Engineering and Energy experts

Murdoch University’s experts cover a wide range of areas including engineering, physics, nanoscience and renewable energy studies, greenhouse accounting and using solar, hydro, tidal, wind, wave, geothermal and biomass alternative energy sources.

Engineering expertise areas also include instrumentation and control engineering, industrial computer systems engineering, renewable energy engineering, and electrical power engineering.

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	Dr Katrina O'Mara Renewable energy; sustainability of new technologies and energy education Dr Katrina O'Mara is a senior lecturer in sustainable energy management at Murdoch University. She is an expert in non-technical issues associated with energy generation and use, including the broader sustainability considerations of new technologies, residential sustainability initiatives and sustainable energy education. Dr O'Mara has worked with the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy and Murdoch University's renewable energy teaching and research activities. She is also a senior sustainability and climate change consultant for an international professional services firm. Passionate about communicating science and technology to the public, she has presented science as Commander Kat on RTRFM (92.1) for more than 13 years.

	Dr Gerrard Eddy Jai Poinern Applied nanotechnology and bionanotechology An applied nanotechnology and bionanotech expert, Dr Gerrard Eddy Jai Poinern leads the development of a nanomembrane for the repair of skin burns, and has pioneered the manufacture of "nano-bone by wet synthesis" methods. Dr Poinern is part of the strategic India-Australian scientific collaboration for arsenic removal in contaminated water, the nanotechnology chair and foundation director of the Murdoch Applied Nanotechnology Research Group, MANRG, and also designed the WA State NanoCarbon Manufacturing facility for the WA Nanochemistry Research Institute.

	Dr Jonathan Whale Renewable wind energy and wind turbine testing Dr Jonathan Whale is Technical Director of Australia’s National Small Wind Turbine Test Centre, operating out of Murdoch’s Research Institute for Sustainable Energy. The federally-funded centre is the only one of its kind in Australia and a one-stop-shop for wind turbine certification, standards and training. Dr Whale works with councils such as the City of Melville to position small wind turbines on roofs, funded by the WA Sustainable Energy Development Office. He has also worked internationally including projects with the International Energy Agency and US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

	Dr Martin Anda Sustainable development, governance and environmental technology in Australian Indigenous communities Environmental engineer Dr Martin Anda is an expert in liquid and solid waste recycling, and energy efficiency in buildings and human settlements. He says that if only 10 per cent of Perth’s homes were eco-renovated with insulation and solar panels, the equivalent of one new coal or gas-fired power station could be saved and demand reduced on existing ones. Dr Anda’s research through the Environmental Technology Centre and Remote Area Developments Group is linked to the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, the Sustainable Tourism CRC, Environmental Biotechnology CRC and the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.

	Professor David Harries Renewable energy technologies, energy policy, geothermal An internationally renowned expert in renewable energy and energy efficiency, Professor David Harries conducts major social research surveys on energy use, the development of minimum energy performance standards for appliances, and the development and operation of laboratories for testing renewable energy technologies and equipment. He is Murdoch University’s Director of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies, and was previously the Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Development Office in Western Australia and ran the Office of Energy in Tasmania, where he prepared the State’s gas legislation.

	Professor Philip Jennings Renewable energy research and photovoltaics Murdoch’s Professor of Physics and Energy Studies, Philip Jennings is an expert in photovoltaics, particularly amorphous silicon solar cells and attempts to improve their efficiency and stability, and has been involved in renewable energy research and education for more than 25 years, leading a range of educational programs in renewable energy at the University. Professor Jennings is the former president of the Conservation Council, current president of the Wetlands Conservation Society, President of the Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre and Secretary of the Pollution Action Network He is also active in the voluntary conservation movement, having held various positions with the Conservation Council of Western Australia and its affiliated groups. He also represents the Conservation Council on the Cockburn Sound Management Council and the Air Quality Coordinating Committee, and is the Chair of the Beeliar Regional Park Community Advisory Committee.