2025 FEnEx CRC Annual Conference Presenters

Eric May

CEO, Future Energy Exports CRC

Eric May is the Chevron Chair in Gas Process Engineering at UWA which, in 2011, was endowed in perpetuity. He is also the Director of the Australian Centre for LNG Futures, an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, and was a Visiting International Professor at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany from 2015-18. His research group at UWA works closely with industry, conducting projects in LNG production, flow assurance, CCS and fluid property prediction. In 2017, Eric co-established Gas Capture Technologies Pty Ltd, a spin-out company for patented technologies to capture methane from coal mines, land-fill gas and other sources. In 2019 he led the bid to establish the Future Energy Exports CRC, which will conduct industrial-scale research to support LNG and Hydrogen exports from Australia. Eric was awarded the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year as part of the 2012 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

Director, Technical – Gas Capture Technologies Pty Ltd.

Director, Australian Centre for LNG Futures – The University of Western Australia (UWA)

Cathy Foley

Australian Physicist

Catherine Foley is an Australian physicist. She was the Chief Scientist of Australia from January 2021 to December 2024, before which she had been the chief scientist for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation since August 2018.

Fiona Simon

CEO, Australian Hydrogen Council

Fiona Simon is the CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC), the peak body of the Australian hydrogen industry.

AHC connects the hydrogen industry and its stakeholders in building a secure, clean and resilient energy future that sustainably produces and uses hydrogen within the energy mix. AHC’s members are from a range of sectors, including energy, transport, consulting, banking and technology.

Prior to joining the Australian Hydrogen Council, Fiona worked for close to 20 years in energy policy and regulation, specialising in energy retail competition and consumer protection matters.

Fiona holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has published a well-regarded academic book on retail energy regulation in Australia.

Robin Batterham

Honorary, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne

Professor Robin Batterham joined the Melbourne School of Engineering as Kernot Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2010. He has wide interests including reducing emissions through soil sequestration, application of mesoscience to mining, dewatering of tailings and elimination of tailings through in place leaching. He is past President of the Academy of Technology and Engineering (2007-2012), former Chief Scientist of Australia (1999-2005) and for over 20 years Global Head of Innovation (and other positions) in Rio Tinto. He has twice chaired the International Mineral Processing Congress, Chairs the selection panels for both the Australia India Strategic Research Fund and the Australia China Strategic Research Fund and chaired the International Energy Agency Expert Group on Science for Energy.

Peta Ashworth

Director, Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University

Professor Peta Ashworth OAM is the Director of Curtin University’s Institute for Energy Transition. She is a renowned expert in energy, communication, stakeholder engagement, and technology assessment. Professor Ashworth has researched public attitudes towards climate and energy technologies, including wind, carbon capture and storage (CCS), solar photovoltaic, storage, geothermal and hydrogen, for almost two decades. An accomplished speaker and educator, she actively promotes energy literacy globally and contributes to policy briefings and educational events.

Prior to joining Curtin University, Professor Ashworth was the Director of the Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, and Chair in Sustainable Energy Futures at The University of Queensland (UQ). She was also Chair of the Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce and is a member of CSIRO Hydrogen Mission Advisory Board. Professor Ashworth brings over thirty years’ experience working in a range of senior management, consulting and research roles.

David Norman

CEO, Future Fuels CRC

David Norman is the Chief Executive Officer of Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). David is responsible for implementing the vision and mission of Future Fuels CRC and managing its research operations including over 120 industry initiated projects enabling the use of hydrogen and biomethane in Australia’s energy networks.

David is an experienced research and industry leader. Previously Chief Executive Officer of Energy Pipelines CRC, David then lead the successful bid to create Future Fuels CRC. David has over 20 years of experience in senior positions in the global energy industry, spanning an array of commercial, managerial and technical roles.

David graduated in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Melbourne and has completed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Deakin University. He is a member of Engineers Australia and the Australian Institute of Energy.

Alessandra Giannasi

Emerging Technologies Senior Engineer, Baker Hughes

Physicist, master in particle physics and PhD in neutron scattering for matter characterization. Researcher at National Institute for Nuclear physics and at CNR (National Institute for Research). Almost 15 years in Industry, with GE and now with Baker Hughes. Currently staff scientist for digital and emerging technologies. Based in Florence (IT).

Saif Al Ghafri

FEnEx CRC Foundation Fellow, The University of Western Australia

Dr Saif Al Ghafri’ s expertise lies in thermophysical properties and fluid science studies, with a record of experimental and modelling excellence, postdoctoral candidate supervision and on-time delivery of large scale industrial projects.

Saif has worked on multiple research projects funded by global industry partners such as Shell Development Australia, Chevron Energy Technology Company, the Gas Processors Associations, Schlumberger, Qatar Petroleum, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industry.

His current research activities include hydrogen economy and liquid hydrogen, Boil-Off-Gas studies for LNG and LH2 storage and transportation, and measurement and modelling of fluid and thermophysical properties of mixtures relevant to oil and gas production, liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing, carbon dioxide sequestration, space industry, enhanced oil recovery, new generation refrigerants, natural gas hydrates and biodiesel production.

While employed at UWA, he has maintained on-going collaborations with other top fluid science groups in the world including Imperial College London, NASA, Ruhr-University Bochum and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA). He is an Honorary Research Fellow at Imperial College London and he has worked as a Process Engineer in Petroleum Development Oman and as a Research Associate at Imperial College London. He also leads a research group focused on “Propellant and Cryogenic Fluids” in the recently established UWA International Space Centre.

He has been awarded a few prestigious awards including The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC) Award for the best PhD dissertation of the year, Dudley Newitt Prize for Experimental Excellence due to exceptional merit demonstrated by experimental excellence, and Qatar Petroleum Medal for Research Excellence in Clean Fossil Fuels due to outstanding achievements in CFF research. Saif has a PhD and MSC from Imperial College London, and BEng (Hons) from Nottingham University.

Nick Burke

Principal Process Engineer, The CarbonNet Project

Nick Burke is the Principal Process Engineer for the CarbonNet Project, which you will hear more about today. The Project sits within the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions in the Victorian government. Prior to starting with the Project in 2023, Nick worked in the resources area with the Victorian government, looking at low-emissions uses of Victoria’s vast coal reserves, and prior to this appointment spent 20 years working as a research scientist at CSIRO. The Victorian government has been a supporting participant of the FEnEx CRC since 2021.

Andrew Feitz

Director of Energy Initiatives, Geoscience Australia

Dr Andrew Feitz is Director of Energy Initiatives and Advice at the Australian Government’s national geoscience agency, Geoscience Australia. He is an environmental engineer and has over 15 years of research experience in geological storage of CO2. Prior to joining Geoscience Australia in 2008, Andrew was a senior researcher in environmental treatment technologies at UNSW and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany.  

Andrew leads Geoscience Australia’s technical advice on hydrogen and geological storage of CO2. He has served on a number of advisory committees to the Australian Government on CCS and hydrogen.  Andrew leads Hydrogen Assessments under the Australian Government’s new Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, including ongoing development of a geospatial-economic analysis tool for estimating hydrogen production costs, natural hydrogen, and underground hydrogen storage.

Pouran Hudson

Program Manager, Hydrogen fuelled trucks: a greener future for heavy-duty transport in WA

Curtin University

Dr Pouran N Hudson is a Research Fellow and Project Manager of the Green Hydrogen for Road Transport in WA located at Curtin University’s Hydrogen Storage Research Group. The curiosity to understand both physical and non-physical aspects of the world motivated her to study BSc. (Honours I) and BA. at the University of Sydney’s School of Physics and Conservatorium of Music, respectively. She completed her PhD in physics on detecting high-energy radiations produced by a linear accelerator at the University of Sydney, where she has also worked as a lecturer and researcher on materials and optics (See Google Scholar).  She has managed over 30 STEM events through the Australian Institute of Physics, where she has served as a Vice-Chair, National Coordinator of the Women in Physics program and is a current committee member.

Bruce Norris

FEnEx CRC Strategic Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia

Bruce is a Research Fellow with the Department of Chemical Engineering at UWA. His research focuses on quantifying fugitive methane emissions associated with LNG production, and managing the risks associated with gas hydrates in subsea energy developments. The goal throughout this research is to assist industry in optimising their operational and design philosophies with a view of lowering cost, improving safety, and reducing the carbon intensity of energy production.

Brent Young

A Chair in Food Process Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Auckland

Brent Young is currently a Chair in Food and Process Systems Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Auckland. He is also Director of the Industrial Information and Control Centre at the University of Auckland.

Brent obtained his Bachelor and PhD degrees in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Canterbury. Brent is a Chartered Engineer, a Senior Member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a Fellow of both the Institution of Chemical Engineers UK and Engineering New Zealand.

Brent’s career includes prior academic appointments at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Calgary.

Brent’s research, teaching and practice is focussed on digital twins, modelling, simulation and control applied to sustainable development and optimisation of feed and energy process systems.

Michael Pereira

Associate Professor, Deakin University

Michael Pereira is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering at Deakin University, Australia, where he is also Melbourne (Burwood) Campus Lead for the School of Engineering, and the Deputy Director of the Hycel Technology Hub.

Michael has a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from RMIT University, Australia. He earned his PhD from Deakin University in 2010, focusing on advanced manufacturing in the automotive industry. Since then, he has held various research and academic roles at Deakin, including receiving an Australian Research Council Industry Postdoctoral Fellowship. Michael’s ability to establish external partnerships and have positive impacts in industry has resulted in numerous large industry-based R&D projects, fostering valuable industry collaborations and long-term partnerships.

Passionate about engineering education, Michael emphasizes project-based teaching methods to equip students with practical problem-solving skills for their future careers. His current research centres on hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysers, including modelling and testing PEM fuel cells, manufacturing bipolar plates, and designing manufacturing processes. He also has a strong background in the automotive and advanced manufacturing, metal forming and tool wear research.

Michael has a strong track record in terms of developing and maintaining external collaborations and attracting external funding. This research work has resulted in over $6 million of research funding in his name (as part of research teams), and the development of many long-term industry partnerships.

Tom Hughes

Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University

Tom Hughes is a Senior Lecturer in the Resources Program at Monash University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research bridges academia and industry by delivering critical measurements and models that improve the efficiency and sustainability of energy technologies. He currently leads the New Energy Technologies theme within the Woodside Monash Energy Partnership (WMEP). Through this partnership, Tom has worked on liquid hydrogen storage and transport as well as liquid air energy storage. His broader research covers thermophysical property measurements, environmentally friendly refrigerants, carbon capture, and natural gas processing – all aimed at reducing energy consumption and emissions while minimising environmental impact.

Mark Paskevicius

Professor, Curtin University

Mark Paskevicius is in the Department of Physics at Curtin University in Australia. His research is focussed on the storage of renewable energy. He is dedicated to developing new materials for solid-state hydrogen storage to store energy for automotive, stationary and export applications. He is also leading research into new solid-state ion conductors for battery applications, focussing on boron-rich materials.

Nguyen Cao

PhD Candidate, The University of Melbourne

Nguyen is a PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne, specialising in the examination of alternative fuels and propulsion systems for marine applications from technical, economic and environmental perspectives.

Before commencing PhD, Nguyen earned his Master of Energy Systems from the same university. During this period he participated in the Zero Emission Energy Laboratory Program, focusing on modeling solar photovoltaic energy systems. This valuable experience was made possible through a collaboration between the Melbourne Energy Institute (MEI) and their industry partner, Ekistica.

Prior to his master’s degree, Nguyen worked as an engineer specialising in solar photovoltaic energy systems. He commenced his academic journey by completing a Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sydney.

Thilini Thathsara

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology

Thilini Thathsara is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University of Technology. She specializes in the design and fabrication of novel hydrogen gas sensors for real-world applications. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka (2014) and an M.Phil. in Chemistry from USJP, Sri Lanka (2018). With expertise in physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, and materials engineering, her current research involves developing low-power hydrogen gas sensing materials that operate at or near room temperature using advanced nanomaterials.

Matt Kean

Chair, Climate Change Authority

Matt was appointed as Chair of the authority on 5th August 2024 for a term of 5 years. He was previously the Member of Hornsby in the NSW Parliament from 2011 until 2nd August 2024.

Matt was most recently the NSW Shadow Minister for Health. He was Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal party from August 2022 until March 2023. Throughout his 13-year political career, Matt also held ministries of Innovation and Better Regulation, Treasury, Energy and Environment.

As Treasurer and Energy Minister of NSW, Matt championed climate action that is the best interests of households and businesses. In 2020, he delivered the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap: A 20-year plan for NSW’s energy infrastructure. The roadmap spurs private investment in renewable energy while reducing emissions and power bills for the people of NSW.

Matt commenced in the role of Director, Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Partnerships and Wollemi Capital on 15th August 2024.

Matt studied a Bachelor of Business at the University of Technology Sydney and is a Chartered Accountant by profession.

Kenneth Baldwin

Emeritus Professor, Australian National University

Professor Ken Baldwin was the founding Director (2010-2020) of the Australian National University’s (ANU) Energy Change Institute (now incorporated into the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions – ICEDS).  He was also the inaugural Director (2018-2021) of the ANU Grand Challenge: Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific.

The main focus of his current work is to help drive the energy transition, particularly for Australia’s export future based on renewable energy.

Inaugural Director, former ANU Energy Change Institute, now incorporated into ICEDS

Founding Director, ANU Grand Challenge:  Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific

Chair, Australian Council of Learned Academies Australian Energy Transition Research Plan

Chair, Industry Advisory Board, ACT Government Energy Innovation Fund

Non-executive Director, Australian Hydrogen Research Network

Angela Gillham

CEO, Maritime Industry Australia Ltd

Angela has been at the helm of Maritime Industry Australia Ltd (MIAL), the national peak body representing Australian shipping and the broader maritime sector, since 2022.

Angela is known for her strong advocacy on behalf of industry to strengthen and safeguard Australia’s maritime capability and security, which played a key role in the Albanese Government’s introduction of its strategic fleet initiative following the last election.

Angela has participated in landmark domestic industry policy reform programs and represented the Australian industry at international forums, such as the International Chamber of Shipping, and as industry adviser to the Australian delegation to the International Maritime Organisation.

Angela is a member of many critical government-industry liaison committees, including the Defence’s Australian Maritime Defence Council, the Australian Maritime Safety Authorities’ Shipping Consultative Forum, National Safety Committee, and the National Plan Strategic Industry Advisory Forum. Angela was a core appointee to the Albanese Government’s Strategic Fleet Taskforce and is currently Chair of Industry Skills Australia’s Maritime Strategic Workforce Planning Committee.

Angela is staunchly apolitical in her approach to government relations and strongly committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders towards the common goal of safeguarding Australia’s sovereignty, economy and security by creating a strong, sustainable maritime nation.

Steve Ovenden

Vice President for Commercial Energy Transition, INPEX OPerations Australia Pty Ltd

Steve joined INPEX in August 2022 and is Vice President for Commercial and Energy Transition, where he is responsible for INPEX’s growth-related business development, decarbonisation and new energy business activities in Australia.

Prior to joining INPEX, Steve was Vice President WA for Santos where he was responsible for Santos’ Upstream Business in WA. Prior to that Steve spent close to 20 years with US energy major ConocoPhillips, where he held various roles across Australia and the US, of increasing responsibility in engineering, operations, commercial, strategy & planning and asset management, culminating in being named interim President of the Australia-West Business Unit, prior to transferring to Santos in 2020 as part of the sale by ConocoPhillips of their Australia-West assets to Santos.

Steve graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree (honours) in Chemical Engineering from Curtin University and in 2007 received his master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Western Australia.

Steve McBride

Industry Professional

Steve McBride is a resilient, high integrity leader who thrives in multi-cultural environments, and equally in large or small businesses.  He has been working in Asia Pacific for the past 30 years, with extensive in-depth experience both as a General/Region Manager and as a Strategic Business Development Director in the upstream energy services sector.

Prior to returning to Perth, Australia in 2020, he was the COO of a small diversified energy company in Myanmar, with oversight of renewables-based power generation projects, E&P offshore/onshore exploration assets, and LPG distribution initiatives.

Currently Steve works part-time for 3 organisations leading business development across Asia Pacific for Reverse Engineering Services Ltd (RESL) from UK in Decommissioning & Well Abandonment, for Houston-based Oilfield Data Services Inc. (ODSI) for their state-of-the-art reservoir surveillance software services, as well as for KL head-quartered AWT International for their drilling project management services and subsurface consultancy.

Steve gained a BSc First Class Honours in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and later, a part-time MBA with distinction from London Imperial College, Singapore.   Steve is the Past Chair of SPE Western Australia Section, Industry Relations & Timor-Leste and continues to lead successful initiatives in Timor-Leste supporting petroleum engineering and geoscience students.  He is also the ex-Officio of the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee globally and an Ambassador for Women in LPG (WINLPG) in South East Asia.

In late 2019, Steve successfully completed the 360 km Lunana Snowman Trek in the Himalayas along the border between Bhutan and Tibet, arguably the toughest trek in the world at an average altitude of 4500m.   He is married with one daughter and lives in Western Australia.

Qinzhuo Liao

Professor, College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Qinzhuo Liao is a Professor in the College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing). From 2017 to 2021, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. From 2015 to 2017, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University and Peking University. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Peking University and a PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering from University of Southern California. His research interests include underground hydrogen storage, machine learning, reservoir simulation, surrogate modelling and upscaling.

Greg Gosnells

CEO, GENH2

Greg Gosnell is the Chief Executive Officer of GenH2, a leading company in hydrogen infrastructure technology. Greg is an accomplished leader with a proven track record of driving strategic growth in the emerging technologies and clean energy sectors. With deep expertise in scaling businesses, forging strategic partnerships, and driving innovation, Greg has successfully led multiple organizations through transformative growth. Under his stewardship, GenH2 has achieved significant advances in development and commercialization of liquid hydrogen technologies, positioning the company as a key player in the transition to a clean energy future. Greg has spearheaded initiatives to accelerate market expansion, increase revenue, and enhance operational efficiency, positioning GenH2 for long-term success in a dynamic global market. Greg holds degrees in Geophysics and Mathematics from Colorado State University Pueblo.

Pierluigi Mancarella

Professor, The University of Melbourne

Pierluigi Mancarella is the Chair Professor of Electrical Power Systems at The University of Melbourne (Australia) and part-time Professor of Smart Energy Systems at The University of Manchester (UK). His key research interests include grid and market integration of renewables and distributed energy resources, energy infrastructure planning under uncertainty, techno-economic modelling and analysis of multi-energy systems, and security, reliability and resilience of low-carbon networks. Pierluigi is the Energy Systems program leader at the Melbourne Energy Institute and the Australian Director of the USA-UK-Australia Global Centre in Climate Change and Clean Energy “Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-Free Society (EPICS)”.

Mahnaz Shafiei

Associate Professor, Swinburne University of Technology

Mahnaz Shafiei is currently an Associate Professor and former Vice-Chancellor’s Women in STEM Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology. She received a PhD degree from RMIT University in 2011 and followed this with postdoctoral research at Queensland University of Technology and an Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship at Simon Fraser University, Canada. Mahnaz is currently leading Sensing Technology Research at Swinburne, and her research focus is on sensors and nanomaterials and their practical use for environmental and health monitoring. Her research group is currently developing innovative hydrogen gas sensors. In 2023, Mahnaz was awarded an International Hydrogen Research Fellowship as part of the International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Program funded by the Australian Government.

Daein Cha

DeepC Store Managing Director and FEnEx CRC Senior Projects Manager

With over 25 years of energy and resources industries experience and through senior roles for international business development, major capital project management, and commodity sales and trading at Tokyo Gas and Chevron, Daein brings extensive expertise, experience and network to originate and develop multi-billion dollars industrial projects.

 Daein is currently the Managing Director of deepC Store, Senior Projects Manager for Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Center, and Director for Transborders Energy.

 Daein received his Bachelor’s degree from the International Christian University in Japan, Master’s degree from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in USA, and qualification as Certified Cost Professional of AACE International.  Daein is also a certified member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators and the Society of Decision Professionals.

Xiong Xiao

Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia

Dr. Xiong Xiao is a research fellow of the Fluid Science and Resources (FSR) Group at the University of Western Australia (UWA) with experience in the field of thermodynamic and transport properties. He joined UWA in 2017 as a PhD student with his research focus on heat capacity measurements of hydrocarbon mixtures and refrigerants via differential scanning calorimetry, and the model improvement for thermophysical properties. The achieved experimental results and the improved models contribute to the industry for a better understanding in thermodynamic behaviour of hydrocarbon mixtures and refrigerants. Additionally, a new EOS for solid benzene has been developed, capable of describing all relevant thermodynamic properties, enabling reliable predictions of solid benzene freeze-out in liquefied natural gas. This significantly contributes to prevent solid blockages in pressure vessels and avoid unexpected shutdowns, much like how preventing cholesterol deposits in blood vessels helps avert strokes. Xiong completed his PhD degree in July 2021 and worked as a researcher since January 2021. He has received several major awards including the UWA Research Collaboration Award, International Association of Chemical Thermodynamics (IACT) Junior Award, Best Presenter at Present Around the World, and IChemE-Engineers Australia Postgraduate Excellence Award. His current research activities include measurement and modelling in thermophysical properties (density, heat capacity, viscosity, cell volume, enthalpy of sublimation/fusion, phase equilibrium, and speed of sound) of nitrate solutions, hydrogen enriched natural gas, ammonia mixtures, liquefied natural gas, new generation refrigerants, and Swan river/ocean water systems.

Dr. Xiao has been successful in securing funding from several prestigious sources, including the Australia-Japan Foundation, UWA Riverlab/Woodside FutureLab, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, and the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering. He maintains on-going collaboration with other top fluid science groups in the world including Imperial College London, Ruhr-University Bochum, Chemnitz University of Technology, Murdoch University, Monash University, Deakin University, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA), Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), and Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (TIPC-CAS).

Xue Sun

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Xue Sun is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Energy and Power Engineering at Tsinghua University.

Her research focuses on solar hydrogen production technologies, particularly the design and optimization of solar-driven thermochemical water splitting cycles.

Sam Xie

Associate Professor, Curtin University

Curtin University 

Dr Xie operates in dual settings, seamlessly bridging industry, and academia to drive innovation and development with a keen focus on advancing energy transition pathways. His specialisation lies in fluid-rock interactions, micro-scale fracture mechanics, reactive transport, and rock flow dynamics. He applies these expertise areas to enable underground hydrogen storage, particularly in Porous Media, Salt Caverns, and Lined Rock Caverns, as well as contribute to the field of CO2 Geological Storage.

The objectives of his research encompass two key goals: 1) facilitating and enabling underground hydrogen storage demonstration projects in Australia and globally, and 2) sequestering CO2 in subsurface to effectively reduce carbon footprints. Dr Xie is currently leading 4 research projects on Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) in Porous Media funded by Future Energy Export CRC and CSIRO by partnership with Beach Energy, bp-Australia,  Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and The University of Western Australia. He is also awarded Australian International Hydrogen Fellowship funded by CSIRO and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to support the International Hydrogen Research Collaboration Program. Dr Xie coordinated and collaborated with industry professional, academics, policymakers from over 50 organizations worldwide as a Subtask Lead under IEA-Hydrogen-TCP Task 42 Underground Hydrogen Storage from 2022 to 2024.

Fengyuan Zhang

Associate Professor, Vice-Director of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage International Innovation Research Institute, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Fengyuan Zhang, Associate Professor of Petroleum and Natural gas Engineering, Vice-Director of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage International Innovation Research Institute, at China University of Petroleum, Beijing. Fengyuan’s research focus is on carbon utilization and geological storage, multiphase fluid flow in porous media. Fengyuan is serving as the Executive Editor of SPE Journal and is the recipient of SPE Regional Technical Award. He holds a PhD degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Kevin Li

Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne

Dr. Gang (Kevin) Li is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, specializing in hydrogen production, CO2 capture, and natural gas processing. With a PhD from Monash University, he has received prestigious awards including the ARC DECRA, WA Innovator of the Year, and the ATSE David and Valerie Solomon Prize. He has over 180 publications in top journals like Nature and JACS, 30+ patents, and has secured $12.5M in research funding. His work has led to multiple spin-out companies like Gas Capture Technologies, Thin Air Technology, and Carbelec, for commercializing innovative solutions in energy and sustainability.

Fuyu Jiao

Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia

Dr. Fuyu Jiao is a Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia (UWA), specializing in hydrogen-related industrial research, including hydrogen liquefaction process design and optimization, liquid hydrogen boil-off gas system design and simulation, blue and green hydrogen production, and liquid CO₂ shipping and boil-off studies. He earned his PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from UWA in 2020, with a thesis titled “Experimental Studies of Phase Behaviour and Physical Properties of Natural Gas and Refrigerant Mixtures.” With extensive experience in both experimental and computational simulations across the natural gas, next-generation refrigerant, hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) industries, his research provides valuable insights and advancements in these fields.

Yongkang Cui

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Yongkang Cui obtained his undergraduate degree from the Department of Energy and Power Engineering at Tsinghua University and he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree under the supervision of Prof. Shujuan Wang.

His research focuses on developing novel CO₂ biphasic solvents.

Yuhang An

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Yuhang An received her Bachelor’s degree in Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University in 2024. She is currently pursuing her Doctor’s degree under the supervision of Associate Prof. (Tenured) Qiang Song.

Her research focuses on hydrogen production technologies, mainly on the development and optimization of thermochemical water-splitting cycles(TWSC) and seawater electrolysis, aiming to promote the low-cost production and industrial application of green hydrogen.

Emma D’Antoine

FEnEx CRC Foundation Fellow, Curtin University

Curtin University

Dr Emma D’Antoine recently completed her PhD researching psychosocial risk factors for offshore oil and gas workers, passed in September 2024 and gained a Chancellor of the University’s Commendation for: Experience in recruiting for qualitative research, conducting focus groups, one-to-one interviews, analysis of qualitative research through NVivo, identifying patterns and themes and using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. During the last year she has been employed as a Sessional Academic by the School of Psychology at Curtin University. She is currently based at the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, researching the views of a range of stakeholders from industry, government, academic and not for profit organisations on the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. This involves NVivo analysis of qualitative survey data, participant recruitment, interviews, interview transcription and reporting of results via reports and manuscripts. Her academic background is in Psychology and Human Rights, but her personal interests also lie in these fields.

Tim Eisenbach

PhD Candidate, Ruhr University Bochum (RUB)

PhD candidate in the thermodynamics group at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), Germany

Setareh Elyasi

PhD Title: Improving the Hydrogen Storage Devices for E-Mobility

Setareh’s research at Swinburne University of Technology aims to develop advanced hydrogen storage devices using graphene-based hybrid materials for the practical use of mobility and become economically reliable to convert the transport system to a fully electric one.

Setareh graduated in BSc, Material Engineering (Industrial Metallurgy).

Qiang Ge

PhD Candidate, The University of Melbourne

PhD candidate in the engineering group at the University of Melbourne

Razeen Hashmi

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University

Razeen Hashmi’s research focusses on designing and developing Digital Twin for renewable energy plant through Realtime data collection and optimisation to assist plant operation management. As the worldwide hydrogen production is expected to expand over the next five years, the risk associated with its production and handling may increase if new solutions are not implemented. Therefore, having a Digital Twin for hydrogen plant will provide real-time insight and maximise Renewable Energy plant processes and efficiency.

Razeen graduated from Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne with a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering. Razeen is currently a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology.

Heshani Hettigoda

PhD Title: Green Hydrogen for Heavy Transport Applications in WA

Heshani’s research has a strong focus on the technological considerations of hydrogen production, transport, and distribution for use as transport fuel in Western Australia, aiming to pave the way for sustainable and efficient hydrogen-based solutions. As part of this research, Heshani is actively involved in the production, handling, and monitoring of dedicated hydrogen trucks, obtaining crucial real-world data from hydrogen-powered test vehicles. This project plays a pivotal role in advancing the understanding and practical implementation of hydrogen as a clean and viable fuel source for transportation.

Heshani is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia. Prior to this, Heshani earned a B.Sc. in Engineering in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering in 2018. Subsequently, Heshani completed a MEng in Water Engineering and Management at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, in 2020.

David Michael Holder

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University

David Michael Holder is undertaking a PhD at the Swinburne University of Technology within the School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, and the Victorian Hydrogen Hub with the CSIRO.

His career has covered renewables power, utility networks, energy management, thermal processes, and refrigeration systems.  A significant component has been the application of energy engineering together with field testing. This knowledge set is being used to guide his PhD project for assessing the replacement of diesel fuelled port vehicles by hydrogen based technologies.

David is a Chartered Engineer with a Masters Degree in Renewable Energy Systems Technologies and a Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Waqar Khan

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology

Waqar Ali Khan is a PhD candidate in School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies at the Swinburne University of Technology. His research focuses on developing a contextualised Digital Twin platform to enhance the sustainability and resilience of hybrid renewable energy systems.

Waqar’s work involves simulating real-time energy operations using historical and live data to optimize the integration of solar, wind, and hydrogen resources while minimizing costs and CO2 emissions. A key focus of his research is on scalable optimisation and contextual data filtering techniques, enabling improved performance and adaptability of energy systems under variable environmental and operational conditions. His project also explores the role of Digital Twins in supporting energy decision-making and future-ready infrastructure for climate-resilient communities.

Waqar holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunication and Networks from Iqra University, where he was awarded a Silver Medal, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, where he received a Gold Medal. He has over 16 years of teaching and development experience and currently serves as a Sessional Academic in the School of Computer Science at Swinburne University of Technology.

Kaijie Li

PhD Title: Understanding the Characteristics of Pilbara Iron Ore during H2 and NH3 Direct Reduction Ironmaking

Kaijie’s work focuses on understanding the characteristics of ore minerals, physical parameters, and impurities, and their implications in in the H2 and NH3 DRI processes and final products. This research will provide new information on iron ore direct reduction using carbon-free and renewable H2 and NH3 which will help optimize the iron ore reduction process and improve the product quality of directly reduced iron.

Kaijie graduated with a master’s degree in Geological Engineering from the Taiyuan University of Technology. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Dongke Zhang at the Centre for Energy of The University of Western Australia.

Zhuo Li

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Zhuo Li is a PhD candidate in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermal Physis at Tsinghua University, China.

His research focuses on modeling the transport properties of fluids.

Yinghui Liao

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Yinghui Liao, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Energy and Power Engineering at Tsinghua University.

Her research focuses on hydrogen-electric coupling systems and Carnot batteries, aiming to promote efficient hydrogen energy applications and contribute to carbon reduction.

Qingyong Luo

Subdean, College of Geoscience, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Qingyong Luo, Professor and subdecanal of the College of Geoscience at China University of Petroleum–Beijing. Research interests focus on Carbon storage and monitor, Petroleum Geochemistry and organic petrology. Awarded the Excellent Young Scientists Fund grant by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for research on Organic Petrology.

Sandun Ranasinghe

PhD Title: Design and development of an innovative low-power hydrogen sensing platform

Sandun Piyumal Ranasinghe is a biomedical engineer and lecturer with extensive experience in medical instrumentation, signal processing, and IoT. He served as a Lecturer-on-Contract at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and has previously worked as a Visiting Student at the Instituto di BioRobotica in Italy, an Engineer Intern in Germany, and a Research Assistant in Sri Lanka. He holds an M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Universität zu Lübeck, Germany, and a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. His research focuses on electronic instrumentation and machine learning for different applications including energy, with multiple scientific publications in these areas.

His current project focuses on developing a framework for a smart hydrogen gas sensor system to enhance accuracy, reliability, and real-world performance. Since hydrogen is a key renewable energy carrier but highly flammable, existing sensors often struggle with accuracy due to environmental variations. Therefore, his research aims to overcome these limitations by implementing a hybrid system consisting of hardware and AI/ML algorithms for improved detection and monitoring.

Deepak Saini

Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

PhD candidate in the engineering group at the University of Melbourne

Guinevere Sellner

PhD Title: Microwave Resonators for Cryogenic Hydrogen Property Measurement

Guinevere’s research focuses on the development of a novel sensor for the measurement of quantum properties of hydrogen at conditions relevant for hydrogen liquefaction. The sensor is based on the principle of a microwave resonant cavity that utilises the dielectric properties of a contained fluid to determine density and even spin-isomer (ortho-para) hydrogen composition. The new sensor is intended for eventual use in real-time hydrogen liquefaction plant operation where it will be able to both monitor and quality assure outputted liquid hydrogen streams. As well as the development of this sensor, Guinevere’s work also includes the measurement of new high accuracy hydrogen property data in order to improve on the current hydrogen equation of state which falls short when predicting hydrogen properties at the low temperature used in liquefaction.  

 Guinevere graduated from the University of Western Australia (UWA) with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Hons) in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics and has continued her Honours research as a current PhD candidate at UWA as part of the Fluid Science & Resources research group. As well as her coursework, Guinevere has also had previous research experience as a research assistant for the Fluid Science & Resources group working on projects related to hydrogen enriched natural gas. 

Liam Tenardi

PhD Title: Advancing Vapour Liquid Equilibrium Measurement with Microwave Resonators

Liam Tenardi is a graduate from The University of Western Australia with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on expanding the applicability of microwave resonator technology to vapour-liquid equilibrium characterisation of hydrocarbon mixtures. Novel microwave sensors are being developed to enable in-situ and non-invasive measurements of fluid mixture density, composition and phase behaviour, which will be used to monitor processes in real time and generate data for the development of accurate predictive models for industrially important fluid mixtures. These sensors and models will ultimately enable industry to significantly improve process design, optimise efficiency, and reduce environmental impacts

Thilini Thathsara

PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology

Thilini Thathsara is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University of Technology. She specializes in the design and fabrication of novel hydrogen gas sensors for real-world applications. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka (2014) and an M.Phil. in Chemistry from USJP, Sri Lanka (2018). With expertise in physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, and materials engineering, her current research involves developing low-power hydrogen gas sensing materials that operate at or near room temperature using advanced nanomaterials.

Shouceng Tian

Dean, College of Petroleum, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Shouceng Tian, Professor of Petroleum and Natural gas Engineering, Dean of the College of Petroleum, at China University of Petroleum -Beijing at Karamay. Shouceng is the Chief Scientist of National Key Research and Development Program of China. Research interests include drilling and completion engineering, underground hydrogen storage at depleted oil & gas reservoirs, supercritical CO2 Fracturing.

Tingting Wang

Research Associate, Curtin University

Dr Tingting Wang is a Research Associate at Curtin University, working on hydrogen storage and rock mechanics, with a background in wettability and multiphase flow in porous media. She completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where her research focused on the impacts of wettability and intermittency on porescale displacement mechanisms using advanced micro-CT imaging and numerical modelling.

At Curtin, she is currently conducting experimental investigations related to underground hydrogen storage (UHS), integrating synchrotron and CT imaging techniques to examine multiphase interactions and mechanical behaviour in subsurface environments. Her ongoing work also includes preparations for neutron imaging experiments to further explore the complexities of reactive transport and rock deformation under hydrogen exposure.

Jialiang Xu

PhD Title: Single Particle Reaction Modelling of Hydrogen and Ammonia Direct Reduction Iron: Reaction Behaviour, Kinetics, and Mechanisms

Jialiang’s research focuses on the behaviour and mechanisms of iron ore direct reduction by ammonia and hydrogen. His research will use numerical simulation to investigate gas-solid reactions between ammonia, hydrogen and iron ore through the evolution of detailed transport phenomena, reaction kinetics, and phase changes. The goal of his research is to contribute to the application of a decarbonised and sustainable ironmaking method.

Jialiang is a graduate of Nanjing Agricultural University with an MRes (Master of Research, Distinction) degree in Engineering. Now, he is pursuing his PhD at the University of Western Australia under the supervision of Dongke Zhang from the Centre for Energy.

Jingxin Zeng

PhD Candidate, Tsinghua University

Jingxin Zeng holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Power Engineering and Thermal Physics from Tsinghua University (2023) and has been dedicated to thermal-fluid systems and renewable energy integration since 2023. He is a Direct PhD candidate in Power Engineering and Thermal Physics at Tsinghua University, China, under the supervision of Associate Prof. (Tenured) Qiang Song.

His research focuses on hydrogen production technologies powered by renewable energy, including thermochemical water-splitting cycles (TWSC) and high-efficiency water electrolysis, aiming to develop scalable solutions for green hydrogen economy.

Yiqun Zhang

Head of Department of Offshore & Gas Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Yiqun Zhang, Professor and Head of the Department of Offshore Oil & Gas Engineering at China University of Petroleum–Beijing. Research interests focus on Drilling and Completion Engineering and Applied Fluid Mechanics, including Hydrogen Storage, Development of Natural Gas Hydrate and Geothermal Resources. Awarded the Excellent Young Scientists Fund grant by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for research on Hydrate-Based CO2 Sequestration.

Mengqing Zhao

PhD Title: Evaluation of Opportunities and Pathways for Large-Scale Utilisation of Renewable Hydrogen in Mineral Processing and Metal Refining of Selected Minerals in WA

Mengqing Zhao’s research aims to identify and evaluate the opportunities and pathways for large-scale utilisation of renewable hydrogen in mineral processing and metal refining in WA and, through process modelling and value-chain analysis, identify suitable technologies and demonstrate utilisation pathways towards decarbonisation of the mining and minerals industry.

Mengqing Zhao is pursuing her PhD at the Centre for Energy of the University of Western Australia.