Queensland Program Lead – LNG and Hydrogen (CQUniversity Australia)
Associate Professor Saif Al Ghafri is a chemical and process engineer at CQUniversity Australia with internationally recognised expertise in LNG, hydrogen, and cryogenic energy systems. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London, with research focused on hydrogen liquefaction and storage, cryogenic cooling systems, thermophysical property measurement, and process modelling across LNG, CCUS and hydrogen value chains.
He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal publications, including highly cited work in Energy & Environmental Science, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Energy, and Fuel, and has authored numerous major technical reports for industry and government. Since 2017, Al Ghafri has secured more than $8 million in competitive and industry research funding, supporting large-scale projects with partners such as Woodside, INPEX, Baker Hughes, Fortescue Future Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Al Ghafri has been actively involved with the Future Energy Exports CRC for several years, contributing to LNG and hydrogen research programs spanning hydrogen liquefaction, boil-off gas modelling, ortho-para hydrogen conversion, mixed-refrigerant systems, and cryogenic property measurement. His work has supported both fundamental research and engineering-scale solutions relevant to Australia’s future energy infrastructure.
He also holds adjunct academic appointments at Imperial College London and The University of Western Australia, supporting international and national collaboration in cryogenic and hydrogen technologies. As Queensland Program Lead for the Future Energy Exports CRC, Al Ghafri works with industry, government, and research partners to deliver LNG and hydrogen research programs that advance scalable, low-emissions technologies for Australia’s future energy exports.