About Curious Quanta
Curious Quanta is a Melbourne-based STEM education initiative delivering hands-on science and mathematical thinking programs for primary school children. Founded by Dr Chamali Jacob, it brings the rigour and wonder of real scientific inquiry into an accessible, playful learning environment.
Learning through investigation
At Curious Quanta, children don’t watch science happen — they make it happen. Every session gives young learners the chance to build, experiment, observe, measure, question and solve problems using real components and carefully designed experimental materials.
This is deliberate. When a child adjusts a variable, records a result and sees something unexpected, they are doing science — not performing it. The skills developed through this kind of active investigation — patience, precision, reasoning and resilience — are ones that stay with them well beyond the session.
Meet Dr Chamali Jacob
Dr Chamali Jacob is an experimental physicist, STEM educator and the founder of Curious Quanta. She holds a PhD in Physics from Swinburne University of Technology, where her research spanned ultracold atoms, lasers and optical systems, precision instrumentation and scientific measurement.
Alongside her research career, Chamali built experience in university teaching and laboratory education before turning her focus to hands-on STEM education for children. Her approach brings the practices of a working scientist — observation, experimentation and measurement — into an accessible and engaging environment for young learners.
From the Laboratory to Young Learners
Curious Quanta grew out of Dr Chamali Jacob’s years working in experimental physics — designing experiments, operating precision instruments, and discovering how things behave at the smallest scales. That experience shaped a deep belief: that the process of scientific investigation is something children should experience for themselves, not just read about.
Every Curious Quanta session is built around that spirit. Children follow their curiosity, test their ideas, and find out how things actually work — the same instinct that drives scientists at every level. The aim is not to fast-track expertise, but to give children an authentic taste of what it feels like to investigate, discover and understand.
Science You Can Actually Explore
Developed by an experimental physicist
Curious Quanta is founded and led by Dr Chamali Jacob, a PhD physicist with hands-on research experience in ultracold atoms, lasers and precision instrumentation.
Investigation, not demonstration
Sessions are built around active participation. Children build, measure, test and observe — rather than sitting back and watching science from a distance.
Real components and apparatus
Where appropriate, activities use genuine experimental materials and equipment, giving children a tangible sense of how scientific investigation actually works.
Curiosity, reasoning and problem-solving
Every activity is designed to prompt questions, encourage careful thinking and build the problem-solving habits that matter well beyond the classroom.
