
Chair – Pat Metharom
Pat Metharom manages the Flow Cytometry Platform at Curtin Medical Research Institute. With a PhD in Molecular Biology (University of Queensland) and international research experience spanning thrombosis, cancer, neurodegeneration, and extracellular vesicle biology, she now specialises in flow cytometry and shared research infrastructure. As an ACS Councillor and co-chair of the Technician Commitment Taskforce, Pat champions cytometry education, workforce recognition, and sustainable research infrastructure across Australasia.
Co-Chair – Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson manages FlowCore at MHTP, supporting researchers across immunology, cancer, and diabetes with experimental design, cell preparation, and a world-class suite of sorters and analysers. An ISAC Shared Resource Laboratory Emerging Leader and regular presenter at Cyto meetings, Michael has served the ACS as Executive Secretary, Councillor, conference co-chair, and co-chair of the Technician Commitment Taskforce, and is committed to championing new technologies in cytometry.
Allison McInnes
Allison McInnes is the founder of Cytovista in Brisbane, bringing 12 years of flow cytometry experience rooted in oceanography and microbiology. At the Centre for Microbiome Research, she optimised a high-throughput cultivation platform to isolate microbes from the human microbiome, helping build the Australian Human Microbiome Biobank. Allison’s driving goal is developing fast, affordable flow-based tools for measuring microbial communities at ecologically relevant scales of time and space.
Lucie Leveque-El Mouttie
Dr Lucie Leveque‑El Mouttie manages the TRI Flow Cytometry Facility in Brisbane, bringing over 15 years of experience in research cytometry spanning stem cell transplantation and leukaemia biology. Previously at QIMR Berghofer, she supported high‑parameter panel design, cell sorting, data analysis, and validation of GLP‑compliant assays in a NATA‑accredited facility with researchers and industry partners. Lucie is passionate about cytometry education and training researchers and core facility staff through workshops and best‑practice initiatives.
Thaize Chometon
Thaize Chometon is the Lead Flow Cytometry Technologist at the Auckland Cytometry, University of Auckland, New Zealand. She brings over 10 years of experience in flow cytometry across a range of research areas, particularly immunology, cancer, and infectious diseases. Throughout her career, including her time at the FIOCRUZ Cell Sorting Core Facility in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she has contributed to experimental design, cell sorting, and data analysis across diverse research projects. Thaize is passionate about cytometry education and training, as well as the use of flow cytometry as a tool to drive new scientific discoveries.
